Category: Play

You’re making dinner. One kid is yelling. Another kid is crying. Your partner just busted through the door from a long day at work. And suddenly….you’re done. Like, really done. Ready to go “Gone Girl” and never return again.

Yep, been there.

And the best solution is almost always nature. But how do we get more nature in our lives, and the lives of our children when we’re constantly surrounded by screens, full schedules, and cement?

Read on to learn EASY ways to get your family more dirt, danger, and dandelions.

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Think back to your favorite childhood memory of play.

Were you outside? Probably.

Riding your bike? Maybe.

Were a bunch of adults telling you what to do? Definitely not.

Deb Lawrence of The International Play Association USA tells us that the best thing you can do for your child’s development, self-esteem, coordination, social skills, resilience, and self-control is…

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Take Back The Game, Why should kids play sports? Linda Flanagan, Screen Less Play More Podcast, soccer, baseball, basketball

“Somewhere along the way, kids’ sports stopped being for kids,” says author and guest of the Screen Less Play More Podcast, Linda Flanagan.

“Much of what we love about youth sports- and why we want our children to play- has been eroded.”

Linda answers our burning questions:

Is it important for kids to do sports? 

At what age should a child choose a sport? 

What percentage of kids get athletic scholarships?

Should I let my child quit a sport?

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Summer sun!

Before you wake up on Day 1 of summer in a cold sweat, check out these 4 questions to discuss as a family that will really help give structure to those long school-less days.

Thanks to Andrea Davis of “Better Screen Time” who told our podcast that the key to a successful summer is…

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It’s just play, right?

“The first thing is for children to listen to what their body is telling them. That is so important because now you think of a teenager who is at a party who feels the pressure from a peer to have an experience that maybe they’re not ready for.
And if they can start to recognize in early childhood what that feels like, and how they get out of it, then they’re going to have that skill in adolescence and adulthood and all of the encounters we’re going to have as humans later in life,” says Sally Swaitek in Episode 5 of…

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Hikes are great for screen free Sunday!

I am not by ANY means suggesting that you go white-knuckle, COVID-lockdown-style and just wake up on a Sunday with no plans and tell your screen fans to “go play.” That, my friends, is a recipe for a trainwreck crashing into a dumpster fire. 
Start small.
You’re not doing this as punishment. You’re doing this for the benefits. And after a few weeks, I promise you’ll crave your Sundays.

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Entertain kids in the car, on an airplane, during church, on a zoom call, at a restaurant, while you’re trying to shower…

Put these screen-free gifts on your list and be the best birthday, Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah superstar ever!

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benefits of less screen time for kids, reduce kids screen time, reduce screen exposure

Doing the same thing again and again? It’s stored as only one memory!
“Our brain is trying to preserve energy when it can. And what we know is that if any memory is similar, it is stored as one memory in our head when we look back at things,” says Dr. Mike Rucker Ph.D on the 1000 Hours Outside podcast.

Did I read that right!? If you do the same thing again and again you’ll save only ONE memory of that activity…

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What if they have gotten so used to watching fast-paced Youtube stunt shows that everything else on Planet Earth seems BORRRINNGGG?! 

Start small.

Here are over 30 ideas of games a child can play by herself, games for groups, games with props, and games without. Plus lots of toy ideas as well.

Play doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive…

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