Gadget Addicts….

Gone are the days when blackberry and apple were fruits. Today, our children are hooked to “apples” that are neither tasty nor good for health. These apples look flat and sleek! They rob your children of their mental math skills and athletic ability. We see many children and teenagers today who constantly play video games on their tablets and mobile phones turning them into couch potatoes. It is time they get better exercise and also cool off their strained pair of eyes that often get tired gazing at digital screens. This is especially so during summer vacations because they have much time. 

Let us figure some ways to keep children away from gadgets:

Fix No-Gadget zones at home.

Give it straight to your child! Tell it that the bedroom, dinner tables, garden, and balcony are no-gadget zones. This way, your kid will be away from gadgets while eating, while at bed relaxing, and at your home’s green patches.

It will be a great move because then, your child will understand that balconies are meant for gazing out at the world outside home, meal-time is for bonding with the family, garden is for walks, and that sleep time is for stories. Having fixed this rule, also make those zones interesting for them so that they don’t miss gadgets there. Do fun activities at those zones. How about you play board games and dumb charades with them there often!

Set time limit.

Explain to your children that overusing gadgets is not a great idea. So, for instance, tell them firmly that staring into screens and plugging headphones/earphones are banned after 8pm at home and why.

Help your children select the right gadgets and apps.

An app with riddles and puzzles can be allowed over pointless video games. Choose digital chess and scrabble over online chatting.

Encourage real-time friendships.

Apps and websites such as whatsapp and facebook are killers! These sabotage, kill the time that your child can use bonding with friends offline. These apps, in turn, have your children spend more time on their gadgets.

Encouraging real-time friendships can bring down the time they spend on gadgets and also help them know what genuine friendships are like. Just drive your children to the nearest beach or playground so they can play and bond with other youngsters. This is necessary especially for introverted kids.

Summer workshops, coffee shop cum bookstores, and hobby centers in your city are also amazing places to spend evenings.

Make physical play mandatory.

Explain to your children the need to be physically active. If your child is particularly too lazy at the physical level then doing this is a must. Make it clear to your children that from time ‘X’ to time ‘Y’ they can’t sit on the couch. They will go out and vigorously play. They must do this at least weekly thrice.

Dancing and martial arts are also amazing activities for growing children and teenagers!