What do your children do at home (other than screen time...)?

[AlpacaPicnik]

I'm curious about this question as I try hard to set limits on computer game use and TV watching, especially in the school holidays. I also make sure we all get out of the house a lot (minimum once a day), but I despair at how my children (twins, DS and DD both 9) can't seem to entertain themselves at home without a 'device'.

I am sure I spent a whole childhood painting, reading, lego, making Blue Peter 'makes' etc etc and yes, my two will do all of this with nagging and cajoling! The problem is that as soon as I leave them to put washing out or something, they revert back to devices!!

I'm starting to think that maybe this is normal and I should back off and let them do what they enjoy. They are pretty rounded children who do lots of activities and are sociable. They don't struggle too much at school (well other than my son and writing, but that's to be expected as he's a boy right? :))

Or do you think I'm right to make them want to create things out of empty toilet rolls and sticky tape??

If they had devices back in the day I doubt you would have been sticking things together given half a chance When I was a kid we were slung out in the morning with a sandwich and told to come home when it's starting to get dark.

As long as it's not all they do I don't see an issue. I was just saying to my 14 yr old who came in yet again stinking from going fishing all day why he can't have a day off and bash some xbox like a normal teenager. Sick to death of that horrible smell.

[Grin] gamerchick!

Mine and 6 and 4 - my youngest is still at a stage when spinning in a circle counts as entertainment.

Little labs chemistry/physics sets, electronics sets, building models, making a radio, making a copper wire motor for a plastic model motor boat then taking boat to bath/pond to see it in action, telescope, microscope (lookiing at common garden bugs under it is brilliant!) weaving, knitting, cross stitch, loom bands/makibg friendship bracelets, bead threading and jewellery making with air drying clay, or oven bake clay, collage, train sets, writing letters to relatives, creative writing, history projects, family tree, jigsaws, musical istrument practice, board/card ganes - you can get sone really interesting and imaginative ones now. Pretend/imaginative play when they are little and role playing board games if they like those as they get older, garden skittles and boule, garden table tennis, garden swing ball.

And baking/cooking meals for family

Mostly draw or play with Lego

Bake and play monopoly

And recently lots of loom bands, also garden and play outside

Draw and make stuff. Like junk modelling I suppose. Making a car with a tissue box and milk bottle tops.

Play imaginative/role play games (explorers, vets, detectives, Pokemon trainers)

Do stuff outside. Making potions out of leaves and things like that.

Sporty things like swingball, skateboarding, bikes.

Play with toys like the farm, my little ponies.

From when they were little, none of mine were allowed screen time in the day, in the holidays, before 4 o'clockish.
I think it helps that there's always been that expectation.
They are older now, so different, but mostly it would be out in the garden or calling round for friends.
They also cook - both meals and baking - and things like when we are going out for the day, they have always been involved in making the picnic / getting things ready etc., so they are occupied rather than waiting for me to do it.
When they were younger I always tried to go out somewhere each day, too.

DS likes reading, colouring, making Lego models, drawing. He is a total screen addict so I have to be quite firm about switching things off.

DD likes playing imaginary games with her many little toys (playmobil/figurines/cuddlies etc). She's not that fussed about telly really, unless it's Peppa Pig, and is much better at naturally entertaining herself than DS.

They're nearly 6 and 3.

Timeforabiscuit your comment made me giggle Both of mine also enjoy spinning around, bouncing on beds, climbing on furniture and bickering when stuck indoors.

I think it is better if they are able to entertain themselves some of the time without devices. DS would have his face stuck in a screen all the time if I let him, but I keep it limited. I have noticed that if I let things slide he seems to lose the ability to use his imagination to play.

I think the best approach is to take away the screens and just leave them to get on with it. They certainly shouldn't be back on a screen the moment you back is turned. If they can't be trusted to stick to the limits you impose they need to have them taken away so they can't go back to them. I think if you get tough, and refuse to just let them revert to using the devices all the time, they will probably surprise you.

Currently dc1 (13) is watching TV but on Friday she made a pavlova and cookies for a family party yesterday.
Dc2 (11) has just gone off with his mate from next door. They will no doubt be playing on their bikes/skateboards/with mud down the lane.
Dc3&4 (7&5) are playing with next door's dc2. They are upstairs and it will be a variation onschools/hospitals/vets/babies etc that will end in a grand flouncy falling out at some point this afternoon

DS is 5 with some element of ASD. He would switch from tv, to Wii to tablet and round again if we let him, or play with things where the toy sort of does it for you, like scalextric. He shows very very little interest in drawing, painting, playdoh, making stuff etc and never initiates that kind of play. His imaginative play is limited though he can be led into things by his younger sister who is the complete opposite of him. I have no issue with screen time as such - its no worse that if he spent all day reading a book but we do try and only allow it in hour (ish) blocks interspersed with other things - the problem is he can rarely just play alone, he always needs one of us with him to play a board game or maybe a little baking (that will last ten mins before he gets bored). I try to make sure that the games he plays are CBeebies ones with an educational element, not just randomly bashing the screen and the wii is actually improving his coordination.

