8 fun alternatives to screen time

By Stacie Gaetz

One of your personal New Year’s resolutions may be to spend a bit less time on Netflix after the kids go to bed.

It might even be a 2023 goal for the whole family to cut down on screens but how can you do so in a sustainable way? You don’t want “less screen time” to go the way of the arbitrary “work out more” or “eat healthier” resolutions that end up tossed out the window by early February.

The key is to find alternatives to screen time that are as (or even more) appealing to your child as their video game, TV show or social media. Impossible right? Wrong!

It can be done. The key is to tap into what they are truly interested in and find new and exciting ways to explore those topics.

Here are eights alternatives to the tablet, phone, computer, and TV that will have your children willingly putting down their device.

1. Go Outside

I know it sounds cliché: “Turn off that screen and get outside!” But if you offer to do something outdoors with your child that they truly enjoy, they may agree to it without the fight.

Do you have a soccer fan, go outside, and kick the ball around, even in the snow. Take the bikes out in the winter to switch it up a bit (provided it is warm enough to do so). Encourage them to go out with their friends and help them make a snowman or snow fort in your backyard. Add some food coloring to water in a squirt container or spray bottle for your artist to draw on the snow or your gamer to play tic tac toe.

The important thing here is that you give them concrete ideas of fun, new things to do outside that incorporate activities they enjoy.

2. Collections

Does your kid have an old Pokémon collection that cost you a small fortune a few years ago? Get them to drag it out and look over all their cards again. Maybe it’s a coin or rock collection that they can revisit.

Why not share your 1990’s sticker collection with them or show them your POGS? Kids love to see what used to interest their parents and this is a great conversation starter on many different topics. You may even find that sharing stories from your school days gets them to open up a bit about what they are going through in their lives right now.

3. Building Things

Whether they are into Lego, model airplanes, STEM activities like robots, magnets, or mazes, building something together can be a great way to spend time and create bonds. Work with younger kids to help them read instructions and teach them techniques but let older children show you the ropes. Kids get a great sense of accomplishment from teaching their parents something.

Another project you can work on together is building a fort with anything from a blanket and your kitchen table to that giant cardboard box you have been wondering what to do with. Forts come with the added benefit of creating their own private space (which kids love). Make it cozy and let them read a book or eat a snack or lunch in their “cave.”

4. Obstacle Course

This is a go-to in our house. When we have all been watching too much TV or playing too much Nintendo, I get my kids to create their own obstacle course and time them to see who can do it the fastest. These don’t have to be complicated and can include things like jumping from couch cushion to couch cushion (on the floor), bouncing a balloon on a tennis or badminton racket five times, throwing rolled up socks into a laundry hamper, climbing over and going under kitchen chairs… the possibilities are endless.

A course can be set up outdoors as well (even on a winter day as long as it is relatively warm) and, in my experience, kids are way better at coming up with ideas of obstacles than adults are so let them take the reins.

5. Games and Puzzles

Are there games in your basement closet that you haven’t seen (or even thought about) in years? What’s old is new again so dust off those boxes and get in the game!

If your child isn’t typically a fan of traditional puzzles or board games, why not get them to make their own? Have them draw a picture of their favorite video game character on sturdy paper and then cut it up, mix it up and put it back together. Or print off a photo of your child or your family, glue it to cardboard, cut it up and put it back together.

Get them to come up with the concept for and design of a new board game. Then have them make it out of things you have around the house like cardboard and other recyclables. This can be really fun and silly and involve the whole family.

6. Photo Albums

Remember photo albums? You know, old school, printed versions of social media pages. We all have them up on a shelf in a closet somewhere. Take them down for your little Instagrammer and let them poke fun at your hair and clothes. Seeing photos of their grandparents when they were young or of your past houses they have never seen before is sure to spark some questions and conversations for them. You probably even have some piles of photos in an envelope or old box. Maybe your kids can organize them and put them in an album for you.

7. Cook or Bake

If your child’s TV time would be used watching cooking shows and bake offs this might be an obvious choice, but you may be thinking “my kid isn’t into cooking.”

That may be true, but chances are, they are into eating.

Let your child choose a treat that they want to eat and take some time together to learn how to make it.

If they are reluctant to put on an apron and get in the mix, try relating it to a topic they are really interested in. Have them cook their favorite TV show, videogame, movie, or book character’s favorite meal or create that character out of food (Cookie Monster cookies or Ninja Turtle pizza anyone?).

If they are interested in a book, show or video game that takes place in a certain time period or location, have them cook a dish that was popular then and there.

8. Podcasts

I know what you may be thinking “Are podcasts cheating?”

Not in my mind.

It’s not “reading” but it is not screen time either. If your children have a topic they are really interested in or a certain book series they love, podcasts can be a great way for them to learn more.

However, this one does get a bit tricky because they will need a device to listen to the podcast so you have to monitor them and make sure they are only using the device to listen and not playing a game or texting friends at the same time.

Screen time doesn’t need to be avoided completely. In fact, technology is and will continue to be a huge part of our children’s lives as they grow up. It can teach them many important and valuable skills and (just as importantly) allow them to have fun and blow off some steam.

That said, as responsible parents, it is our job to monitor our children’s use of screens and ensure they get enough tech-free downtime to help ensure they have an interested in a variety of activities.