Get up off the couch! Fun, TV and computer-free and activities for your kids

I grew up in the sixties—before computers, Nintendo, and MTV. Cartoons were aired only on Saturday mornings, not all day. So how did we entertain ourselves in the glaring absence of technology? We played outside, building forts, riding our bikes, tossing around a ball. Usually, we really wanted to be outdoors. If we stayed in the house, our mothers invariably found something to cure boredom: sweeping, dusting, or the terrible chore of cleaning our rooms. That in itself proved a powerful motive for seeking fresh air and sunshine. On rainy days, we tried to find a garage or carport for our activities—anything to get us out of the house.

Today’s children are different. They sit for hours, glued to a video game or a computer screen or to TV with 300 channels to choose from, watching God knows what.

When I saw my grandchildren falling into the “technology as a babysitter” pattern, I intervened. Working with my daughters, we came up with a few options to get the children out of the house and to establish real family time. And as a teacher, I tried to throw in a little painless learning along the way. Here is the list of activities that sprang from that intervention.

Sand and water play : This is great fun for both you and your children. Use the opportunity to perform simple “science experiments” to see what sinks and floats in the water or use the sand to form letters and shapes in with your fingers. Paddling pools are a good idea to introduce at an early age to reduce children’s fears of water. If you don’t have access to a beach mix some water with your sand box, build sand castles and make fortes.

Treasure hunts and nature trails : The sense of excitement and suspense that comes from interacting with nature is amazing in itself, but incorporate a treasure hunt into the adventure, and you’ve got an unforgettable experience. If you are creating a treasure hunt use mathematical quizzes to get to the next step, or base the questions on a new project they are undertaking at school. For nature trails include simple activities like bark rubbing, leaf and flower pressing, or sketching things they have seen along the way. Discuss climate changes, and how pollution affects animals and the environment.

Fishing : There’s so much they can learn from this activity, like different types of fish, facts about the food chain, and the importance of our wetlands. If you don’t want to keep what you catch, teach the children about catch-and-release.

Go on a picnic : My grandchildren love going on picnics. We let them help prepare the food, and we usually take along a ball or a frisbee. While we’re in the great outdoors, we talk about different types of clouds or about the path of the sun. This works especially well if you take along a picture book explaining cloud formation and try to identify a few basic types.

Gardening : Dedicate an area in your garden for your child to utilize, maybe a small rockery. Accompany them to the garden center. Teach your child about the different types of plants and flowers and about their seasonal blooming phases. Allow your child to choose their own flowers or plants for the area and encourage a diverse mix of plants so that there will be something in bloom all year around. Take some before and after pictures of the area so the child can really see what they have created.

Stargazing : We enjoy taking the children away from the city lights at night to watch the stars, especially during a meteor shower. We load up a few sleeping bags, snacks, and a thermos of hot chocolate. This is an extremely educational activity, and I’m not sure who enjoys it more—the children, the parents, or the grandparents!

Animals : Take your children to a zoo, or to a farm, or to a horse show, or even to an animal shelter. All of these places will offer great learning opportunities and perhaps will instill a respect for, if not a love for, their fellow creatures that share the earth.

Nursing home visits : We take the children to visit a local nursing home frequently. The residents are thrilled to interact with children, and it teaches the children how important it is to care for others. In a society that largely ignores the elderly, I find this activity with my grandchildren especially rewarding. The kids love the attention and the stories they get to hear about World War II, the Great Depression, and other historical tidbits.

Sports : Try incorporating family sports into your children’s weekends. Get them off the couch, choose up teams, and play a little touch football or basketball. This is a great way for them to learn about teamwork and sportsmanship. If you don’t have enough people for a team, just playing catch or horseshoes provides an opportunity for you to spend one-on-one time with your child or children.

Please try some of these activities with the children in your life. It’s important for you to spend quality time with your kids and not let them be reared solely by the entertainment that technology today has to offer. The human element is so vital to ensuring our children grow into happy, well rounded, socially responsible adults.

Contributions made by Holle Abee and Theresa Willbye