Did you know there are only 936 weeks in a child’s life from birth to their 18th birthday? Families often have so many distractions and commitments it is challenging to carve out time to just be together. Family Day on Monday may be a great opportunity to take a step back as a family and do a check-in on the quality of time you spend together.
Many families are looking at how much time is used on screens. There are so many screens around us like televisions, computers, game systems, smart phones, and tablets. Lots of learning comes to children today through screens, but for many children screen time is replacing active play time. How many screens are available to your family? How many hours are they turned on?
Disconnecting to reduce screen time creates time to reconnect as a family. Reducing screen time takes work, but soon the moans and groans of screen withdrawal are replaced with family fun and laughter. The goal isn’t to eliminate screens completely, but to reduce time spent with them and replacing it with time spent together as a family nurturing connectedness and building memories.
A family builds memories where they live, work, learn and play. Family play doesn’t always happen with the same regularity as living, working and learning, sometimes time needs to be set aside for it to really happen. Maybe this year, as Family Day, approaches disconnect from the screens and turn them off. Make time for a family play break that uses muscles not motors. Winter is still around in northern BC and there are many outdoor activities to enjoy. Spend time together preparing a winter picnic to take along when you head outside to:
- Go ice skating, tobogganing or sledding
- Go skiing – cross country or downhill
- Go snowboarding
- Take a hike in the snow with snowshoes
- Build a snow family – one snow creation for each member of the family
Whatever you choose to do as a family during those important weeks in a child’s life from birth to 18, be safe, wear helmets and safety gear and most of all have fun together as a family building those memories.
Resources and ideas to explore as family (before you count the screen and turn it off):
- www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca has information for families about food, nutrition, activity and lifestyle and more
- www.bettertogetherbc.ca a hands-on approach to family, food and fun!
- www.bringbackplay.ca where you can find fun, active games passed from kid to kid, generation after generation.