[BRB]

Hi, this is a question for parents who's child/children watch 1 hour or less TV a day. What do you do to fill your days?
DS is 26 months old and although I have no issues with him watching TV I feel like I've started to allow him to watch too much. He is an early riser and usually will watch 45 min in the morning, maybe 45 min throughout the day (10 min here 10 min there) and about an hour at night. I'd like to try to reduce it but am stuck for what to do with him all day. He isn't the sort of child who will go play on his own. I also work from home so sometimes TV allows me to make a call or return an email.
I set up activities like play doh, painting or sensory table but it seems to entertain for such a short period - takes longer to set up and clean up!
I'd love to hear how parents fill their days

[chickendrumstick]

Without wanting to sound preachy, I think that to a degree tv and other screen technologies teach kids to have a short attention span. If you spend time with him doing other activities he will develop the ability to focus longer and play more imaginatively and independently.
Reading books, building with blocks and playing with cars/trucks, pretend play such as cooking etc are all great for these types of things as you can do them together and they encourage imaginative play.

[Pooks*potters]

You don't need to set up activities. Just put him in a space with some things. A ball, some maracas, whatever. Let him make his own fun. He is capable. Just leave the tv off and see what happens.

Is there a park nearby? Take him and let him play with the other kids. You could bring a book, or the supermarket catalogues and write out your meal plan and shopping list for the week, or your smart phone and do your banking (and surf EB...) while he plays.

Are there playgroups or indoor activity centres?

Can he help you with whatever you are doing? Passing you pegs, or pressing the buttons on the washing machine? Can he "help" fold washing? While you are cooking, can you give him a bunch of plastic stuff so he can pretend cook with you? Can he have a broom to push around to "help" sweep while you vacc?

Can you go for walks together? The library?

HTH

[Roobear]

DD 24 months watches no TV. We go out somewhere most days. At home her favourite activities at the moment are water play ... she has a water table or I just give her a few containers full of water and cooking. So I get her to help with lunch, dinner and if I am baking anything. She loves playing with the dog and her baby brother but that obviously has to be pretty well supervised! I do encourage her to play independently and will tell her to go into her toy room and pick a toy to play with. If we didn't go out everyday though I would struggle entertaining her at home all day though.

[JBaby]

Hi OP. DD is 22m and watches maybe 30 minutes of TV a week and tbh I do struggle sometimes with how to fill the day.

We do an "activity" most days eg playgroup, swimming, playdates so things like that are good as they tend to take up a whole morning or a whole afternoon.

DD isn't particularly good at independent play either so we do a lot of what another pp suggested and she "helps" me do things eg putting washing in the machine, sweeping etc.

When we are home we read books, draw and sing songs but tbh I get bored of those quickly so we go out a lot. I'd personally rather be out taking 3 times longer than necessary to do errands than be at home trying to entertain a toddler. So if we have nothing planned for a day we might walk to the shops, have a walk around (this takes forever with a toddler!), have some lunch, go to the post office etc.

This post has been edited by JBaby: 03/02/2013, 10:46 PM

[bjk76]

DS is 22mo and doesn't watch any TV. I'm at home with him full time. When he was younger, he'd play happily with his toys, which are separated into 3 boxes and which I rotate so that only one box is out, once he gets sick of that box. We still do this to some extent, but he is less interested in his toys now.

I always have out:

- crayons and paper, on a little table for him
- balls (which he is obsessed with)
- flashcards with letters on them, as he is currently very interested in learning the different sounds that letters make and is always sounding letters he sees around the place. He loves saying 'M...Mum, D...Dadda' etc. while playing with his flashcards.

Now he's down to one nap, I make sure we have one activity together in the morning and one in the afternoon. This may be a scheduled activity eg. music, playgroup, kindergym, or just running errand. After dinner we go as a family to the park for a play/kick of the ball.

DS is pretty good at independent play, as long as I spend time with him when he requests it.

I'm hoping to keep him away from the TV until he's 3, as I want him to be able to play independently and for him to be more physically active and for him not be nagging me to turn the TV on whenever he sees it.

[PureBliss]

I know my 2.5 year old watches a bit of tv. But she is a kid who is either going 100 miles an hour or stopped dead on the couch, with no speeds in between.

Dd will typically watch tv first thing in the morning, which suits while I get ready for the day, tidy the kitchen, put on a load of washing etc. we then head out, to one of her activities, shopping, play date etc.

If it is on in the afternoon she is usually dancing to it, so I figure that is exercise! She loves watching ballet and copying it. No tv in the playroom and she spends most of her time outside. She is at cc 3 days a week which is completely tv free so if she chills out in front of it at home, I am ok with that.

This post has been edited by PureBliss: 03/02/2013, 11:01 PM

[lozoodle]

At the moment I'm working full time, and am at the end of pregnancy so the TV viewing is pretty constant in my house!

But in normal circumstances I usually take the kids out for a walk first thing in the morning, which involves a play at the park and then we go home for morning tea and then nap time, or we'll meet up with friends or something else. Then after nap its lunch time and then in the afternoon its whatever we have on that day - I might go shopping or whatever is needed, kids out to play on the trampoline, craft, get them involved in helping me cook. There is no set structure, we just go out a lot

[BeYOUtiful]

Most days we go out. Or when home he plays with books, cars, trucks, balls, guitar, dress up capes (I made), playdough and some stamps.
The park or our swing set/cars/golf set outside.

I have also made some alphabet letters and animals and stuck them to some felt. He loves those.

He does watch some tv - playschool or toybox.

[Pup-pup]

Do you have things like a little cubby or sandpit? These activities keep my daughters amused. We also have a little slide that they enjoy.
Then they do colouring-in. I often put them in the high chair for this so I don't have to supervise as closely. Or can cook etc whilst they are busy.
They might play with water, like watering plants etc whilst I hang washing out.
We do plenty of other things, like reading, craft, bikes, but these are more hands on and I actively play with them rather than being activities that allow me to get chores done.
Oh and we watch tv too and my 3 year old has a very good attention span for other activities, so as long as they are not sitting idle glued to it all day I don't have a problem.