Toy Suggestion to Reduce Kid Screen Time

LPaladin2015 on 15/04/2020 - 23:30

During this home isolation my children, 3 and 5 years old, spend so much time on screen TV and mobile games. Drawing and colouring activities cannot hold them for long.

I found lego is the best. It keeps them occupied for hours building the set and play with them afterward. After a while we can knockdown and try to rebuild it. Eventually they get bored and we cannot keep buying new sets.

So anyone have good suggestion for a toy that provide educational value and keep children busy by themselves while their parents are working?

Toys & Kids

Comments

  • ozhunter on 15/04/2020 - 23:32
    +4

    Puzzle

    • terahammer on 16/04/2020 - 09:09
      +4

      I heard jigsaw puzzles were "absolutely essential"

  • Mechz on 16/04/2020 - 00:15
    +2

    Are you actually interacting with them or just trying to fob them off? Maybe if they saw you doing something interesting they would want to join in.

    • Banj0 on 16/04/2020 - 00:49
      +3

      They’re trying to work, so yeah, I’m guessing it’s the fob off option.

  • ZiyiW on 16/04/2020 - 00:19
    +1

    There is really no need to knockdown and rebuild sets constantly. In fact, it is counter intuitive because most kids would feel annoyed to see something they built being disassembled constantly. Maybe play the lego with them?

    • Paladin2015 on 16/04/2020 - 07:21

      I can play with them and do many good activities off the screen outside of working hours. I am trying to keep them busy by themselves while we are working.
      I have observed that they cannot create story and play with any figurines for long.

      • ZiyiW on 16/04/2020 - 11:03
        +2

        Hmm, perhaps everyone is different. Maybe instead of trying to limit screentime, restrict the apps to ones of educational value? e.g. coding games, maths puzzles?

        Ultimately, they are a bit young for that too, but watching certain tv does have educational value. All pixar films are great with life morals, possibly talk to them about it after they watch it?

        As someone else mentioned, audiobooks is another great way to keep them occupied. Stephen Fry's narration of the harry potter series is perfect, would strongly recommend. Even as an adult, i have listened to the audiobooks series 7 times in the last 3 years.

  • [Deactivated] on 16/04/2020 - 00:42
    +1

    Crossbows and Catapults.

  • crentist on 16/04/2020 - 00:43

    sure, that's easy

  • [Deactivated] on 16/04/2020 - 00:51

    Nope. They just don't have the attention span to entertain themselves for long periods of time.

    We have a 3 year old. My wife looks after him in the morning while I work and she teaches him numeracy, literacy , French and "life skills". We swap after lunch and I have him in the afternoon while she works. We do arts and crafts, music, sports, science experiments and gardening. He only has 1 hr screen time which he is choosing to use to facetime his grandparents, cousins or my half-sister.

    • tomsco on 16/04/2020 - 08:03
      +1

      I was hoping you were going to say that when you took over in the arvo you taught him pro wrestling.

      • [Deactivated] on 16/04/2020 - 11:58

        Isn't wrestling how little boys hug? We didn't have to teach him that.

        • tomsco on 16/04/2020 - 14:39

          It's the pro moves you need to teach :p

  • p1 ama on 16/04/2020 - 01:01

    When I was growing up, I learned more from (educational) TV and video games than from any "educational" things that my parents tried to make me do. Ability to solve problems, have quick reactions, think critically…etc. which I developed from playing video games when I was young are far more important to life than knowing how to draw or colour.

  • afoveht on 16/04/2020 - 01:06
    +2

    Chalks. We started on the driveway and path but now the kids are chalking the road in front of the house and kids from other houses are doing it in front of their houses while they all talk across the street.

  • Baa on 16/04/2020 - 01:47
    +6

    Same ages and similar experiences, they went from having very limited screen time (a couple of hours sat morning to give us a sleep in) to wanting it every day.

    I found the more I gave into them the more time they demanded and the less well behaved they were when they did not get it.

    Lately, I have been trying to limit their screen time to windows of time (e.g. 3 to 4pm if they have been good all day) and encourage them to keep themselves occupied, this is normally a case of spend 2 hours making a giant mess and then dragging their feet for an hour to tidy up. I found they have improved at playing independently and also improved their packing away skills.

