This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.
This spring I’ve been traveling the East coast speaking at homeschool conventions. One question I’m asked every time I speak is how do I limit screen time and encourage my kids to spend more time playing and using their imagination.
The crazy thing is, this summer I haven’t had to turn off the television, because it hasn’t been on.
My kids have spent the summer playing games, making up stories, playing with their toys, building forts outside, riding bikes, creating art masterpieces, and of course, swimming.
My girls especially have taken to drawing and creating cute outfits using products like the Barbie Purr-fect Pet Sketch Portfolio. With this sketchbook, girls can design the ultimate clothing and accessory collection for all of Barbie’s pets! If you haven’t seen these awesome portfolios you must check them out. (See the $5 off coupon below to help you save!)
My girls absolutely love creating fashion designs and giving them their own designer touch with color and stickers. Even if your child isn’t an artist there are templates for them to trace which helps with those fine motor skills and gives a struggling artist the confidence to create.
My girls have become so excited about creating outfits that they’ve even started sewing (or stapling) fabric together to make real outfits for their toys. They’ve also used paper, duct tape, or whatever else they can find around the house.
I love seeing their imagination sparked especially when it replaces screen time. My girls are creating instead of consuming and that makes me very happy. One of my girls has become so excited about creating outfits she’s already talking about going into fashion design when she grows up and is waiting patiently for me to teach her how to sew.
This is all because I bought her a simple sketch book with templates for Christmas last year!
So how do you encourage your kids to give screen time a break?
Provide them with alternatives to the television.
Over the winter my kids were always asking to watch television. I finally told them that if they wanted to watch television they could donate their toys since they didn’t seem to need them anymore.
It only took one box of toys to help them remember they had a basement full of awesome dolls, Lego’s, and art supplies they could be playing with when it was too cold to play outside.
I also realized that I needed to make their toys more accessible, so we labeled the toy bins with toy categories so even Cora could find the toys she wanted.
Play with them.
I’ll admit it, I don’t like to sit on the floor and play with dolls. But, I know if I tell my girls I’m going to play with them, they’ll give up television in a second.
I also realized that I loved creating fashions with my girls and helping them color in their creations. You’re never too old to play with toys, and the toys available today are pretty cool!
Don’t turn it on.
In my house if the television is off, it tends to stay off. Once we turn it one, someone can find something to watch or play, all day long. If the TV doesn’t get turned on during the day, the kids tend to forget about it.
This means no watching cartoons during breakfast or just one show in the morning. Sometimes this makes mornings a little crazier, but I keep baskets of books for them to read so they always have something available.
Have a plan.
I use to set out activities for my kids each day. If they didn’t have to pick what to do, or they only had to pick from one or two things, they had a much easier time making a decision.
Most kids have tons of toys, so picking out a few for each day is a great way to encourage them to actually play with them.
Make television an incentive or special treat.
My kids love family movie night and look forward to being able to eat (aka spill) popcorn all over the sofa. We’ve starting making movie night a big deal in our house, so the kids actually look forward to screen time together as a family, instead of throughout the week by themselves.
Since my boys love a certain computer game, we allow them to play during the week after they’ve completed chores or other activities and set limits as to how much time they can play.
Giveaway! {CLOSED!}
I have a great giveaway to get your kids excited about play! Once school starts again you can use this prize to encourage some imaginative play after school instead of veg time in front of the TV.
Included in the prize pack are:
● Barbie Cheer Dress with Pompoms
● Barbie Pet Sketch Portfolio
● Ever After High Watercolor Set
● Monster High Charms
● Monster High Lip Gloss
To enter the giveaway share a way you encourage your kids to create instead of consume. Giveaway ends Monday, July 28, 2014 at 8 pm EST.
Even if you don’t win the giveaway you can win at Toys“R”Us! Now you can get a free Lunch-kit up to a $9.99 value when you buy ANY backpack priced $12.99 or more. Many backpacks (including Barbie, Monster High, and Ever After High) at Toys“R”Us have reflective straps, which are perfect for those dark early mornings in winter.
You can also save $5, with this exclusive coupon, on ANY Barbie, Monster High or Ever After High purchase totaling $20 or more at Toys“R”Us. Offer valid July 21- August 2nd.
Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own. Quantities limited. No rain check. Selection varies by store.
Tiffany Schmidt says
We challenge one another to think of other uses for items. Usually things get turned into crafts for the kids. We’ve got some great cork ate as well!
janet bonine says
I have raised my granddaughter and she is a true inspiration. She actually turns the tv off. She is constantly putting on shows for me. We live on a very low budget. I am disabled and divorced so my social security check is really squeezed. She is constantly making things from cardboard boxes. She recently made a basketball goal out of an old cardboard box and balls out of rolled up newspaper. We had the best time playing. She is learning to cook. She has such a creative mind that i dont have to encourage her to cut off tv, she does it herself.I got a great kid here! Thanks for letting me share my joy with you.
Heather says
The ways I help my children and daycare kids create instead of consume are…
1. Have a schedule in place for each day which includes free play, reading, outside time and learning time. We include media in a short increment once a day. The rest of the time we are active.
2. Bring out a bunch of open ended materials such as toilet paper tubes, plastic bottles etc and let the kids go crazy creating robots, forts or anything their little minds can come up with.
3. Have fun baking, let the kids have a bake sale and donate the money to a worthy cause.
4. Brainstorm topics to research and gather library books to read to find out more about those topics. Make a fun snack and art project that go along with the learning theme.
