10 Things To Do With Your Kids This Winter Instead Of Screentime
By Anne Chapman MA CCC-SLP
Winter: beautiful snow, cozy sweaters, Hallmark movies, hot chocolate, holidays, and family. But it's also dark and cold, and everyone is starting to get cabin fever! It is sooo easy to default to screens.
This is true not only during the winter, but something that we do regularly. We are seeing more and more studies coming out about how screentime affects our children. The general amount of screentime recommended for kids above the age of two is 2 hours. And our little ones under the age of two should have extremely limited exposure to screens. Check out this article summing up much of the current research on screens and our children's development: https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/public-health/screen-time-children-health-research/
But here's the thing...most of the families I work with drop their eyes to the floor and confess that they “probably use screens too much in their home.” And honestly, I'm always stuck on my screens too-I spend a good part of my day working on a computer for my job and then get home, flip on an old episode of The Office and scroll through my social media and emails on my phone—sometimes while finishing up reports for work on my computer! I get it--screens are everywhere and most people I talk to, along with myself, are trying to reduce the amount of time they and their children spend staring at screens. Were all working on it!
There is a great saying that I often tell parents (I'm not sure of the origin): “There is no app that can replace your lap!” There are some great educational apps and shows and ways you can engage your children during screentime, but nothing benefits them more than 1:1 time with you. Talking, creating, playing and exploring are the best way to learn anything! So put down those tablets, turn off the TV, and show your kid how much more fun it is to actually play and do things themselves instead of watching other kids unboxing or playing toys (someone tell my why this is such a thing!?!?).
I could go on forever, but here are some of my favorite activities to beat the screentime winter blues:
1) Board Game Night.
This is a classic, but it's a classic for a reason! Break out your old LIFE, Candyland, or Don't Wake Daddy! games. Or go to the store and pick out a new game that you've never heard of before. Or maybe kids get to pick one game and grownups get to pick another. We love the games at Brainstorm! Check out https://brainstormeducation.com/ to find some board games that you might not find at Target or Walmart. They have some of the classics but also have a bunch of games that also target different learning concepts and problem solving. Even better is that you can try out some of the games in store! They have a great little play area that will help keep the kiddos off those screens while shopping.
2) Make slime or homemade molding clay.
Slime and other sensory squishables are very popular right now. There are a million recipes online for different types of slime. Add some sprinkles, buttons, sequins, or scents from essential oils or a spice like cinnamon. I love to make gingerbread scented playdoh every year to accompany reading the Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett or The Ninjabread Man by CJ Leigh. Or you can make real gingerbread cookies :)
3) Do a fun craft!
Pinterest has amazing ideas from the most simple hand penguin to making a castle out of popsicle sticks. Check our Pinterest page for some fun ideas that we liked: https://www.pinterest.com/Pislp/arts-crafts/
4) Science Experiments.
Spark your kid's curiosity by looking up a fun science experiment. What happens when you throw boiling water into freezing air? What happens if you mix vegetable oil, and alaka selzer? What happens if you put vinegar on a penny? And of course how can you make a mini volcano in your home?
5) Have a “beach day” picnic.
Break out your beach ball, T-shirts, floppy hat, shorts, swimsuits, and flip flops! Then make your favorite summer foods and drinks (smoothies, pineapple, watermelon, lemonade, coleslaw, hamburgers, potato salad, hot dogs or corn on the cob). Lay down the towels and you're ready for your beach picnic!
6) Make an epic blanket fort or an obstacle course in your house.
Climb under the table, across the couch cushions, jump on a mini trampoline, hula hoop 4 times, jump to the stain that's on the living room floor, and roll yourself up like a burrito in a big blanket!
7) Make snow ice cream.
This is such a fun winter activity. All you need is snow, milk, sugar, salt and a flavor (vanilla or chocolate)! Do a search together for which one you want to do (And then put the screen away, of course!).
8) Organize all of your kid's toys and pick out some toys to donate!
It can be fun to reorganize everything and put them in new places. Have your kiddos decide where things should go, and if you end up playing with the toys in the meantime, that's great too!
9) Cooking for fun.
Find an old cookbook and pick out a recipe you've never made before (or break out an old classic). Kids love helping in the kitchen. Have them read you the directions, mix, stir, and decorate.
10) Go to the library.
Go to the library and pick out books that all have the same theme for the whole family. (Winter, Dinosaurs, History, Snowmen, Dogs, Dragons). Read the books together or read them separately and share what interesting or fun things you find!