Technology lives in our house with full force. While sometimes it provides a helpful distraction or even learning tools for my children, there are days that I think if the TV is on for one more minute I will f r e a k out. Same with the iPad. This is why I have decided to start Tech Free Tuesdays around here. My kids have such wonderful imaginations and I want to make sure they are being developed. Here is a breakdown of how or morning/afternoon went.
First we went to the beach! My daughter got this idea from Daniel Tiger (suprise, surprise) and it actually worked out well. The blanket is the beach/water and she got fully involved by dressing up for the occasion. Since we were at the beach we put on "sunscreen" (lotion) too! We made splash noises every time we jumped and pretended like we were swimming.
Then the fun moved to the patio. We were initially going to do finger paint but someone grabbed the chalk first. I have tested our patio walls to make sure the chalk comes off easily and it does. Not all surfaces will work, so test a small area first. They both LOVED drawing on the walls outside, plus it got us all some nice fresh air.
There are so many things that you can do, whether you are in good or bad weather and each activity we did lasted between fifteen and thirty minutes. I included my children in my morning cleaning and they got a good look at what mom does in the morning. The thing is that they loved it! My daughter loved helping organize the recycling (my son kind of helped...) and she loves to be my little helper. My son can help with some chores (more coming on toddler chores later) and it was nice to have a distraction free day with them both. These are just a few examples but we also played with cars, balls, had lunch, sang songs, read books, took naps (them, not me...lucky), and now they're having afternoon snacks and playing with their toys.
If you are stuck indoors on your tech free day, try these ideas (some will require preparation):
- Have a "theme" day where everything you do revolves around that theme
- Try making/baking a new food
- Setup a pretend shop and have your kids buy/sell with you
- Make play dough
- Have an extra bubbly bath with lots of toys
- Try a new craft
- Make cards for your friends
- Do service for each family member
- Learn how things work in your house
If you are free to roam on your tech free day, try these (some will require preparation or money):
- Take a trip to the zoo, museum, or library
- Find out when the mail comes and learn from your postman how the mail works
- Try a new outdoor activity like giant bubbles, making a sidewalk chalk city, going on a bug hunt
- Go for a walk, try a new place to visit
- Try a new place for lunch
- Go to a sporting event or concert
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