Sunnie says
I pull out all the craft stuff, we made a felt owl last week, painted some scrap boards before that.
stampedwithgrace says
We love to swim, go to the library & play games. My mom taught my 10 yo how to play Rummy & she’s been willing to play every day this summer!
Candy says
I break out the markers and crayons and the girls have a blast. Play dough is also a go to favorite.
Stephanie says
Rotate play time with different siblings…30 minute blocks. Everyone gets excited and creative.
Alisha says
I bring her to the kitchen table and pull out play-dough and rolling pins and cookie cutters, get out books , art supplies or take a walk in our woods. Organizing her toys better is a great idea, I want to try that for sure. Thanks for this post . Great advice .
Tammy says
I tend to keep all the toys put away but I’ve found if I take a bin out and set up whatever’s inside, they’ll play for a long time. Also my kids are really into board games right now so they’re always asking. Since it’s summer, I’m not as busy and we play board games a lot. 🙂
Allie O. says
I tell the kiddos something to build w/legos & they race to create it. They’ve dreamed up alligators, elephants and a giraffe in addition to their usual armored cars that fly and can go underwater. 😉
Martha Mason says
all your suggestions are great. I needed that today. I try to encourage my kids to do chores or something creative before turning it on. and we have family movie night too.
Diane Zielinski says
My kids like helping out in the kitchen when I make them snacks or sandwiches. They also have fun making things out of boxes. My 4 year old made a rocket ship out of a box and she even drew a button on there for blast off.
shaunie says
We try to use our imaginations to create or something we wish were available to us we would try to “invent” or make it
Jacqueline Scifres says
We go for nature walks and stay outside.
Carlene Roberts says
Before breaking down and throwing away boxes, I ask my daughter if she would be interested in decorating them and using them in her room. I makes for some unique storage in her bedroom, but it keeps her busy for hours and it helps her to feel as if she is making her room a personalized space.
Pam Peirce says
We love just getting out of the house and hanging with Nana.
We also love to ride our bikes and scooters in the neighborhood.
Kaaryn Frank says
I don’t turn the tv on in the morning either. Yesterday they played at the park, did a scavenger hunt, painted rocks, made pretzels from scratch and made their own playdoe. So fun!
Kathy R says
My son loves to build and construct elaborate train tracks. My daughter likes princesses. To save space and let them create something new together, I brought Lincoln Logs on our vacation. They built a train station for the trains, and a castle for the princesses. They love Lincoln Logs now and I like the way they can incorporate both of their interests and work together creatively.
Cathy says
I find play silks to encourage imaginative and creative play.
Amy says
I struggle through the days to NOT turn the TV on. We jokingly say it’s the “babysitter”…but inside I cringe knowing how true it tends to be at times. I am a mother who knows better, so posts like this remind me that I can do something about it. With that said, our kiddos do like to spend time pretending or building with LEGOS or coloring. Puzzles have also become a new interest. There are lots of options, now to get it in my head that I can live without the screen time so much…
Vanessa says
Amen, on keeping the tv off! I encourage them to go outside and swim, or go try a new science experiment. This time of year they help with mashing fruit for jelly, or picking herbs for drying. Tv has some good to it, but honestly my children would spend hours watching if I let them. When we do watch I pause it for commercials, then fast forward it. Commercials drive me nuts, all that advertising geared towards kids. We also encourage to just go and play, be free, be children.
jen says
I give her markers and a theme and tell her to create a picture/story. She can color for hours!
Jennifer says
LEGOS! LEGOS! LEGOS! My daughter especially likes playing with these creative inducing toys when I create with her.
Kelly D says
I encourage my daughter to make her own art projects especially those inspired by and including nature.
skye p says
Play Doh is a lifesaver! My kids can spend hours playing with it! As well as tangrams, and blocks, and reading books, and cooking! These are surefire ways to get them to not even think about turning the television on.
Jennifer A says
My children love when I play with them and get them started.
Dawn Shirk says
Love this giveaway! My daughter loves to be outdoors exploring and learning new things. When we are inside she loves to do crafts. Making something, painting, drawing. She loves it!
Joanna says
We have been going to the library a lot this summer. Arts and crafts, including play-doh, and a few impromptu cooking experiments have helped. And we recently went through the playroom and had a massive clean out and organize session. The kids were thrilled!
Jill says
I have discovered that I love a good squirt gun fight. My kids also love going to the library this summer and they are doing the summer reading program which has sparked a love for reading in my daughter.
Heather says
Love this! We try to get outside when the weather is nice! We reserve books they see at the store from the library and our weekly trips to the library have blossomed into a love of books and reading.
audrey says
I put something different out on the table. My daughter will almost always just explore whatever it is. Sometimes its as simple as a stack of paper and some colored pencils, other times its a collection of ‘science stuff’ baking soda, vinegar, a large pan for spills and some containers for pouring is one of her favorites.
Amy says
This summer we have been gardening together, and we are now eating the fruits….well, er, vegetables of our labor. We have even been picking some of our flowers and putting them in a vase in the house.
Keri says
My kids love to read and just finished the Origami Yoda series. It inspired them to make their own origami finger puppets.
Maureen says
The things that work best at our house are going outside, baking, or pulling out anything crafty. Pretty much anytime I do any of these, the screens are completely forgotten.
Sherri says
We all read together as a family, books that are age appropriate so that even the little ones can read a chapter out loud to all of us.