Unplugged Fun: Creative Activities to Inspire Kids’ Imaginations This Weekend

Parents of school-age children are often tempted to let their kids entertain themselves with screen time on TVs, tablets, and phones. These devices are an easy way to make everyone happy and give mom and dad a much-needed break. But too much screen time can have a negative effect on a child’s mental health and brain function, according to experts, such as those at Healthy Young Minds.

Weaning your children from screen time won’t happen overnight, but you can start the process by encouraging them to try new activities. Participating in activities with your family members has many benefits, including:

• Builds self-esteem — Spending quality time with your loved ones makes children more self-confident because they can sense that their parents value them.
• Creates bonds — Stronger family bonds make it easier for families to handle stressful situations.
• Nurtures positive behaviors — Loved ones influence kids so they will start to develop positive behaviors, such as performing better in school and avoiding negative influences, such as drugs and alcohol.
• Creates memories — Children share more about their lives during family time than if you simply ask them “What happened in school today?” 
• Relieves stress — Family time gives kids the opportunity to talk with loved ones about their concerns.

Start implementing your new plan this weekend, when you have more family time and are free from the pressures of work, school, and extracurricular activities. Just follow these simple steps:

Read: Turning Your Outdoor Space into an Exploration Zone for Children

1. Take Inventory of Your Child’s Interests

If you’ve ever taken a toddler to a live theater performance, you know how challenging it can be to get them to sit still and focus for two hours. Take that same toddler to an amusement park, and they will have the time of their life. Similar experiences happen with older children. Once you figure out what makes them happy, you can share those activities with them, not only to get them away from their screens, but also to build stronger family bonds.

2. Plan a Family Outing

You don’t necessarily have to travel far or spend a lot of money to go on a family adventure that everyone will enjoy. The possibilities are as vast and varied as your individual interests. Here are a few ideas:

• Aspiring Artists: Looking for something that will appeal to everyone in your family? Try fluid art! Arts and crafts are well-known tools for fostering child development. Age is no barrier to creating beautiful artwork. Even a three year old can produce a masterpiece using acrylic pour painting techniques. This art form is fun and hassle-free for all ages. All you do is pour, drip, or splatter your favorite paint colors and resins onto a canvas. Then, watch gravity take over as the colors blend, swirl, and interact with each other.
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  With supervised classes, the end result is masterpieces you will be proud to display in your home or office or give as unique gifts. Many fluid art studios offer a variety of different options, such as resin tumblers, glass painting, charcuterie boards, and much more. These studios are also a great place to hold birthday parties and team-building events. To keep costs down, ask about memberships and special group discounts.

• Dinosaur Lovers: Take a field trip to a local natural history museum to see the fossils, and follow up with a discussion of your child’s favorite exhibit, or read a book about prehistoric animals. Some communities even host outdoor nature hikes and supervised archaeological digs for kids. You might just have the next Indiana Jones in your family!

• Sports Fans: A rise in obesity is another side effect of too much screen time. Watching professional and amateur sporting events can be great fun, and they might even inspire your otherwise sedentary child to get physically active.

• Live Music and Theater: While watching movies is a passive activity that does little to promote family bonding, attending age-appropriate live music and theater performances can be fun and inspirational. After the performance, go out for a nice meal and discuss what you just heard and saw. Don’t be surprised if your kids ask you to enroll them in dance or music lessons after this experience.

• Gardening Enthusiasts: Most kids love to play in the dirt, so it’s easy to introduce them to gardening. Get them their own kid-size tools and gloves, and their own space where they can plant and nurture whatever food and/or flowers they wish. Gardening is a great way to get kids outdoors and away from their devices.

3. Keep the Enthusiasm Going

Don’t let your adventure end with the “main event”. Now that you’ve gotten your kids out of the house, extend your day out by dining out or, weather permitting, enjoying a family picnic. You can use this time to bask in the afterglow of your shared experience and plan your next adventure.

4. Make It a Regular Habit

If you have multiple kids of different ages, they may not all enjoy the same activities — and that’s okay! Challenge them to work together on a calendar of activities for each weekend (or each month) of the year, where they can take turns choosing their favorite activities.

5. Move Toward a Happier, Healthier Future for Your Whole Family

After you’ve made a habit of spending time together and less time on your screens, your entire family will feel happier and healthier, with less anxiety, better sleep habits, and even better grades in school. Parents and other caregivers play a crucial role in managing and reducing screen time, so be aware of the example you are setting.

For example, make mealtimes screen-free times to encourage in-person interactions. The bonds you are building through your weekend activities should make this easier, and you may be surprised how much less your family complains about these limits. Children don’t stay young forever. Enjoy them while you can and create core memories that will last a lifetime!