You know those things we say before we have kids? I'll never…. Johnny will always… I won't let him do that… I know I have had to eat some words that I said prior to having babies. There is one thing in particular, though, that David and I said that we've stuck to. We decided that our kids weren't going to watch TV until they were at least 3 (I think that was the age). This wasn't information that we shared with everyone and his brother, but if it came up, I got this knowing look that said, "Oh, honey. That will NEVER last." I also had people ask me, "Don't you think you'll need a break?"
To be totally honest with you, we don't even own a tv so it hasn't been difficult (yep, we're the crazies with no t.v.). My parents do have one so Riley has seen it, but my husband and I estimate that Riley (who will be 3 on the 23rd) has watched under 2 hours of t.v. (99.9% of that 2 hours has been sports - absolutely no cartoons or movies) in her life. We're not claiming that this makes us super parents (we're far from that) or that everyone should take their television outside and shatter it with a baseball bat. Everyone has to do what's best for her own family; this is just what's worked for us.
If your'e a mom who wants to go "television free" or a parent who's trying to cut down on your toddler's screen time, here are some fun and easy ways that we keep our kids occupied without having them sit in front of the tube. They're nothing new, but these are activities that keep our little girl creatively occupied for a long time. You can read about more activities we enjoy here.
- Play Dough. It's simple, it's inexpensive, and it keeps kids occupied for a good long while. Riley loves using "knives" to cut it and making long worms. She pretends she's cooking and builds houses. I love how she's able to use her creativity with this sometimes messy pastime.
- Puzzles. Even if your child isn't old enough to do the puzzle, she will love playing with and sorting the pieces. Caroline obviously isn't capable of most right now, but she has a great time with Riley's Melissa and Doug chunky puzzle pieces.
- Books. Our house is full of books. We have a huge basket of books in the living room, a small basket of books in the playroom, and a medium basket of books in the girls' room. There are special books on a shelf in the girls' room and there are books on the table beside the couch. Have them easily accessible and be willing to stop what you're doing to read them to your kids. If you do that enough, eventually, most kids will love to sit and look at books. Riley will flip through a stack for 45 minutes to an hour on a regular basis. Thankfully, Caroline is following in her footsteps.
- Notebooks and writing utensils. Riley is young, but she still loves pretending like she's taking notes, writing down food orders, or drawing pictures in her little notebooks. She'll sit beside me as I "work" (crochet, blog, edit photos) and "work" right along with me. I think it's great for literacy as well as cultivating her imagination.
- Blanket Time. This is one of the best decisions David and I have made as parents. As soon as our babies have been able to crawl, we started training them to stay on a blanket. At first, it involved lots of picking the baby up and putting her back on the blanket. But, in time, the blanket was a great place for kids to play quietly. Riley still enjoys blanket time. She selects special books and toys before she sits on the blanket and she makes up all kinds of games. I've seen her have picnics, set up zoos, and play house all inside a 3 foot square. Best thing, it is unbelievably portable and can be utilized at anyone's house (whether it's baby proofed or not) without having to lug around the pack-n-play.
One of the biggest benefits we've found about being screen free is having a child who's easily entertained. It doesn't take a huge production to keep Riley occupied. She can play happily by herself and doesn't need something to be wildly exciting to sit still and pay attention.
Be sure to check out this interesting read on a family who got rid of their t.v.
I totally do not want my child to be glued to the television. I always tell people that and they are like "Oh just wait till you have kids". The problem with them is that they don't understand that you don't NEED a TV to entertain your child if you do it right.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminders of simple things that are fun & don't involve mom having to do all the entertaining too. Blanket time especially!!
ReplyDeleteThat's so great that you've been able to stick to no TV! I try to avoid putting Rosen in front of the TV as much as possible. This is a really good list of alternatives. I've been hesitant to try puzzles thinking she wasn't old enough, but I'm glad to hear Caroline still enjoys playing with the pieces. I'll have to look for some chunky ones.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this list. We do a lot of them as I do not enjoy tv for the kids very much. I had heard of blanket time when my first was crawling, but I think I enjoyed the freedom for her so much I avoided actual tummy time. But with our second I think I will try to make it a priority, so I can chase after the older, if necessary.
ReplyDeleteLeah @ simplehomeblessing.com
hi! I love this! We have a 14 month old and haven't let him watch tv either and I am determined to keep this going! We have a tv in the house, but don't have cable so it's worki so far since We don't watch tv ever while hes awake. I also don't have a fancy phone because I don't want him playing games on it. Do you have any other tips for things like the computer, iPad etc? We don't use them much either, but he knows about FaceTime with the grandparents and the bright screens are attractive! Any tips?
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas Lauren. WE never owned a t.v. but our house we rent comes with one, so we use it for DVDs sometimes. Great decision you have made. We always got comments about not having a t.v. but you are absolutely right, kids tend to get less bored and are more creative without the t.v. Thanks for writing this! I am pinning:)
ReplyDeleteGREAT post---just pinned as I just love the simple list that you included here:)
ReplyDeleteYour idea of "blanket time" is adorable. I love the idea that limiting your kiddo's turf once in awhile really brings out creativity.
ReplyDeleteTV doesn't really come into play in our house until around 18mths-2 and then it is limited to about 30min (ie a Play School episode - a great Australian musical educational show). Since my older two (4 and 5) have started school we've said no screen time (iPad, computer included, not that they did much of that anyway) during the week and still limit Friday arvos and the weekend to about an hour. I was so pleased my kids took to it very easily (probably because we have never relied on it much) and the other Friday I offered watching TV to them and my eldest said "Actually Mum I don't really want to watch TV, I want to play cars" - thoroughly warmed my heart! With full time school the kids haven't much time to actually play together anymore so I don't want TV stealing the time they do have. We will keep this going throughout primary school but may need to revisit in high school especially with lots of school work now needing to be done on computer.
ReplyDeleteReally great reminders! I try to limit my kids to 1-2 times a week, so to keep it as a special occasion. I love watching them be creative--the other day they were playing "golf" with a cup on it's side as the hole and fly swatters and the clubs. Love it! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great list of ways to "power down". I would like to invite you to join us at our linky party, Share It Saturday. We have a bunch of fun, creative ideas linked up each week, and your post would fit right in! We truly enjoy perusing the links and meeting new bloggers :) http://www.sugaraunts.com/2013/03/share-it-saturday-11-and-our-week-in.html
ReplyDeleteI hope to see you at Share It Saturday!
Colleen at www.sugaraunts.com