The key to dragging those kiddies away from their digital toys is to be prepared and plan ahead. This is what I have discovered anyway. The only time the children really leave their devices alone is when we are in the great outdoors. What about when we are indoors though? They still need to have a break from the screens. So, here is my plan for creating a digital detox this Christmas.
Setting up a play area
I like to set things up the night before, so when the children wake up they walk downstairs to something enticing. It might be a simple layout of items on the dining table. Or, toys that have been hiding in the attic coming back out to play. Do you rotate your children’s toys? If your children have a lot of toys this sometimes helps to bring some excitement back by simply hiding half away and swapping them around.
Playing indoor camp
Playing in an indoor camp is a great idea for a rainy day. All you need is a few blankets (the larger the better), a broom stick and some pegs. Get creative. Use the broomstick as the central point of your camp and cover with the blankets. I used our corner sofa as it felt like a great space for a camp. We have done this for years and it always makes the kids happy when they see I have made them a camp.
Find some fun games
Now, enticing them away from devices only works when you try to use the right things. For example – Noah loves to play games and loves his vehicles. He loved building this Train set and what a great toy for at the bottom of a Christmas tree?
Getting creative
Isla’s favourite thing to do is get creative. She loves writing stories, drawing pictures, singing and dancing – oh and making as much mess as she can possibly make. This FairyTale Story game was a great way to stimulate Isla’s creativity and she wrote a fabulous story.
Here is how I made this indoor set up for a digital detox this Christmas:
For the indoor camp
- Miko the panda cushion
- Patchwork butterfly cushion and hearts cushion
- Cups for our drinks: Unicorn mug and Dog breed mug
- These were useful for tidying up the toys: Organic cotton net bag in duck egg blue and mint green.
For the kids to play
- For the creative lovers: Dominoes, Sausage dog pen, Sydney the sloth colouring pencils and notebook, make your own 3D animals, Origami animals kit, family stamp kit and mini colouring in kit.
- For the competitive: Glow in the dark table tennis, animal memory game, travel Ludo game and a memory bingo game.
- Just for fun, as these are things that are great in an indoor camp: Projector torch, UFO light up spinning top and a yummy pizza in a box!
Ad – we received these goodies from Rex London to demonstrate solutions for a digital detox this Christmas.
