Many parents are beginning to feel overwhelmed by the amount of time their children are spending in front of some type of screen or another. Children today are enthralled by video games, the internet, television, laptops, tablets and hand held gaming devices. They are plugged into their iPods, or their smart phones or other devices a great majority of the time. They are noticing a change in their children’s behavior, and also in the amount of quality time they are spending together as a family. If you are a parent who is feeling this way, perhaps it is time for you to take the bull by the horns and make some changes in your household. One way that you can begin to make some changes is by providing your children with alternatives to their electronic devices.
The first thing that you can do is create a game zone for your family. If you are wondering how to promote a game zone in your home, it is really very simple. You will want to purchase a few games that will be appealing to the different members of your family. There are lots of great games that are available for purchase either from a retail store, or from sites on the internet. If you complete a search of gifts for smart kids Australia, you will find a wide variety of games and activities that are not available in stores, and promote reasoning and problem solving. You should pick a few games that your family can play together, and even some activities that can be completed independently, like a jigsaw puzzle. The game zone should be in a place where there are no distractions, away from the television and computers. It is a good idea for everyone to put their phones in another room as well so there are no electronic distractions.
To promote a game zone, you can start by picking one night a week that is devoted to game night. Members of the family could take turns selecting a game. Perhaps one week, one person can choose a game, and then the following week a different member could select one. Almost any game that you can think of will increase family communication, and provide a much needed break from the electronics that currently rule our lives. Soon your children may even begin requesting games and family activities as gifts
Once your family begins to spend more time together playing games and enjoying each other’s company, game night will become a tradition. Your family will be closer, and your children will gain important by products that you may not even have considered. Instead of staring blankly at a non-interactive screen, they will be engaging in conversations, creating happy memories, and possibly even raising their IQs. By playing games that involve reasoning, problem solving and strategy, children will begin to think differently and increase their problem solving ability, which leads to increased academic success eventually. Creating a game zone in your home offers a multitude of benefits for children, and for parents too!
