A great goal for the week of April 18-24, 2011: Turn off your TV (and computers, single player electronic games, and cell phones?) and spend some quality time with your family.
To maximize the potential for a successful experience parents are encouraged to plan ahead a little. Otherwise it may be difficult not to give in when children demand to turn on the TV or other electronic devices. Here are a few basic items to have on hand.
Board games appropriate for the ages of your children. For younger children Chutes and Ladders and Candyland come to mind. Some classics for older children and their parents include Monopoly, Parcheesi, Clue, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, and Scrabble.
Other table games for all ages include Dominoes, and card games such as Old Maid, Uno, Rook, and a wide variety of card games that use one or two standard decks of playing cards. If you don’t remember the rules, look them up online.
Jugsaw puzzles are another activity that families can enjoy doing together. They are inexpensive to buy and come in all sizes and levels of difficulty. I have a number of puzzles that I’ve put together many times and still enjoy working them again.
Make an intentional effort to stimulate conversation on a variety of topics – really connect with your family. Think ahead of things your family might like to discuss – one possibility might be to brainstorm on what they would like to do on an upcoming holiday such as the Fourth of July.
Plan a family talent show. Invite the neighbors and make it a neighborhood talent show and cookout. Of course, cell phones and electronic game toys must be banned from the event.
Choose a good children’s novel to read aloud as a family. Divide the number of chapters over the seven day week and read some each day.
I have begun writing activities that I will post each day the week of April 11-17. This will allow for time to plan ahead as well as to avoid tempting anyone to look at their computers for more ideas and risk getting sidetracked between April 18-24.
TV Turnoff Week
Turnoff Week
Screen-Free Week (I hope you get a clean Wikipedia article – it was good when I read it.)
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