I am a bit of a tech addict. I work in front of a computer all day, and when I’m not at my desk I’m usually reading an e-book on my iPad or checking social media on my mobile phone. Obviously this is in part because it’s my job to check and manage social media, but I am also conscious that life goes on (and can be, in fact, much more productive) when I’m not tethered to my technology.
How much is too much screen time?
This awareness of my own screen-time consumption has always made me conscious of what type of role-model I am for Mr 3, and how much time he spends in front of a screen. A few weeks ago I read a post by pediatrician Claire McCarthy, titled The 5 Pieces of Advice I’d Give About Screens If Parents Ever Asked. It resonated because as much as I try my best to minimise TV or limit the use of mobile phone games or YouTube videos to distract him, I knew that I simply wasn’t doing enough. I also knew Mr 3’s grandparents are especially fond of giving in to his requests for more episodes of Ready, Steady, Wiggle, or Leap Frog DVD marathons. Simply put, my kid was spending way too much time sitting and watching instead of moving and playing.
I knew something had to change when he woke up one morning and the first thing he said to me was, “Can I play LEGO on your phone?” Not real LEGO, but the LEGO game. On my phone. And it irked me that his grandparents on both sides had actually purchased him his own portable DVD player, so he could watch endless hours of TV at his leisure. Every day.
Something had to change. But how?
I’ve been thinking about how to fix this problem for weeks. I figure that because the TV takes such a prominent place in our living area, and because he sees me on my phone constantly, it was natural for my son to be attracted to whatever was on these screens.
I also came to the conclusion that in addition to me minimising my phone time while we’re together, Mr 3 simply needs reminding that he has an enormous collection of toys and activities to enjoy – none of which need screens. I don’t want to ban him from these things completely — most of the shows he watches and games he plays are actually educational, and there are always moments during the day when I need him distracted and quiet. But everything in moderation, right?
Really I just want to break his habit of gravitating to the TV first thing in the morning. The weather in Sydney has been amazing lately, and I know if he uses the early hours of the day moving, playing outside, and burning up his energy, he’d have a better nap in the afternoon, and an altogether better day.
So… what to do?
Enter: Our Daily Play Board
Basically this is just a big poster with pictures of all the activities we can do during the day. Mr 3 picks the ones he wants to do, slides them into the chart, and we move through each activity as the day progresses. It took less than an hour to make (and we did it together, which made it even more fun), and we used it for the first time yesterday.
Here’s how to make one:
- Take photos of your kids’ toys. Not all of them; just a few that are representative of different activities. I got Mr 3 to go through the shelves in his room and we took photos of them against some white paper. We found things he hadn’t touched in months, so he got excited about playing with them.
- Print out the photos and stick them on separate pieces of cardboard. Coloured cardboard is a bonus but not necessary; it’s just there for durability.
- Stick paddle pop sticks on the back of each picture, as handles.
- Get your child to identify the items on each photo and have him watch you write the word, then say the word out loud (another learning opportunity, I guess)
- Get a big sheet of paper (we used a bit of the IKEA art paper roll but an A3 one would do) and fold the bottom of the long side twice, so you have a sleeve that runs along the bottom, about 5cm thick.
- Using small pieces, sticky-tape the sleeve to the main part of the paper at 2cm gaps (this creates ‘sections’ or ‘slots’ to put the paddle pop sticks in, and stops the pictures from falling sideways).
- Decorate the top and bottom with more coloured paper, paint, or whatever tickles your fancy.
- Every morning (or before they go to bed at night), get your child to pick a few activities and toys to play with and slide them into the chart. Refer to the chart throughout the day, moving from activity to activity when they start losing interest.
Verdict? Awesome!
Yesterday, instead of phone or TV time, we spent the morning playing with (real) LEGO cars, then with Angry Birds blocks:
Then we moved outside in the sun and played with some Play Doh, then rode his bike to the playground. By that time it was lunch time, and after lunch we had a nap. When he woke we did some drawing and writing, then played with his cooking toys.
He made it until 5pm before he spent a minute sitting in front of the TV, and really that was only because I needed to get some work done. Win!
I know it will take time to break the screen time habit, but I’m confident this will help. If anything, it helps us build a balance of play time and routine into our day. I still need to make meal-time pictures and a nap-time picture, so he knows when these things need to happen, and eventually, I’ll create a clock so he can start learning how to tell the time, and create pictures for things we can do out of the house (like riding the bus, and visiting the shops or museum).
Altogether, this was such a fun project. And one worth trying, if you want your child to maximise all the awesome toys, books and learning activities they can fit into the day!