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The school holidays are almost here. And some parents want to ensure that their kids take a break from digital technology.
At least for a little while!
Did you know? According to a survey of more than 1,000 people this year, Sprout Social found that 45% of consumers have taken a ‘social media detox’ in the past six months, and 51% plan to do so in the next six months.
Families can run a mini "digital detox" program at home by organising fun non-screen activities.
Families can easily have a "digital detox" at home by renting a laser tag set.
Depending on how many kids you have at your place you could book a laser tag set where 8 people play at once.
Hosting a big group? You can also rent larger sets.
Playing laser tag in your backyard or a local park promotes healthy and active exercise. But unlike a lot of detox alternatives, kids LOVE it.
Think of it as a digital detox challenge!
They will spend hours tagging each other in the backyard!
With digital detox, the emphasis is on having fun.
Interested in how to get the kids away from their screens? (At least for a little while!) Do you want to get them out and active?
Here are some helpful tips on how to do a digital detox during the school holidays.
Many kids nowadays are enticed by digital entertainment, spending much of their day interacting with on-screen games. There are endless options, ranging from smartphones and tablets to portable gaming devices and gaming consoles.
By renting a laser tag set for playing at home kids can play their favourite virtual games in real life.
When playing laser tag kids use their eyes to spot their opponents and help them focus on long distances. And kids use their bodies to run around to tag the opposition and avoid getting tagged.
Because laser tag is a team game, the children must work together and communicate to win the game.
So kids also use their minds to strategise together to win their game.
Kids can use their imagination to create a fantastic gaming maze in their backyard. The Cubby House becomes a base camp for one team.
Or get some old cardboard boxes from your local hardware store and paint them up to create your battlefield.
Or rent some camouflage nets and drape them over your laundry hoist.
Equipment from Laser Tag in a Box can be used day or night, indoors or outdoors.
This sounds too easy, right?
But getting out of the house and walking to the local park is an active and easy way to get outdoors and get active without breaking the budget.
Or if you don't have a local park that's handy to your place, most cities have Botanical Gardens you can visit. In Melbourne, the Ron Barassi Senior Park has a super-playground. In Sydney the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is huge.
While not the biggest, my favourite Brisbane park is Sherwood Arboretum (formerly known as Sherwood Forest Park). It is a pretty park, as it skirts the Brisbane River. Adelaide has many wonderful parks. Helicopter Park in North Adelaide is one of the coolest.
Because, not surprisingly, there is a Helicopter!
Like nature?
Try out Variety Place Kings Park in Perth. These options (and those like them) are designed to make adventure come to life. Going to these kinds of parks can be new and exciting, which is just what you want when looking for things to do for a digital detox.
What's your favourite park in your town? Let us know!
Tip #2 - Turn Your Backyard Into A Fun Maze
Depending on how many kids you have at your place you could book a laser tag set for 8 players or 12 players, or even more.
Playing laser tag in your backyard or a local park promotes healthy and active exercise and emphasises having fun.
Give this school vacation a bit of difference - play a live-action video game at home.
The kids can play video games in real life. IRL to us parents! Think: "Fortnite for Real."
When playing laser tag the kids use their eyes to spot their opponents and help them focus on long distances.
They use their ears to listen out for where the opposition is hiding. After all, this is high-tech hide and seek.
The children use their bodies to run around to tag the other team and avoid getting tagged.
Because laser tag is a team game, the children must work together and communicate to win the game. With children spending so much time on their electronic devices, a day, a morning, or even an hour playing laser tag at home is a wonderful opportunity to step away from the screen. It's a chance to burn up some energy.
The kids also use their minds to strategize together to win their game.
If parents rent the laser tag set for Saturday then they get Sunday for free.
Ok, you might ask yourself "HOW TO DESIGN A NINJA WARRIOR COURSE AT HOME?"
Kids can use their imagination to create a fantastic ninja warrior course right in their backyard.
Now your children don't need to do 10 chin-ups in a row to have fun.
The Cubby House becomes a base camp for one team.
Rent some camouflage nets and drape them over your laundry hoist to create a base camp for the other team.
Collect some old cardboard boxes from your local Bunnings or hardware store and paint them up to create your ninja warrior course.
The kids will need to zigzag around the boxes in the fastest time.
Make an obstacle that the kids (and maybe even the Dads) need to crawl under.
Doing a "leopard crawl" is not as easy as it looks!
This video shows a "battlefield prop" that is fake barbed wire.
To create something similar at home you can hammer some stakes into the ground, then string them together with brightly coloured wool.
National guidelines on screen time for children recommend smartphones and tablets should be limited to a maximum one-hour shift for kids up to 5 years old.
For school-aged kids, the recommendation is no more than 2 hours of screen time per day.
The University of Wollongong Professor Tony Okely, who led the research for these guidelines, warned fast and quick transitions and flashing lights from screens could impact a child's brain development.
Alternative family activities like laser tag, walking, and ninja warrior games are fun. They will entertain the kids, away from their screens.
Especially on school holidays, kids have a lot of spare time. This could be your chance to enlist your family in fun team holiday activities.
With activities like Laser Tag hire and homemade obstacle courses, the fun can last as long as you want.
Running through an obstacle course, walking, and playing laser tag with friends or family help kids get out and active during the school vacation.
It is a fun digital detox.
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