Ideas to celebrate National Day of Unplugging
Today is National Unplug Day, so I’ll be doing some activities that families can use to step away from technology and connect in fun and creative ways. 95 percent of teens have smartphones and children ages 8-12 on average spend 4-6 hours per day on screens of some kind and teens spend up to 9 hours a day, and the average American spends up to 7 hours on the technology, so unplugging for a short period of time could increase family connection time.
One of the benefits of plugging for family connection is that it allows families to make simple connections and often times that is when our kids really talk to us without having a screen
Creative ideas for DIY activities:
- Board games- these are always a good option. The Family Meme Game, Uno, Go Fish, Sorry, Clue, literally any board game your family enjoys playing together.
- Art- No, you don’t have to be an artist to create art. Double Doodles (where you draw with both hands at the same time), paint simple shapes like dots or circles, shaving cream (yes you can draw with your hands, sidewalk chalk (positive messages are my favorite)
- Forts- build forts with couch cushions, blankets, and furniture and play inside of it. It’s that simple.
- Bake- bake cookies from a tube, make cupcakes, make brownies from a box, or even a family recipe. Connection happens in the kitchen.
- Go outside- Literally, go outside without your phone. Go for a walk, a bike ride, a trail walk, play frisbee, or catch.
Flipping the ‘unplug’ language from a nay (punishment) to a yay (privilege). Unplugging doesn’t have to feel like a limit or a punishment. It can actually be quite freeing. So if the thought of unplugging for the day freaks you out, start with an hour and watch the positive impact it has on your family.
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