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Summer is all about family time, outdoor adventures, and unforgettable fun. If you are looking for a few ways to encourage healthier habits and reduce screen time in the summer, you’ve come to the right place! With the right mindset and some simple tools, parents can guide their kids back into reconnecting with the real world and creating lasting memories.
This summer, you can make a positive difference for your kids by helping them go offline. Whether they are gaming, watching something, or scrolling, digital devices can be incredibly enticing. The Telegraph reports that managing screen time can become even more challenging during school holidays, when kids have periods of unstructured time. With a little bit of creativity and consistency, screen-free fun is absolutely within reach.
Model Healthy Screen Habits
According to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, it’s important to model healthy behaviors. If your kids see you limiting your own technology use, it will be easier for them to follow suit. Try putting away your phone during mealtimes. If your kids see you enjoying your time and having fun without your phone, chances are they will want to try it too.
Make a Summer Bucket List
Creating a summer bucket list together with your children could be the perfect way to avoid screen time, a blog on ParentCo. recommends. You can include activities your child has dreamed about and fun challenges. By adding simple ideas on the bucket list like chasing fireflies, you can inspire your kids to get outside. Involving your kids in planning their off-screen time also teaches them that they can build their own lives.
Challenge Them With Activities
This summer, inspire your kids to take on exciting projects and new and challenging activities to occupy their time, Treehugger suggests. Examples include building a treehouse, learning how to skateboard, playing a game of chess, writing a play, or setting up a baking or lemonade stand. You can also challenge them by inviting them into the kitchen to prepare recipes, which help them develop new skills like baking, cooking, and chopping vegetables.
These activities are wonderful ways to get children’s imagination running, introduce them to valuable hobbies early in life, allow them to build practical skills, and naturally get them off their screens.
Whether it's through brainstorming ideas for a summer bucket list, inviting them to cook, or challenging them to a new activity this summer, you’re showing your kids healthier habits, which could also change their lives for the better.
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