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Encourage Your Kids to Unplug with These Creative Ideas

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Is your teenager constantly glued to their phones, laptops, or gaming devices? Do you find it hard to pry them away from it? I’ve been there myself. My 13-year-old daughter had suddenly become obsessed with creating YouTube videos for her followers on her new art channel.

I was proud of her for pursuing something she enjoyed but started to feel a rift between my teen and I like I had never felt before. She was so glued to the screen that time was just passing us both by. So, in order to “reclaim my daughter” from the lures of technology, I decided to look for ways to make being offline just as fun, if not more fun, than being online.

Find Fun Distractions

Technology and the instant gratification received from it, has made it especially difficult for us to keep our children entertained. It would seem, that if being entertained means doing too much or thinking too hard, our children would prefer to “pass” on the idea altogether. At least that’s what I experienced with my daughter.

Even though I had followed the advice to set time limits on her screen time, she seemed to prefer to sit in boredom than do anything with her time. I figured, in order to win this “war”, I’d have to take a different approach. I decided to find fun and interesting things for her to enjoy when she wasn’t allowed to be plugged in. Here are some suggestions:

  • Family Game Nights - Part of the reason I decided to do something about my teen’s screen time is that it consumed a great deal of her time. We missed quality family time and so I started by starting weekly family game nights. This gave everyone a chance to be together without their phones, computers, or devices. We’d make snacks, turn on music, and play old-fashioned board games until we grew tired.

  • Interactive Toys - Thinking back to things I did when I was her age I decided to go toy shopping. Using your imagination and playing with toys was a lot of fun and helped to pass the time. I looked for toys that were engaging, such as toys that grow in water or have other cool features she’d get a kick out of playing with. She was a bit resistant at first, however, I caught her a few times pretending to have a spa day with her Barbies and playing with her new silly creatures she created. It was such a joy to see her just “being a kid”.

  • Play Dates - Okay, so I know that teens don’t really have play dates, but the concept works wonders for encouraging them to unplug. Instead of letting my daughter spend hours on the phone or social media talking with friends from school, I started giving her the freedom to have a few friends over on the weekends. This gave her a social life that didn’t involve selfies and memes.

  • Cooking and Meal Times - Spending time together is so important, especially as your children get older. Another way I helped to curb the screen time without a fight is through cooking and shared meal times. I started enlisting her help in the kitchen to prepare meals for the family. Then, we’d set the table and sit together. It was nice spending an hour or so engaged in face-to-face conversation. Our daughter kept to herself the first few nights, but eventually opened up and couldn’t stop talking about what’s going on in her world.

Technology like smartphones, laptops, mobile devices, and even gaming consoles are convenient and fun. Though there is nothing wrong with using them on occasion, too much time with your face stuck in a screen can have consequences. You miss out on the things that matter most, like spending time with those you love. If you’re having a difficult time getting your bored teenager to embrace your new boundaries with technology, consider the above ideas to encourage them to give it a try.

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