Activities to Help Limit Screen Time During School Closures
Children and parents alike are looking for fun, exciting activities to keep them occupied during school closures. It's especially important to limit the amount of screen time spent in front of a television, computer or mobile device. While it can be tempting to relax limits on screen time during extended breaks from school, overexposure can have a negative impact in healthy brain development. Fortunately, there are plenty of non-screen activities kids will enjoy doing during school closures.
Write and Illustrate a Story
Encourage kids to create their own book. Older children can write a story and draw pictures to go along with it, while younger ones can tell it to you and have you write it down. Children may also enjoy cutting out pictures or arranging picture cards to tell their story, or you can have them color in pre-printed pictures after the story is created. If your child prefers non-fiction to fiction, try telling a family story for the child to rewrite. Once the stories are written, make a book by punching holes in the side of the pages and attaching them with braids or shoelaces.
Indoor Games
Board games are always a fun family option, or try classic movement games that require close auditory attention like red light, green light, Simon says or musical chairs. Kids may also enjoy building their gross motor skills with freeze dancing, which allows them to have fun with music and requires them to freeze when the music stops playing.
Creative Play
Teach your kids about reusing and recycling while also engaging them in creative play by using cereal boxes and milk cartons to build a town or a house. This is also a great way to encourage the development of fine motor skills. Kids will enjoy using scissors, glue and glitter or crayons to transform these objects while making up stories about the residents of the town.
Fun Science Experiments
Keep your kids' brains active with some fun science experiments to build on cognitive development! Blindfold your kids and have them do taste tests to see how not being able to see affects their ability to taste or how one flavor impacts their perception of another. You could also set up drinking glasses with various amounts of water, then have your kids tap them to see how the amount of water affects the sound. With a bit of imagination, you can come up with a ton of fun experiments that use what you already have at home!
If you want more ideas for ways you can help to improve your child's cognitive development and improve attention and focus, reach out to Brain Balance Achievement Centers. Our experts can help pinpoint where your child struggles, then offer tips and techniques to help them improve. We can also give you ideas for alternatives to screen time tailored to your child, so your entire family can enjoy stress-free time at home.
