Now that the first few months of parenthood are over and my daughter and I are adjusting to a daily routine, I’ve had the opportunity to notice how much time I spend in front of a screen everyday.
I decided to come up with a few sure fire strategies to help me decrease the electronics and increase our interaction as a family.
Get out
Put down the remote and leave the house. Whether it’s shopping, going for a walk, taking a fitness/swimming class together or paying a visit to your local library to access their free children’s programs, there are tons of opportunities for new moms in our city to get out into the community.
Tune in
I found that I would often turn the TV on during the day as background noise while was doing work around the house, but inevitably I would get sucked in and park butt whenever something interesting came on.
Instead of having the TV on throughout the day, I’ve decided to switch to radio instead. Music and stories on the radio will keep you motivated throughout the day, without the chance that you’ll need to sit down and watch what’s going on like you would with the Television.
Game On
Put those endless hours of Candy Crush behind you and opt to take a more traditional approach to gaming. Scour the last few garage sales of the season for board games & yard activities that you can engage in with your kids.
Get cooking
Dust off those mixing bowls and unpack the baking pans, it’s time to take to the kitchen. Baking and cooking is a great way to tune out the digital world and instill good nutritional values in your kids. Cooking can be a fun way to engage with your kids throughout their life.
Bottom Line, we live in a connected world where we ‘re constantly getting the latest updates online, through social media and on our television screen. You don’t need to completely disconnect to be successful, in fact I know for me that would be impossible.
The important thing is just to make that conscious effort to spend a little less time connected to technology each day and decide to connect with your family instead.
What tips do you have for limiting your screen time? Leave a comment below.
Nicole Brown is a Writer, Philanthropist & Mom to an adorable little girl named Paisley. She loves fresh air and enjoys experiencing the vibrancy, life and community Edmonton has to offer. Nicole can often be spotted at various spots on the north side sipping on a frozen hot chocolate.
