Getting Kids Off the Electronics

Most of us have a problem these days spending too much time on our phones; with the kids it's just as bad if not worse. Here's some tips for getting your kids to put down those electronics!! 

I really noticed we had a problem at our house when my 7 year old daughter announced that she could not go to bed because the wifi wasn't working on her "phone." She does this whole routine on her ipod touch where she checks the weather for the next day, checks her Instagram account, and then puts on her "bedtime music." She's 7. That's when it really hit me that my kids have a problem with electronics. She had a major panic attack over not being able to access her ipod for a few minutes!

This incident spun into a conversation with my Mom about how long gone are the days when kids are entertained by simple things like playing catch, making a craft, even watching a movie is sometimes too boring for them because it's not interactive. When my kids come home from school, their conversations with me are limited and they just want to go play Minecraft or some other crazy video game!!

It's obvious we have a problem in our society with electronics interfering with real life communication and relationships. We text instead of talk. Chick-fil-a has even gone so far as to reward their customers for putting down their phones and enjoying a meal together without the interference.

That being said, I have always been of the opinion that kids need downtime. We all do. They go to school for 7 hours a day, many days they have dance, soccer, or piano and once you add homework into the mix they have very little time to themselves. That being said I know I have to start cracking down on the amount of time they spend on electronics.

I've discovered that there is no easy way for parents to do this. It takes major effort on our part to get them to put down the phone and interact with us, but it can be done.

On Wednesday we left all of our phones home (mine included) and went to Piggy Pigs Pottery in Meridian. We laughed, got creative, and walked away with memories instead of wasting another afternoon on our electronics. Here's some other ideas I thought of to get your kids to put down their electronics.

• Turn on music in your house instead of the TV. Play stuff you grew up on and dance!
• Introduce them to real old-school letter writing. My son just started writing back and forth with a friend from Utah. They LOVE getting letters in the mail. It's something kids aren't used to these days, so it makes it extra special.
• Set a rule that when you go outside to play you have to leave your electronics inside. Outside is for riding bikes, playing basketball, and tag.
• Be willing to put your own phone down. As they say, "monkey see monkey do." If your kids see you on your phone all the time, they will mimic you instead of interacting with you.
• Set aside one hour each day where everyone in the family has to tuck their phones away.
• Don't allow electronics at the dinner table.

The struggle is real, but I promise if you put the phone down and start having fun together you will not regret it.