    I have also some suggested activities for them, such as:
    - Creating a map for each other and go on a treasure hunt
    - Pick up all X in the yard
    - Unpack all their books and get them to restack them (this gives them a good half a day as they end up looking through them together)
    - Go on a very fast walk either before work or at lunch to burn off that energy

    It is trivial stuff but they have gotten into the habit of doing different 'challenges' for each other and are much happier come the end of the day.

    Probably more importantly I have learned to ignore them better and let them sort out their own issues unless it escalates.

  • Donaldhump on 16/04/2020 - 08:28
    +1

    books

  • ozzieblue on 16/04/2020 - 09:59
    +1

    I would recommend games by gamewright. We have a couple and really enjoy them.

  • colossus on 16/04/2020 - 10:09
    +2

    Depending on how much they like puzzles, I'd recommend a Soma cube. 7 pieces to build a 3x3 cube a number of different ways. There are also a variety of other shapes that can be built. I had one as a child and my daughter and I still use it now.

    Interesting background story: The idea for this puzzle occurred to a mathematician named Piet Hein during a lecture by Werner Heisenberg, the creator of the Uncertainty Principle.

  • Quantumcat on 16/04/2020 - 10:11
    +1

    You could get them some headphones and have them listen to some of the free Audible audiobooks for kids.

    Or they can play tents in the living room with sheets and cushions.

    Or dig for worms in the back yard or try to catch skinks

    Or paint the backyard fence with water (if you have a wood fence)

  • Kozhutki on 16/04/2020 - 10:42

    Pinball machine.

  • GG57 on 16/04/2020 - 11:20
    +1

    We are having the same problem with our dog.
    We are trying to work and the dog is constantly wanting play or go out for a walk. Very distracting for us.

    I am at the point now where I just keep giving the dog treats to shut up and go to its bed.

    • [Deactivated] on 16/04/2020 - 12:56

      My SIL is using this to keep her lab entertained.

  • Paladin2015 on 16/04/2020 - 18:29

    Thank you all for your comments. I will try to explore some of the good suggestions.

  • Oz em on 05/05/2020 - 19:06
    +1

    Audio books are good. I just got a kids book reader called birde half priced from educational experience that’s for little kids and you can purchase additional story seeds for it, some come with printed books to read along. This would be very self sufficient for both ages of your kids.

    Puzzles, easy board games once they know how to play they don’t need supervision.

    Mine have an indoor 4.5ft trampoline and that keeps them busy. I have a lot of outdoor toys inside (bouncy hoopers, little tykes cars ect). Water table will give you a lot of time, just put towels under it or have it in the bathroom, it’s shallow and raised so safe from drowning.

  • Adeline Whitney on 04/10/2020 - 00:39

    Hello Paladine! I believe a play structure might help! it will not only keep your kids busy but also develop their cognitive and motor skills.
    Check this article if you wanna know more-
    https://playaholicreviews.com/peek-a-boo-caterpillar-review/

  • bohobogan on 12/12/2020 - 23:43
    +1

    A little late but…a fancy dress box. Great bits and pieces from op shops. Hats gloves glasses suits dresses. My kid and her friends loved that box. Put on shows. Wrote plays as they got older. Made little movies. Imagination is fabulous but you need a few tools to help stimulate it. Reject shops for cheap feather boas, sparkly hats and wands. You know what I mean. Safety pin old sheets together and they can make a cubby. Just throw it over a table and put a rug down. Have lots of old stuff that's for outside use, doesn't matter if it gets dirty or trashed. Let them be able to make a big mess until their game is over. Don't hassle them about being dirty, or objects being dirty or interrupt their game process. Adults do that without thinking. Make em clean up after. Have a big outdoor chest that all the old outdoor stuff just gets stuffed into. Kids don't care. My kid spent more time outside then inside. More playtime than screentime. I'm so glad because now she's a teen and glued to multiple devices 24/7. It is sooo worth putting in the effort now, minimise screen time as much as possible. You don't need new toys, just a big box of stuff they can use to create new worlds that exist in their imagination. Good luck 🤞

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