If you don't allow any screen time whatsoever

Chayalle

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 1:28 pm

My girls did not have any screen time at that age. No computer games, no Uncle Moishy, nada. I never felt they missed anything. We had lots of different toys we rotated - like a Fisher Price dollhouse with lots of accessories, dolls with clothes, big sets of colorful blocks, interesting lego/duplo, and more.....(can you tell we are a girly family? But we have train tracks too....). I rotated these depending on their interest, and I also encouraged lots of playdates (yes, at my house) because somehow it's much more interesting to play with friends than just with your sister....

simba

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 1:52 pm

No screen time under my watch and never has been an option. My kids know nothing different so it's not a struggle with them. They play outside, inside and on my head. They fight and scream and complain they are bored. Pretty typical situation. I am not good at crafts and creativity so when it does happen it's a real treat!

kollel wife

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 1:55 pm

My oldest is 26 - there was no screen time when my kids were little!!! There were no screens!! (TV in our community we don't have.)

There were tapes - Marvelous Middos and Mitzvah tree - are very educational. Now there's Morah Music which I like, similarly, which is repetitive, and similar to stuff they might have in playgroup - kids enjoy the routine/repetition of davening songs - the same every morning, etc.

We had a Fisher Price tape recorder, and they could put the tapes in themselves (of course the baby would destroy the tapes... )

It is hard, entertaining kids it's always hard.

If you're not a crafts type, maybe you can cook or bake with them. Yes, a lot of mess, but try not to have a goal of what you want to cook/stock the freezer, but a goal of what they'll like to make or look forward to eating - eg challah, chocolate chip cookies.

Some of the magazines have examples of simple crafts or recipes you can make with your kids. They might be interested more when seeing the picture - eg Har Sinai Cake, green frog for the Maka of Frogs (it doesn't have to be in season necessarily)

If you make a simple lunch like pizza on pitta bread - it's an activity to put on the sauce and add the cheese - they can do it with you. Or after the macaroni is cooked adding sauce or butter or whatever you do.

Much hatzolocha and enjoy the busy and tiring years.

littleprincess

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 1:57 pm

My kids have no screen time, no game boy, computer games . They range from age 2 to 14 .
For the little ones I have story cds and they love listening to music . They also like to colour or make puzzles .
We have a lot of games and toys and keep on buying more . The trick is to put away certain toys for a few weeks and rotate .
Our next investment will be a toy kitchen.

The older ones get new books and we buy the weekly magazines .

They also play outside a lot and with neighbours.

studying_torah

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 2:41 pm

I dont know if you're ok with a library but some have books with tapes or cd's to listen to. Or just getting "new" books from a library can be fun.
Color wonder is great for mess free coloring.
Playdough sets with tools are amazing but messy.
You can also try garage sales or trading toys w relatives as a cheaper way to have "new" exciting toys for your kids.

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 2:59 pm

OP here
My issue is not that it's a struggle for the kids. It isn't because they don't really know better.
The struggle is for me when I'm around family members who do it all the time and I see how easy it is for the parents. What's the worst? When I hear family members discussing what an amazing mother, super woman so and so is and then I see whenever she needs a break she sticks her kids in front of a movie or gameboy. Duh shes a super woman. She has hours free every day even if her kids are not in camp.
Really appreciate the support and I must say I'm quite surprised at the amount of non screen timers on this site! Should start a s/o about who the ppl r that don't allow screen time.

thunderstorm

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 3:19 pm

amother wrote:

My kids don't have any screentime. They read, play indoors and outdoors, listen to CDs, play musical instruments, and listen to hotlines on the phone such as "Wonder Words".
They klutz too. But I never have to keep them busy. They do that in their own. Sometimes I have to ask them if they would be interested in doing a puzzle or play a game with me since I tend to get bored more than they do.
My sisters kids are literally glued to their screens and when Shabbos comes around they really struggle with unplugging because they have such a strong need for it .
When my kids visit my inlaws she allows them to watch DVDs and I hate it because they can literally sit for hours doing nothing but watch . So I stick to my no screen time shitah.

