After we got home from school and work and day care today, my older kids asked for their InnoTabs to play with. After about 20 minutes, they were finished and moved on to Lego's and Barbecue Party. I'm always glad to see them using their own imagination to entertain themselves (and each other, since my baby doll was helping the super baby play Barbecue Party). I have seen so many children who don't know how to entertain themselves without a battery operated toy/computer/tablet/television, and it breaks my heart to know that they have become so dependent on something that really isn't giving them the benefits that are advertised.
Some years ago, when the little man was still a baby, I saw an ad for an infant video game system in one of the magazines I subscribed to at the time. The Husband was all about the video games at the time and thought we should get one for little man. His side: It teaches shapes, colors, and numbers. My side: It teaches him how to push a button. Our finances didn't allow for us to do more than discuss it, but it really demonstrated the different ends of the technology spectrum to me.
I grew up in a household that had one TV for the longest time. We finally got a little one in the kitchen, but it was mainly used when we would "sneak" downstairs on Saturday mornings for cartoons. (The kitchen was further from the parent's bedroom, the light and sound didn't reach in there... Home free, right?) My brothers got game systems, but not until they were working and able to purchase them for themselves. And, you know, that was okay. We played with dolls and blocks and our imaginations. We had the run of the woods behind the house, and we built the most amazing villages out there where we could bring the dogs and ponies that were around for us to enjoy. We rode our bikes in the yard and on the driveway. We read books, and drew, and had a great time together. At the time, every now and again, we would be bummed that we didn't have what 'everyone' else had. But looking back on it, maybe we had it better.
Fast forward about 15 years, and here I am with my own little ones. Reading and hearing about all the research about how too much screen time is not good for little ones. Being frustrated at all the advertisements that touted the newest product to teach your infant to read or speak or learn best from using that product. When did it become a business to replace that precious time with parents? To teach your child to read from watching TV instead of snuggling up with books? To teach your child shapes and colors on the screen instead of busting out the paper and crayons?
Having all this thrown at me made me want to do it differently. To not take what felt, to me, like the easy way out. So, here I am, with a cabinet full of books to rival the library available at the center where I work, with another cabinet full of art and sensory supplies, to SPEND TIME with my children, learning with and from them. And, you know what? That 20 minutes, a couple times a week with the InnoTab, plus the 2-3 times they watch a show or movie is just enough screen time for us. We have so much more time to create and hang out playing games, and the husband and I get to feel the pride in their learning.
This isn't to say that any amount of screen time is terrible for children. We are just looking to encourage depending on it less, and looking for alternatives to spending so much time glued to the screen.
Last spring, I broached the subject of cancelling our cable subscription with the husband. As there was quite the list of DVR'd shows always available on the box, it wasn't the easiest sell. But we gave it a shot, and switched to Netflix and Hulu. It definitely cuts down on the TV watching the kids and I do, because I don't usually feel like waiting to fire up the TV and Wii to get to the shows. (And I sure liked the cost difference- that extra $50 not going out for cable isn't bothering me a bit.)
So, what does one do instead of fixating on the screen? Well, I'm so glad you asked!
Art- Keep a bin of crayons, markers, pencils, pads of paper, stickers, ink pads and stamps, paints and brushes, scissors, and glue handy. Haul it out and create away.
Playdough- Sensory, only slightly messy, fun. Need I say more?
Sensory bins- Beans, rice, sand, pasta, water, cloud dough (2 parts flour to 1 part oil), easter grass and small plastic toys, snow, ice, aquarium rocks, water beads, marbles... Go wild! (Just make sure that your young ones are closely supervised... Guess that means you get to play too!)
Have a dance party- Put on some music and be silly. Just think of all the endorphins you can give yourself!
READ! Reading to your child is one of the absolute best ways to teach your child. Reading stories gives you snuggle up time, it encourages conversations you may not have had otherwise, it brings up vocabulary that you wouldn't usually use.
Cook- Involve your child in making your meals. Have them pull up a chair or stool, and wash the fruits and veggies at the sink, or measure out the pasta into a bowl, or spread bread with butter or jam. Encourage them to set out silverware and napkins, or choose the fruit that will be served.
Go outside. This, by far, has to be one of my favorite alternatives to do with my children. I was lucky enough to be able to spend so much of my childhood outside, and I need to make up for not having the kind of backyard that I wanted for them the first few years of the older two's lives. We are gonna be spending every spare minute out there (as soon as it is warm enough), and make all the memories we can.
There is so much to do and experience! Go do it! It'll be the best daymaking experience your child can have....
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