Electronic gadgets have become a real problem for many modern families. Children flatly refuse to communicate with the world around them, replacing it with a virtual one. How to influence this? In the summer, this question is especially acute. After all, a child often has nothing to do on vacation, and here computers, tablets and phones come to the imaginary "rescue".
Despite the fact that most parents are aware of the harm gadgets can cause, weaning a child off the computer is much more difficult than giving in to the temptation to let them play a shooter while mom cooks dinner and dad watches the news.
In this article, we tried to provide methods on how to win the battle against games and social networks, and tell you what an alternative to leisure time with a laptop in your hands can be. The variety of active and half-forgotten games is impressive, the main thing is to have enough time to play them.
When thinking about a strategy for weaning a child from the blue screen, it is important to understand that at different ages the methods of influence will be different.
What can interest a preschooler?
For example, for a preschool child, time at the computer or tablet should be limited to 15-20 minutes. At such a tender age, it is most important to show the child that there is an interesting real world around, which should not be replaced by a virtual one. Moreover, a large number of games, cartoons and various videos provoke a loss of the need for live communication. But it is precisely the preschooler who needs educational games, educational books and the development of communication skills.
Of course, the parental temptation is great, because while doing household chores, you can easily and for a long time occupy your child with a tablet or phone. But it is at this moment that you need to turn on your imagination and offer your child a type of leisure activity that will be more interesting and exciting than computer games.
We are implementing new rules
In parallel with the creation of new ideas, psychologists advise to implement several rules. First, the computer or other gadget that causes addiction should be removed and given out in a strictly dosed and controlled manner. Or it is better to hide it altogether for a period of time so that the child simply forgets about it. If you are not ready to take such decisive steps right away, then try to simply download to the device those games that will be useful for the child - on logic, reaction speed, all kinds of developmental games, fortunately there are a lot of them now. But do not forget about the 15-20 minute rule.
In addition, it is hard to believe at first, but cooking dinner together with a child will not take much more time, but the benefits will be enormous. After all, a 4-6 year old child is able to grate food, cut something coarsely, set the table and wash the dishes. And considering that during the joint process, you will definitely maintain a dialogue, the benefits are crazy. Here you will have a trusting relationship, and household chores skills, and the opportunity to retell a fairy tale or quietly learn a poem. This option is more suitable for mom, because despite all the propaganda of gender equality, after all, it is women who most often cook food and do the housework.
If in their free time, the child is entrusted to their father, then the possibilities are even wider, since they are not limited to the kitchen. And here, instead of cars, Winx fairies and everything else, there are Lego, dad's garage, looking at old photos or walking on the street.
What not to do?
The main thing is, if you have already caught your child in front of a blue screen, in no case do not turn off the gadget abruptly, do not snatch it out of your hands, do not say "this is a bad game, turn it off!". Say "let me show you a game that is even more interesting", or "honey, why don't we build a castle for dad before he comes?". Be a little cunning, because a radical ban usually causes indignation, while a child who is gently brought to a decision will be sure that the choice is his own, which he can be quite proud of.
How to help a younger student?
If your child is already in school and is between the ages of 7 and 12, you can keep all the old rules for him, adding some new ones. Yes, it is useful to maintain family traditions, in which, for example, dinner should be together and without gadgets. However, if you insist that your child let go of the tablet, you yourself should not abuse communication with the smartphone.
Try to get your child involved in all household chores, and once they are done, run to the park, the stadium, or just take a walk around the neighborhood. There are a huge number of activities and entertainment that don't require any special effort or financial costs. They're just worth mentioning.
In addition, it is easy for a child aged 8-12 to calculate how much time he wastes with a tablet in his hands. And to explain how much useful, interesting and informative he could have done in that time.
What is the alternative?
Show him what you did in your childhood, dig up filmstrips in the mezzanines, burn wood, play “edible-inedible” or “baker”, collect a herbarium and in general, imagine that this childhood is yours again and there are no shooters, adventure games and social networks in it. But we found something to do, didn’t we?!
Be sure to spend more time outdoors, be interested in your child's dreams, and help them realize them. Yes, it's a little more difficult than putting a "convenient" laptop in your child's hands, but the result will be worth it.
By changing the rules of communication with gadgets, you will be surprised how quickly negative character traits and whims will “hide”.
In addition to the listed methods, at the start of such changes, you can also turn off the modem, setting a clear schedule for its operation. Yes, by the way, and it will be easier for you to fight the desire to put a couple of likes or check your email. A younger schoolchild can already be allowed about 1 hour of "virtual" per day, but taking into account educational needs. After all, by this age children already make presentations and can search for information for an essay.
You need to negotiate with a teenager.
