If you are not constantly trying to get you dc away from screens...

[icecreamSooda]

What are you doing to occupy them?

Recently I feel like my whole day is spent trying to get my dc off their tablets/phones/tv etc. I encourage them to play board games and with their toys but I can sense they are just waiting to ask to go back to their tech.

It's became bad since lockdown as whilst I'm working I need them to be occupied and happy and that is usually whilst they are playing a computer game or watching tv.

Any advice to break this habit would be appreciated.

The screens don’t come out until 4pm here. Until then, they live in a drawer in my bedroom. It’s easy enough to fill the day until then. Gardening, long walk, art, Spirograph, vanishing to their rooms or the shed to do God knows what, reading, obstacle courses, pranks, general pratting about, disco, play dog, eating loads of apples Ave feeding the cores to the neighbours horses, cooking, dog training, board games, Lego, listening to music, comic making, letting them feel bored. My son has ADHD at would be on a screen all the time if we let him. But the 4 pm boundary seems to help him. He sometimes doesn’t even notice when it’s 4 ( at which point, it’s a screen free for all for an hour or so). Other days at 4, he’s like a ferret up a trouser leg!

I’ve not got much advice! When I’m not working it’s easier: we can walk, roller skate, cook, make things, play a board game, play football.
When I’m working it’s much harder. They default to FaceTiming friends (if I don’t need my phone), playing online with friends or, if devices are put away reading/ Lego occasionally. Or TV. If it’s not chucking down I send them into the garden with instructions to play with our pup until she’s worn out- that takes a couple of hours!

Mine are only allowed tablets before 4 if they can convince me it's educational. Otherwise we have sticker books, craft stuff, Lego, TV if it's vaguely educational (documentary/magic school bus etc), building dens under furniture, decorating biscuits (just cheap digestives), making things out of fondant icing packs and eating them, play dough/plasticine/air dry clay.

Can they read abs work fairly independently? If so, can they pick a paw print badge each day to work on?

Screens are only allowed after a certain time in the evening (tv screens are allowed earlier but not in the morning) and so they know roughly when they can start to ask. It seems to work with my 9 year old.