How about making their own movies? Get them to write a script first. Stop motion animation should keep them busy for a while! Puts them at the other end of the technology.

My four DCs haven't been on screens today, they had a bot of telly this morning but that's been about it, DD1 has opened a nursery in her room, DD2 has opened a school, DD3 has a shop and they've been visiting each other's rooms all day. DS has been playing trains and cars mostly.

I turn off the telly, take the iPads away from them and they actually do go and play, it's easy just now as DD1 is 10, harder when they are teenagers.

They had DSs at that age, but DD never played with hers and DS hardly at all.

They are both pretty active, so a lot of time outside or swimming or whatever, which cut down on the time inside
When inside, lots of role-play - schools/cafes/hairdressers,etc. Making dens. Drawing (DD more so than DS), baking, reading, lego, play-doh....

Ds has spent the entire day watching tv but he spent the first week of his hols at a sport camp and the second with his dad on the beach. Also had a very late night last night so it was a proper pj day.

Here we have a sensible usage policy, he has free access but if i feel it is obsessive or excessive (he is aspie) he has a complete technology ban. No tv, ds, computer, walkie talkies, ie anything that is powered by electricity with the exception of hexbugs. He is nearly 10 and if he has technology ban he will play with lego - act out plots he has seen on tv or read in a book or reads or needs constant input as he loves board games. There are no kids in the local area who he can play outside with and he has the attention span of a flea. Mostly he needs to have structure and activity imposed but i suspect that is part of the aspie thing. He is perfectly happy sorting himself out I just prefer his behaviour with the structure

Ds2 (6.5) makes Lego models, does a lot of craft stuff (always collecting up empty loo roll middles, plastic pots-anything he can lay his hands on), reads, makes tents with all the blankets/duvets he can find, plays various ball games with ds1 (18), crawls about the house with ds1 shrouded in blankets (dunno what the game is there), does loom bands- anything really. He also will happily play endless games of Uno with anyone who offers. There is also a fair amount of running in and out of the garden

But- I don't limit screen time, generally, anyway. He's just not the kind of kid who would sit down for hours on end watching a screen, so when he is on one, it's because he's persuaded ds1 to play Minecraft with him, or he's playing Scrabble.

My DSs are 9 and 7 and not allowed computer games other than for an hour on weekend days. Last week they played with lego, hotwires, dressed up, played football outside, trampolined, played in the tree house, played in the woods, picked blackberries and raspberries, did archery (soft tips), rode their bikes a lot, drew, made a treasure hunt, helped in the garden, did jigsaws, played chess, played the piano, had various nerf wars, played monopoly, drew all over the driveway with chalk and various other things.

Ds 5 dd 2yo have today;
Plaied tig and hide and seek
Put doll in toy trolly and went shopping with ds being the shop owner
Plaied house
made snacks
Eat and drank a lot
plaied zoo keepers with toy monkey
Played raceing cars
Plaied dead when asked to pick up the road made of books off the floor
Played on the laptop
Played superheros running round the livingroom
Played fighting
Got put on time out step
Played snakes and ladders
Got it taken off them for fighting over it
Played with toy bloxs and giraff
Played taking the dog for awalk
Played picking dog poo up
Ds got shouted at for making dd cry
Danceing
Football
Both on time out chair for kicking football in the livingroom
Ds did maths workbook
Dd played at writing alphabet
Dd got put on timeout chair for putting black marker pen over floor
At 4pm I left dh watch them and went to read my book!

Mine ar 9, 7 and 5. We have a rule that no screen time before about 4.30 then they can fight over which TV channel / who's go it is on the computer etc to their heart's content. I enforce this and they know not to just go and turn on the TV / DS / computer even if I am not there. The rest of the day they just have to get on with it. If you leave them long enough they will work through the boredom and find something to do. Making stuff / loom bands / drawing / lego, playing in the garden (I don't really know what they do), they will make dens with under the table or outside (depending on weather) and sometimes the older two will just read. If yours are not used to being left to their own devises then you will probably go through a stage of nagging and fighting, but eventually they will work something out.