No Cellphone Summer Activities for Children

by - 8/21/2018 11:36:00 PM



Photo by Lukas from Pexels

While summer can be a great time for families to bond, many parents face the challenge of getting their kids to stop staring at the screens of their phones and pay attention to family time.


Before you decide to take drastic measures like taking your child's phone away, try the following ideas to get your kids off their devices and into a fun activity!


Build a Fort:
Whether its an activity for your older teens or for your younger kids, building a fort never gets old. You can spend an afternoon or evening setting up a fort in your backyard or living room as a  great way to distract your kids from using their phones. Everyone can get involved and you guys can even watch a movie from inside your fort for a nice, cozy family movie night! Be sure to give this one a try!


Try a new DIY project:
As the new school year approaches, why not have a fun DIY art project where your kids can decorate their own backups! This is a unique way to unleash your child’s creativity and artistic side. You can also add additional DIY ideas like decorating binders, folders, and pencil cases! With this idea, your kids will have one of a kind school supplies that will also remind them of their fun summer when they use them.



Get involved in the kitchen:
No matter the age, it's never too early to invite your kids into the kitchen to provide you a helping hand. However, depending on the ages of your child, you will need to set ground rules for safety precautions, but don’t hesitate to let your kids experiment in the kitchen. You can start the adventure with a recipe in mind, and head to the store with your children and give them each a list of items to find. This part is extremely exciting for the kids since they love games that simulate scavenger hunts.
Back at home, you can assign duties for your kids to all take part in the cooking or baking. The responsibility of having to complete their tasks will leave them distracted from their phones. The final product is a delicious family-made meal and a great bonding time for you and your kids.

Learning Printables:


Aside from going outdoors in summer, you can also opt to do indoor activities such as having educational printables. You let your kids enjoy printables such as coloring pages, mazes, word scrambles and more. They will surely be busy and have so much fun doing the activities.



Check out Printable Learning, the official blog of Carrot Ink. Since 1998, Carrot Ink has been a leading provider of high-quality ink and toner cartridges. Printable Learning offers free educational materials including coloring books and activity books.


Water Activities:
Most if not all water activities steer kids away from using their devices. Whether its a day at your local community pool or a water park. Water-themed fun is always an option to get your kids off their phones.



For the Teenagers in your Home:
Lastly, while these are just some of the many ideas you can try in your home, do keep in mind that your older children may be harder to convince to get off their devices. Contrary to popular belief, teenagers may need more attention to get them off their devices. While some of the above ideas may work for your teens, a more probable way is to just have a nice one on one lunch or dinner with your older child. Bonding with the older ones may be tricky but don’t stop trying. The best tip is to not nag too much about their devices, this will only irritate them and make them more recluse from the rest of the family.

To end, the number of activities that you can choose from are endless. The goal of it all is not just to get your kids off their devices but to also instill family time and an opportunity for you to provide learning experiences for your kids. Never shy away from teaching your kids that while technology is great, it is also important to spend time with the ones you love.



By
Amy Scholl
Youth Technology Safety Specialist at KidGuard
Dedicated to finding the best child safety measures for parents, grounded in research.
Being knowledgeable about youth online usage is a key component of effective 21st-century parenting.

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