Engaging activities for children, to replace gadgets:
There are numerous activities where you can engage your child based upon the age group and choices. Few are listed below:
- Story Books: Inculcate habit of reading be it self reading or you read it to them.
- Activity books: Engage your child in doing multiple activities in the books available.
- Brain games, crosswords and puzzles etc.
- Hide and seek
- Indoor games like ball in the basket, treasure hunt, and many more
- Outdoor sports like basketball, cricket, badminton, lawn tennis, skating, swimming etc.
- Art & Craft: Make you child learn new sorts of flower making, paper craft, etc.
- Drawing/ painting: Ask your child to draw and paint as per their choice. Let them think and draw. This tells lot about child’s psychology and state of mind.
- Listening to music
- Learning a musical instrument like guitar, piano, tabla etc.
- Dance
- Yoga and exercises (walk, run, jump, exercise)
- Enhance their writing skills
- Plan a family/ friends picnic once in a while
- Learn new activities like pottery, pot painting, wall paintings etc.
You can explore many other ways to engage your child. All this will not only enhance your child’s confidence but also make him learn new things; and of course keep him away from gadgets.
Also, teach your children that it is okay if there is nothing to do, it is okay to sit idle for sometime in your day. It relaxes your mind and body and is food for generation of new ideas and thoughts. It is not mandatory that we keep on doing something or the other all the time.
Technology should be encouraged and yet moderated.
Are gadgets good for you child? It’s a question that I leave it for parents to think because parents have the full right to decide what’s good for their child and what not.
