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Star Tribune writer Rachel Hutton talked with Marti & Erin to get their suggestions for avoiding a screen-time marathon while kids are at home during their school break. They share 4 steps for creating your family’s game plan and 6 categories of activities for at home or in your hometown, including activities that they enjoy with their own children and grandchildren.
Here is an excerpt with Marti & Erin’s reminder to also allow time for spontaneity:
It’s important to leave plenty of time for unstructured play. “Remember that free playtime for kids to be creative where you don’t interfere is so good for their development,” says Erin. “Left to their own devices, kids are going to come up with way more creative things than I think most grownups would come up with.”
Marti has observed that when her five grandkids come to visit her seasonal home in Southern California, they prefer biking, hiking and hunting for beach glass over trips to Disneyland, Legoland or Sea World.
“As adults we sometimes think it has to be the ‘big’ thing,” she says. “The grandkids were very excited to go to those places once, but an accumulation of experiences out there has shown them that they really have the best time just being together.”
And should any whines of boredom arise, Marti offers an effective response: “I always say, ‘Oh, that’s exciting, I can’t wait to see what great ideas your brain comes up with! Being bored, that’s an opportunity, isn’t it?’ ”
To read the entire article, click here.
