Are Smart Toys REALLY Smart?

When we were kids, my brother and cousins and I spent HOURS, literal HOURS, playing outside.  We played tag and flashlight tag.  We played Cops and Robbers.  (Side note:  even though my kids know this game, I can't even let them play it in public for fear of being labeled as "Violent" children!)  We played baseball (that never fared well for my brother; he had an eye for bees' nests!).  We would pick flowers and mix “potions”; we picked apples from our grandmothers’ trees and fed the cows.  We (and by “we,” I mean everyone that knew how, not including me!) would ride bikes.  We spent entire snow days outside, building snowmen, throwing snowballs and sledding down our grandmothers’ deck stairs!  We would play in the cornfields and woods.  We spent so much time OUTSIDE that when we would finally come inside, we would all just crash!

Somewhere along the line, things changed.  Kids today spend hours in front of screens.  TV screens.  Video game screens.  E-reader screens.  Computer screens.  Watch screens.  Phone screens.  Toy screens.  It seems that almost every “hot ticket” toy on the market today has some sort of screen.  Heck, even reading has gained a screen! 

What ever happened to cracking open a good book?  What happened to tag?  Do kids today even know what mud feels like, squished between their bare toes?  Could our kids ever find their way about in the woods?  Are their bodies capable of climbing a tree?

The question, now, is how can we combat this screen- embracing generation of play?

One easy way is to get them outside!

Not only is the fresh air good for them, but studies have proven major health benefits that come from being outside.  Did you know being outside benefits you because:

*You soak up good, ol’ Vitamin D, shown to help prevent Diabetes, MS, Heart Disease, even Cancer

*Better eye health!  Being in front of a screen can cause “Computer Vision” and artificial lights can cause nearsightedness

*Circadian (sun) rhythms = better sleep!  Get out in the sun, the natural light cues can help reset your internal “clock”

*Clean, fresh air…need I say more?

*Earthing, absorbing naturally occurring electrons from the earth, done by putting bare feet to earth, helps you feel more energized and “grounded,” go figure!

*Exercise.  Get outside.  Run.  Jump.  Skip.  Frolic.  Climb.  Do something.

*Psychological help.  Can you be really angry when you are staring at God’s marvelous creation?  After my Grandmother passed, we headed straight to the beach.  I needed to feel overwhelmed by something greater than my grief.  What is any bigger than His Ocean?  Breathe deep.

Notes above on health benefits from: http://appalachiantrials.com/scientifically-supported-reasons-get-outside/

It is sad to think…Kids today don’t even know the lost art of Red Rover or Clean Out Your Own Backyard!

Besides being locked up, indoors, in front of a screen, there is something else to be said for children today.  They don’t know how to play.

In a single day, I cannot tell you how many photos I see on Facebook of children... sitting in front of screens.  Some people are showing us their INFANTS in front of the screens.  Why does a baby need to watch TV?  This is a learned behavior.  Kids do not come into this world thinking, “Gee, I’d really love to watch some Sesame Street before I learn to roll over.” Often times, we plop our kids in front of a screen because it is the easiest way to find 5 minutes to get anything accomplished.  I am guilty of this, too.  When you have not showered in 2 days and the laundry is so piled up, we need a few minutes to get things done.  But, when did we decide that the TV was a babysitter?  When did we decide that the TV was better for our kids than teaching them to occupy themselves?  We are setting our kids up for failure.  They need not always be entertained. 

Kids today do not know how to play.  They have a constant need for our attention, approval, help, guidance, assistance.  When did we start thinking for our kids?  They are innately smart and independent.  They are each born with talents and gifts from God.  They may not all thrive at exactly the same things.  One child may be a gifted reader that thoroughly enjoys succumbing to another world within those pages.  Another child may find great pleasure in building with blocks and Legos, dreaming up big cities with towers and bridges.  Certain children find release in art, creating the next Mona Lisa.  Given the chance, kids can find their own joy.  We can give our children that gift by stepping back.  Allow free play and open access to materials.  We can, in turn, give ourselves a 10 minute, uninterrupted shower!

We need to give our kids the freedom to learn through play, to make mistakes, to make messes, to figure out solutions on their own.  We need not always jump right in.  “Well, Mommy, I don’t know how to…” or “But, Mommy, what should I…”  Given the time and opportunity, (Supervised, yes.  Led, no.) those statements can turn into “Mommy, look what I did!” and “Mommy, I figured it out!”

These are valuable life lessons that we need to start instilling in our children early on.  There will not always be someone there to figure it out for you.  There will not always be someone there to fix it for you.  You are all thinking, “But I am their mom!  Of course I will always be there!”  But, one day, you may not.  We are never guaranteed a single day more upon this earth with our precious babes.  How can we help them today to prepare them for a day in the future when we may not be there to help?

The next time you think you need to step in and show your kids how to build that fort or which art supplies are best, STOP.  Take a breath.  They may just surprise you.  After all, you would not want to interrupt DaVinci’s next master piece, now would you?