Top tips on how to manage your children's screen time. Photo / Luca Sage
Top tips on how to manage your children's screen time. Photo / Luca Sage
The summer holidays are the time when long days can sometimes drag on and screen time quickly becomes a tool for instant entertainment.
Last year, the University of Auckland found 88 per cent of children aged from under 1 to 14 exceeded the recommended screen time guidelines.
Research shows doing so can result in difficulty regulating behaviour and emotions, and struggling to focus on simple tasks.
While it may not be possible to completely rid the household of devices, reining in the amount of time your kids spend on technology is important for several reasons, and striking the balance is vital. So what are the options?
Reporter Brodie Stone has gathered tips and tricks to make it just a little easier to reduce that screen time.
Kids learn from what they can see. If you find yourself with your head in your phone scrolling mindlessly, chances are that if given the opportunity, your kids will too.
If you’ve got teens or pre-teens, asking for the phone at night might result in statements like “well what about you?!”, so set an example. If their device is going in the basket, so can yours.
Setting a schedule can be a great way to make sure time on devices is monitored. If you’re starting the journey of trying to reduce screen time, it’s probably unrealistic to reduce to an hour each day.
Instead, start by slowly reducing screen time over a few days.
During the day, you can set a time that television or other device time is allowed, and this can include having a timer set.
Being on your phone is well known to reduce the amount of quality sleep we get, so having a phone basket is a great way to ensure your kids are getting those extra winks.
Quality over quantity
Going cold turkey on screen time isn’t always realistic, so introducing educational content is a great way to ensure your kids are consuming quality content. This was recommended by the University of Auckland in its 2021 research. Slowly introducing this instead of their usual shows over a period of time is a good way to do this.
YouTube is a good resource for educational content that encourages involvement and movement, and it’s free, which of course is an extra plus!
Here are some shows you could introduce that are tried and tested by my own daughter:
This show mixes movement and mindfulness as your child is led on journeys based on popular stories and characters, such as “going on a bear hunt”. There are yoga adventures, brain breaks, and mindfulness for kids. There is a range of classes from 10 minutes or less to 50-minute classes
It’s likely you’ve heard of National Geographic, but did you know there is a YouTube channel dedicated solely to educational content for kids? There’s a range of content for a range of ages, including videos about animals, destinations around the world, history, as well as weird and wonderful facts.
There are dance and singing videos, retelling of classic Māori tales, and even videos that teach kids the Māori alphabet. It’s a great way to get your younger ones prepped for te reo at school.
Utilise the five-minute warning
For any age group, giving a decent amount of warning before taking away devices is a good way to ensure an easy transition. Having an activity ready for when your kids don’t have their eyes in front of a screen is a good way to ensure they’re distracted. This could include timing screen time before meals, participating in a family activity or a walk outside.
Spending time with your kids is the best way to be present.
Putting aside time for activities together is vital for this, such as card games, Pictionary, quizzes, walks out in nature and just simply asking your kids about their day. Making sure screens are off when it’s mealtime.
Balance screen time with green time
This template from the Department of Conservation is a great way to get the kids involved in getting outside. The aim is to colour in more “nature” boxes than screens and if you do, at the end of the week you can organise a “green time treat”.
Here’s a list of things you can do to get that time in nature up and balance your screen time with green time.
There’s a plethora of walks to choose from in the Northland region depending on where you’re based; from easy to difficult, there’s something for every family.
The Parihaka Scenic Reserve in Whangārei is a great place to go for a walk with the kids. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Learn to tell the time without your phone or watch
This is a great activity because it involves spending an extended period of time outdoors. It’s a great activity for pre-teens. Click this link to learn how.
Mindfulness exercises
For younger kids, asking them to listen to nature is a great mindfulness exercise that encourages some moments of calm. You can give them a “nature diary” where they can draw or write down what they can hear.
Ask them what they think the trees and animals are saying to each other. Another way to encourage mindfulness is while on a walk ask them to consider the four key senses. What can they see, hear, smell, touch?
Get into the garden or make a window garden
Getting your children involved in growing their own herbs, plants or vegetables is easy. You don’t need a big garden to do this, simply enough sunlight, regular watering and a few pots. These can be found at op shops or you can purchase cheap terracotta ones at your local hardware store. Get a cheap potting mix, seeds or seedlings, and you’re good to go.
Preschoolers and up are a great age to enjoy the planting process from beginning to end. This can be used as a way to teach them about how plants grow, why the sun and water are important, etc. Planning a meal out of the veges or herbs they’re growing is a great way to give them a sense of reward and use as a family activity.
Flowers such as cornflowers, pansies and even dandelions are edible, and you can grow these in your garden for the bees too. This can also be a great opportunity to tell your kids about the important work bees do for the environment.
Distract the kids from screens by getting them out and about in the garden.
