Screens Away, Time to Play!

Let's celebrate the launch of my new book Screens Away, Time to Play together! Drop in any time between 2:00-5:00 for an afternoon of PLAY at Charizma Studio! Ideal for ages 3-7, but all ages are welcome. This is a FREE event. Tell a friend too!

Are we all (yes, adults too) settling these days because screens entertain us well enough and there is no motivation to try new things?  There is not nearly as much empty time to fill with exploration of new hobbies.  What opportunities are kids missing out on?

Screen time is now deeply entwined in public school education and teachers are dealing with a lot!  So how do you go about talking to the teacher about this topic?  Here's my advice as a former teacher and a parent who approaches the topic every year.

As a parent, my dream sitter would be someone who would come play with my kids. Like actually get down and play. They’d follow my child’s lead or they’d know fun activities to do with my kids. I’d come home to creativity, imaginative play, or some learning activity with my child so engaged they didn’t miss me one bit! Here are some easy activities sitters can do with kids.  You only need paper and marker!

Have your children become screen zombies that want nothing else? Or do they whine or become irritable after screen time? Or do you just want to reel in how much they are spending on screens?  Then it’s time for a reset so you can get back in control of your tech!  

This doesn’t mean giving up screens forever.  That is unrealistic.  But it is a period of about 3-7 days (or longer) where you go screen-free to reset your children’s brains and bodies – like a detox.  Then you can reintroduce screens where YOU are in control again and you can establish your routine.

Most everyone is being affected by Coronavirus right now. As a community, we are being asked to stay home and practice social distancing. I have created this list of over 75 activities that you can do when you are stuck at home.  They are screen free and don't require much!

Ahh the bedtime process.  Sometimes it can be quite an ordeal.  And by the end of the day, I. am. done.  Many times kids are tired, they just like to hold out as long as they can with the bedtime shenanigans.  But if your little one has had screen time right before nap or bedtime, this may actually be the problem and your child can't help it!

In her book Reset Your Child's Brain, Dr. Victoria Dunckley has coined the term Electronic Screen Syndrome (ESS) to help conceptualize how the repeated stress of screen time can affect our bodies.  Learn about the symptoms and what you can do if they are present.

Parents this is BIG!  This study just came out from the Journal of American Medical Association of Pediatrics (JAMA), and is "the FIRST to provide evidence of a directional association between screen time and poor performance on development screening tests among very young children".

It's so easy to let screen time fill the voids of those long summer days.  You have to try hard not to fall back on that temptation.  Kids need to play, create, get tired out, and even get bored (it's not a bad thing).  I've compiled a list of 50 screen free activities for you to reference all in one spot.  Next time you're needing an activity to pass those summer hours, pick one from the list!