Screen Free Summer

6/9/18

Chelsea Malik

MS, LMFT

Summer is here! It’s a great time to put down those screens and try something new and different with your family. It’s so important that your children have opportunities to develop interests outside the high-tech world. We’re here to help you find activities that they can enjoy just as much, and feel more fulfilled emotionally!

When you switch off those screens, don’t worry if your kids push back initially (they probably will!). Remember, you are doing this for good reason – the benefits of better health and well being. Try to maintain your boundaries and allow for an adjustment period. Enlist your child’s help in choosing an activity they want to do.

You can start by matching alternatives to their personality and interests:

If your child loves to stay active…

• Go for a long walk (take your dog if you have one!)
• Create carnival games (use a cardboard box with different cut outs and have them throw something through the cut outs – like a bean bag toss)
• Play family tag with water guns Dance (choreograph a new dance or play freeze dance)
• Play charades (headbands game or create your own and write down ideas on paper)
• Try fun balloon games (how long they can keep the balloon in the air, see how fast they can go with a balloon between their knees, blow a balloon through an obstacle course)
• Learn different yoga poses (make it a one-a-day-ritual!)
• Go rollerblading along a trail
• Play a sport or catch outside (set up a goal and see how many goals they can make)
• Watch a sports team play or tour a stadium/arena

If your child loves the outdoors…

• Play in your yard (run in sprinklers, red light/green light, freeze tag, water balloon toss)
• Lay in the grass and cloud watch (guess what they look like and/or research star constellations)
• Go for a bike ride (try the lakefront trail and bring a picnic for a bonus!)
• Go on a nature hike or hunt
• Blow bubbles
• Go mini golfing
• Plant a garden
• Watch/photograph the sunset
• Go to a park, water park, beach or pool
• Play outdoor games (hopscotch, hula hoops, bocce ball, bags)

If your child loves art and creativity…

• Complete relaxing coloring pages (search ‘printable coloring pages’ or ‘printable mandala’ online to find free versions)
• Make sensory based toys or objects (slime, stress balls, etc. – DIY recipes can be found online)
• Make postcards to send to family and friends in the mail
• Make friendship bracelets and other jewelry items
• Create scrapbooks for different time periods in their lives
• Make a collage out of old magazines (it can have a theme like ‘all about me’ or ‘my wish list’)
• Tie dye t-shirts, socks, pillow cases or other items of their choosing
• Use story cubes to create a fun story
• Explore special arts and crafts projects (make a wand, make a crown, make a bird feeder, make a dreamcatcher or make finger puppets)

If your child loves surprise and adventure…

• Watch home movies from when you were a child
• Play Chicago tourist (visit Millenium Park, Navy Pier, The Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, Art Institute, Adler Planetarium, Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago Cultural Center, Garfield Park or Lincoln Park Conservatory, Maggie Daley Park or movies/music in Millenium Park)
• Check out the schedule for festivals that are family friendly
• Create an inside or outside obstacle course (use hula hoops, blocks, jump ropes, etc.)
• Plan a scavenger hunt inside or outside (incorporate a theme like a candy or flower hunt)
• Do family fun challenges (jelly belly taste test, guess what food this is)
• Family olympics (pick different games and activities and set up olympic events. You can even create brackets and give medals to everyone who participates)

If your child loves trying new things…

• Learn to play an instrument
• Learn a new skill (finger knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, photography, singing, a different language, etc)
• Learn magic tricks
• Learn about a different culture and find a way to incorporate some aspect of that culture into your regular day
• Challenge them to teach you something new
• Explore new and challenging types of puzzles (crosswords, sudoku, word searches) that can be done indoors/outdoors
• Learn new games (each week a different family member can choose- simon says, hide and seek, jenga, etc)

If your child loves free play and to use their imagination…

• Build a marble tower (endless combinations of fun)
• Develop a play and act it out (have the whole family watch after dinner)
• Pair up a variety of figurines and blocks to create new worlds from their imagination
• Have a fashion show (can use dolls, stuffed animals, etc.)
• Play with legos or blocks
• Line up dominos and watch them fall
• Schedule plenty of play dates 🙂