4 activities for children, entertaining and without screens

The Internet, today, has become an alternative reality that complements the physical plane. Of the 7.76 billion people on Earth, about4.54 billion actively surf the web, that is, 56% of the world’s population.

Beyond these dizzying figures, it is necessary to highlight the fact that 80% of global internet use is directed to mobile devices. The phone has become an extension of our own body, a place where we share ideas, entertain ourselves, meet people and expand our knowledge.

Of course, children are not outside this technological bubble: quite the opposite. As we will show you later, the life circle of infants is, in large part, reflected on a screen. Today we present 4 activities for children who move away from technological devices, because at least for now, machines do not cover all the affective needs of the human being.

• We recommend you read. “20 exercises to improve memory (for youth and adults)”

The use of technology in children

To start this series of activities free of lights and buttons, we will contextualize a little its need in the education of infants. We show you some data collected in various studies:

• It is estimated that children between 8 and 9 years old spend an average of 239 minutes a day in front of a screen.
• Almost adolescents between 12 and 13 years raise this figure to 420 minutes a day, that is, 7 hours.
• Studies show that the use of the internet in children between 0 and 8 years old is on the rise, although they do not know the particularities of the network and its risks.

With these data we make it quite clear that children are a mirror of parents: such a stick such a splinter, and of course, our customs are reflected in those of the smallest of the house. Beyond developing vision problems due to eye fatigue (scientifically proven fact), we do not dare to verify much more about the use of screens in society. Of course, scientific studies have shown that infants (with groups of up to 2,400 children) between two or three years old who consume mobile and computer entertainment, have certaindevelopmental capacities diminishedbetween three and five years of age.

Does this mean that “the internet makes you dumb”? Far from it. From here we advocate the integration of technologies in modern media and education, because we believe that the generations that are to come will be much more knowledgeable about information because of the tools they have available. Even so, the results of these investigations give food for thought, because the first years of a child’s life are very delicate and we do not know (at all) how technologies can affect their development.

4 activities for kids away from screens

Once we have contextualized the benefits and possible harms of the internet world in the smallest of the house, it is time to present 4 activities that you can do with them in these turbulent times without having to go to an electronic device. As you will see below, the key is not to replace, but to complement. Let’s get to it.

1. Discover nature

In a world where more than 32,000 animal species are in danger, educating children in ecological valuesand respect for the environment is not only entertainment, but a necessity. As we have said previously, the key in activities without a screen lies in offering an activity that cannot be done in a computer field, and what better irreplaceable experience than knowing life itself?

An act as simple as picking up a piece of damp soil and looking at it under a microscope can be as fascinating to a child as the most intense video game. From tardigrades to small worms, life unfolds under our eyes without us noticing. What if the child wants to leave the house? Well, grabbing binoculars, getting a bird guide and organizing a getaway to the nearest mountain can be a plan for the whole day.

Understanding what is “beyond the city” is essential for individual development, as it allows us human beings to contextualize our existence and realize that, no matter how many we are, we are still not the center of the universe.

• We recommend you read: “The 45 best phrases to connect with Nature”

2. Making crafts

We are facing another irreplaceable process, because creating a physical and three-dimensional object can not be done from a machine today from home (because we doubt that the child has a 3D printer at his disposal). These activities can be adjusted according to the age and preferences of the child in question, but beware: attention times in infantsvary greatly according to the years.

You can not expect a 5-year-old child to paint a picture, because it is estimated that the concentration time of this age group for a single task is 25 minutes. On the other hand, a 12-year-old can concentrate up to 55 minutes straight on a single action. There are countless examples of crafts both online and in books, but few media emphasize the importance of the time interval of each of them.

As we have already stressed in the previous lines, the key is more in the time it takes to make the craft than in the result itself. An 8-year-old can focus his attention perfectly for half an hour for any purpose, which is why adjusting the creation process to that interval is essential: thus, self-realization is allowed without frustration.

Candles, origami, plasticine figures, lego constructions, sewing, fine figures, drawings… The limit of these activities is in the imagination of theparent.

3. Read

Yes, the great conflict. As young people, it is quite surprising to learn how some members of the older generations often use reading as a punishment or a reprimand. According to UNESCO data, 617 million childrenin the world do not reach the minimum level of development of reading ability and mathematical intelligence, despite being two thirds of them in school. Of course, reading is taking a back seat in the information age, ironic but true.

The key is to integrate the tastes of the infant in the reading material and not brandish a book as if it were a threat. There are thousands of examples adjusted to the age of the infant: from tricks in Fortnite to biographies and stories of their favorite youtubers, today we have available books widely connected to the internet culture of which children surround themselves. Let us remember: we cannot expect the child to enjoy the same as we do at his age, because society changes, and with it, so do people. They have to read something they like. But they have to read.