amother

Saddlebrown

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 3:25 pm

No watching in our house either! I'll admit that when we are at my parents or grandparents & they put something on, they'll watch.
There's so much to do besides for sitting in front of a screen. All kids complain they're bored, weather they watch or not. Watching to much can also be boring. Especially little kids under 4-5 I wouldn't allow it for development reasons.

flowerpower

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 3:32 pm

I am really impressed to see how many of you have a no screentime rule!!! Some people use it as a daily babysitter and it can seem pretty convenient.
What my kids keep busy is-
When my child comes home( preschooler) I let him choose a bin to bring down to the living room carpet. He can play with it a while. Then his siblings come home... he interacts with them. We have supper, clean up, and we play outside until it’s dark out.
Books are great. They can look at them for hours. I have a good few of those “look and find” books that keep them busy.
I also have an art closet. I buy cheap crafts, supplies, coloring and activity books. When they are bored I send them there for something.
Plah doh and perler beads are enemies of mine but my kids can play a while with them.
Water balloons is another great activity.

amother

Salmon

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 3:48 pm

amother wrote:

OP here
Wow thanks for all the responses. I was sure I would get bashed so thank u everyone!
Kids are 4 and under. They do entertain themselves pretty nicely for their ages. It's just the times when it would be the easy way out, like when I'm getting ready to go out or early in the morning or when we come back from an outing and I need a few minutes to myself....
They do listen to tapes all the time.
I think I'm on a low about it because right now I'm around ppl who do it often and it looks so easy so my convictions are dwindling. But my husband is helping me too.
Thanks again guys.

That's when I give them ices Wink

Rappel

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 4:04 pm

Just another voter: we're screen free too.

Summer is tough, because the kids can't explore in the heat of the day.

Some joys in our household:
Kiddie pool
Watermelon ice pops
Baking
Dress up (handy for when I'm getting ready)
Building
Cutting a salad (smashing toddler activity)
Toddlers love jobs generally, so sweeping, washing things down, or throwing things in the trash all make great entertainment.

trixx

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 8:12 pm

Not sure why you're feeling insecure about your parenting choice. Actually by banning screen time and allowing their little brains free reign to absorb the world around them, practice focus and concentration and be creative, YOU are being the better mom.

I'm strictly no-screen (nothing religious about it) with my toddler although ofc my dh always caves. Interestingly I find that any amount of screen time causes tantrums and bad behavior.

Supermom (who doesn't exist) raises super kids. Super kids aren't the ones with beautiful clothing and picture-worthy social media posts, they're the ones with confidence and creativity and the life-long skill of being able to entertain themselves.

rachel6543

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 8:39 pm

Very minimal screen time in my house too. My oldest does tons of reading, drawing, playing with legos, bike riding... etc.

My baby is 15-16 months now. She has a bucket of toys to plays with and is now obsessed with books too. She loves to sit on the floor reading/looking at book after book. She also loves going through the kitchen and getting into all my plastic bowls and containers. She’s also just getting interested in play animals.

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 8:43 pm

trixx wrote:

I'm not insecure about our decision at all. Just wavering because of the convenience of it....

lucky14

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 8:51 pm

amother wrote:

and I've seen plenty of times when the parents have tried to say "no, not now" and the child has a tantrum/fit/begging/gets angry. It's easy to do but not so easy to say no once you've started saying yes.

creditcards

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 9:12 pm

Frozen box drinks. They spend a lot of time scraping the ice with a plastic spoon.
They also play outside with their friends. My daughter likes to play daycamp and she makes arts n crafts. She thinks up of the arts n crafts. Uses spoons, plates, Scotch tape, paper. Plastic cups. Whatever she finds in the house. Pool. Children's CDs.
Sometimes when she is bored, I tell her it's late and she has to go to sleep already, she all of a sudden disappears and becomes busy with something. 😉

pause

Thu, Aug 02 2018, 9:23 pm

No screen time here either.

They play with legos, clics, dress-up, dollhouse, play-dough, bubbles, chalk, water paint, sticker books activities, beading cut-up straws onto a string to make a necklace. They play with neighbors or on their bikes outside. They also read books and kids magazines, go to the park, help me in the kitchen, help me with laundry, fight with siblings. I will take them to a different park, to the library, to visit family.