The most difficult period in a child's life is adolescence. First, protest moods are very high, secondly, the modem cannot be turned off, and thirdly, the need to do homework on the computer is very high. In addition, it is difficult to ask a teenager to grate carrots and you cannot occupy him with a constructor. What to do in such a situation?
Don't turn off the Internet and don't take away the laptop - let the teenager be an adult and independent. Install antivirus and block unreliable resources. Encourage the child to do useful things on the computer by installing Photoshop, video and photo editors, useful applications. Send the child to courses where he can learn the basics of programming, audio recording, drawing and design.
Extreme – as opposed to a smartphone
In addition, do not forget about active leisure - paintball, equestrian sports, rock climbing, wakeboarding, quest rooms - today there are a lot of options. You just have to choose the one that suits your child's inclinations. Do not forget that new emotions and adrenaline should cover the need for virtual reality. Plus, in adolescence you need to help your child develop in a professional direction, with an eye on adulthood, which is not far away.
Most often, three things attract people to computer games. The first is boredom and the desire to do something, the second is adrenaline and exciting events, and the third is the desire to become a winner.
Therefore, allowing a child to fulfill the same needs in the real world is not as difficult as it seems at first glance.
So, while it's summer outside and the cold is far away, parents have a wonderful opportunity - you can show your child all the games that we, and even our grandparents, played in childhood. Most of these entertainments are now undeservedly forgotten. But we tried to remember which yard games were so popular in our childhood that even the shouts from the balconies before dinner could not make us break away from them.
Practice shows that at first children look at such leisure with some distrust and even surprise, they are so used to Fixies and Monster High, dances and Vkontakte. But 10 minutes after the start of the game, you will be able to gather around you all the little ones from the playground, or teenagers from the bench, if the game is serious and your children are already older.
Forgotten games
"Salochki"
And the first game on our list is the simple and familiar "Salochki".
"Salochki" - they are catch-up games, they are catch-up games. Wikipedia claims that this game has about 40 names. At the same time, the game is incredibly simple. The point of ordinary salochki is to catch up with players (if you are leading), who are running in different directions.
The leader is chosen by the counter. The players stand around him and run in different directions on command. The task of the leader is to catch up with one of the players and touch him with his hand. Whoever is touched turns into a “salka”, and the leader becomes a simple player. Sometimes the rules of the game are slightly different - the skunk, having caught up with the first player, continues to catch the third player together with him, then the fourth player all together and so on, until everyone is caught.
There are various types of "salting". Sometimes they play with a "house" - an area where players can safely rest. In the "house" the kwach is powerless, but the rules also prohibit sitting there for a long time. Another option is to raise your legs to avoid "salting" - you need to jump on something and lift your legs up.
"Baker"
An equally interesting game that used to gather children from all over the yard is "Baker".
Its rules may seem complicated at first glance, but that's only at first glance. Despite the many variations, its essence boils down to the following.
It is necessary to prepare a platform measuring about 10x6 meters. And arm yourself with sticks (bats, broken hockey sticks, pieces of reinforcement), tin cans (wooden sticks, plastic bottles) and chalk. The prepared platform must be marked out in a certain way - parallel to the short side, lines are drawn every meter and a half: 1st line - pawn (soldier); 2nd line - queen; 3rd line - kings; 4th line - aces, etc. From the beginning of the created platform to the extreme line - the title zone; from the last line to the end of the field - the baker's zone. Approximately 5 meters from the last line, a circle is drawn, to which the can is placed (sometimes - on top of a brick).
At the beginning of the game, a “Baker” is chosen and takes turns knocking over the can. Players place one end of the stick on the toe of their foot and the other end in their palm, then push the stick into the distance with their foot. Whoever’s stick flies the furthest is the first to knock over the can; whoever gets closest is the “Baker.”
The “baker” takes a position “behind the can”, the players are in the first line. Then the players take turns trying to knock out the can with their bats. After that, the “attack” begins – the players run after their bats and return to the “ranking zone”. The “baker” at this time runs after the can, puts it back in place and tries to protect it. But his main task is not to let the bat be taken from his zone. In addition, he tries to touch the players with his bat and then knock down the can himself. The one whom the “baker” touched becomes the “baker” the next time, and the old “baker” becomes an ordinary player.
For each knocked down bank, the player rose in rank. In other words, he moved further along the field and approached the goal. In addition, each "rank" has its own advantages and features. For example, an ace is absolutely invulnerable but cannot lead.
"Bouncers"
The game "Bouncers" cannot be ignored.
During this game, it was possible to get hit with the ball painfully, but the excitement was off the charts. Moreover, nothing was needed for it except the ball. "Bouncers" are appointed (usually 2 people on each side). They stand facing each other at a distance of about 10-15 meters. Those who need to be knocked out are located in the center of the court. The goal of the "bouncers": to hit each player with the ball. The one to whom the ball "flies" leaves the field. Therefore, the goal of the central players was to quickly avoid the ball.
