Turn Off the Technology Sometimes

One of the things I enjoy doing with my children is shutting all TV’s off in the house and just getting down and playing with them “Old School”. No technology, no computers, Nintendo Wii, or other game console. Good old fashioned toys, my kids love various Trio blocks, and the PlayMobil action figures and we would setup armies and build castles and forts and have giant toy battles that would span dozens of action figures and leave the play room looking like an earthquake just hit my house when we were done.

Granted my kids are only six and three years old and toys are still very much of interest to them, but I would shift this to doing other non-tech related activities. I already introduced my kids to board game versions of Dungeons and Dragons and would take this to more depth as they progress in age and are able to read more and understand more complicated role playing tactics and rules. We also aren’t limited to indoor activities either, we sometimes just go out into the backyard with just swimming trunks and take turns playing with the hose and just shooting each other down with water.

I am sure that when my kids get older I am gonna miss the simpler things that we are doing right now and that they enjoy so much.

My word of advice, turn off the technology while the kids are younger and take advantage of playing with them with some real “one on one” time. Get involved and use as much creativity and imagination as possible, really cherish the little things because all too soon these types of activities will be outgrown.

-Justin Germino