I’m pro-screen time. There, I said it. I’m the mom who has had a long day at work and let’s the boys Netflix and chill so I can catch my breath. (Literally Netflix and chill and not the slang term lol). I use Mickey Mouse as a distraction to be able to wash the dishes. You can usually find our TV on Disney Jr when it’s on. and honestly, sometimes I have it on more than I care to admit.
When I realize I’ve gone to far, I know we need a change of scenery. Reality is, Puppy Dog Pals can’t raise them. Lol so I put all of the days chaos to the side and hit up one of these go to activities.
DON’T BE A VICTIM OF SCREEN-TIME WITH THESE 5 ACTIVITY
1. WALKS
We go on a walk a few times a week. Nothing fancy, just around our neighborhood. We take different routes and explore different paths. We talk about the flowers and trees. They usually have tons of questions, so it’s a good time to let them all out. Our youngest tends to fall behind so we practice our patience. The oldest likes to test his balancing skills on the curbs. Its a nice change of pace from the craziness of the day.
2. BACKYARD PLAY
Set up a few play station for the kids to keep them from becoming bored. I have at least two to keep them from fighting, which only works about half of the time. Lol. We do everything from dress up to house to simply throwing the baseball around. It also lets out their energy, making bedtime a whole heck of a lot easier. With stations it also gives me a moment to check emails and reply.
3. CRAFT TIME
This has to be my oldest littles favorite activity. My sister gifted us with and art box last Christmas which was PERFECT! She purchased a bunch of supplies from the dollar store and we’ve been using it ever since! We have google eyes, vacuum cleaners, Popsicle sticks – you name it, it was found on the cheap. Give them some construction paper and let the kids imaginations run wild. It also gives you a moment to catch up on the dishes.. or Instagram lol.
4. NIGHTLY DANCE PARTIES
This tradition started randomly but has quickly become a fave. Every night or so we turn on our Alexa and take turns on picking our favorite songs. Typically we start with Despacito (oldest littles favorite song lol) and go onto anything from Lady Gaga to Don Omar. We ‘battle’ each other and show off our best moves. The kids love it and it’s a great opportunity for my husband and I to let loose. At the end of the ‘party’ we either carry-dance the boys to a slow song (our wedding song) or put meditation music on to calm their little bodies.
5. GOOD OL’ CONVERSATION
Sometimes you just have to swap the iPad for some real one on one time. I use this opportunity to instill good habits into the boys like eye contact and sitting up straight. I want to build confident little boys, so I’m teaching them young. While looking into mama’s eyes (sound weird written out lol) we talk about our days, what we learned, who he played with etc. I hope to keep this one around forever. I believe talking to your kids about their day will keep a good healthy relationship.
There’s so many variations of the above, but the most important thing is to put down the screen every so often and put in some real life face time. Happy hanging!
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