When one player remains in the middle of the field, he must dodge the ball as many times as he is old. If he succeeds, all the "out" players return to the field.
"Rubber bands"
The next game used to be perhaps the most iconic and popular. It's about the unique "rubber bands" .
The rules of the game were complex and simple at the same time. On the one hand, only 3-4 meters of underwear elastic were needed, and on the other hand, in the number of levels, exercises and nuances one could get confused as in the elastic band itself. Two players pulled the elastic band between themselves, and the third one jumped. The levels were from the minimum – at ankle height and, gradually, up to the neck, which was almost impossible. At each level, you need to perform certain exercises – bows, crosses, butterflies, scissors and so on.
"Cossack robbers"
The most adventurous, exciting and long-lasting game can be safely called "Cossack Robbers".
"Cossack Robbers" combines both tag and hide-and-seek, and even resembles modern escape rooms, although, according to some sources, they originated in the 16th century, when it was the Cossacks who protected civilians from robber attacks.
The rules of the game are different everywhere and are often very simplified. Only one thing does not change - the players are divided into two teams - respectively, into "Cossacks" and "robbers". "Otamans" are chosen and the "battlefield" is discussed. The Cossacks choose a headquarters, and the robbers come up with passwords - one is correct, the others are incorrect.
The robbers' task: to capture the Cossack headquarters. The Cossacks' task: to catch all the robbers and "ask" for the correct password.
At the signal, the robbers run away and hide, leaving arrows on the asphalt so that the Cossacks have clues where to look for them. At this time, the Cossacks set up a “dungeon” and come up with ways to “torture” the prisoners (tickle, scare with insects, “sting” with nettles, etc.). After a while, the Cossacks go in search of the robbers. If they succeed, they put the robber in a “dungeon”, from where he has no right to escape. The robbers, in turn, try to get to the “headquarters” and capture him.
"Potato"
"Potato" is another popular ball game. Its essence is as follows: players stand in a circle and throw a "hot potato" (ball) over each other, which must be hit. If someone catches the ball and does not hit the ball in time, he sits down at the "pot" (center of the circle). Sitting in the "pot" you can try to catch the ball flying above you, but you cannot get up completely. If the player from the "pot" managed to catch the ball, he frees himself and the other prisoners, and the player who unsuccessfully threw the "potato" takes their place.
In addition to these listed multinational games, we should not forget about the originally Ukrainian ones - such as gilka, shvayka and skrakli . These are no less exciting and active outdoor games, so we will talk about them in detail.
"Rounders"
"Gilka" is an incredibly mobile ancient Ukrainian game.
For this game, you will need a stick, like a bat, 3-5 cm thick and a textile ball with a diameter of 6-8 cm. The playing field is quite large - 70-100 x 35-70 meters.
"Gilka" is quite similar to baseball. The player with the bat stands behind the field and hits the ball into the field, where the opponent must catch the ball on the fly. Then they switch. The highest skill is considered to be the ability to direct the ball to the sector of the field farthest from the player, thereby making it almost impossible to catch it. You can play with two people, but the more people, the more exciting and interesting it is.
This game is great for developing teamwork skills, reaction speed, and agility. And for kids, you can use a board or badminton racket instead of a bat.
"Scrackles"
"Skrakli" is also a sports game, similar in principle to "Gorodki". The essence of the game is that players use wooden sticks to knock "skrakli" (skeet pins) out of the designated spot.
The scrunchies should be 12 cm long and 3 cm in diameter. You will need 10 of them, but you can prepare spare ones. And you will need at least 4 sticks-"buks". Their length should be 80 cm, and the diameter is also 3 cm. For the game, choose a free area of 3x15 m. Draw 2 squares of 60x80 cm, the distance between which is about 6 meters, and draw a line in the middle.
The first figure, made of crackers, is knocked out from 6 meters, the next ones from three.
The shapes are named very colorfully: fence, gate, well, well with pump, grandmother in the window, cannon, sausage, Strasbourg sausage.
"Awl"
And the last on our list is the little-known game “Shvayka”. This is also an old Ukrainian game, the essence of which was to throw a large thick nail into a ring lying on the ground. Due to the small diameter of the ring and, conversely, a large nail, it was interesting to play, because the tool had to be used to nail the ring to the ground. Such a game, of course, is for the ground, not the asphalted urban jungle. Sticking a nail into the ground is considered one hit, sticking it inside is three hits. And the one who missed serves the nail to the players until someone new replaces it. The winner drives the nail as deep into the ground as possible, and the one who lost is “pulling the radish” – trying to pull out the nail, sometimes even with his teeth.
Of course, we don't advise you to pull out any nails with your teeth. But diversifying children's leisure time is definitely worth it. After all, it is precisely the moments of such games that our children will be able to remember when they grow up.
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