Parenting 101: Are Your Kids Getting Too Much Screen Time? 10 Ways to Get Your Screen Zombie Moving

Sometimes you wonder if your kids are turning into a bad remake of “Night of the Living Dead” with all the hours spent staring blankly at the television, computer or the latest gaming device?

Parents are right to be concerned as schools continue cutting gym time and children spend more and more of their leisure time in front of screens. It’s not only the amount of screen time that is harmful to kids, but the lack of active play.

10 Ways to Get Your Screen Zombie Moving

#1: Set blackout periods – Designate specific times of the day or week as blackout time. That means no electricity for machines, except for lights. When given the opportunity (or lack of electronic distractions), children will find physically active things to do. Even more so if you send them outside.

#2: Get children involved in volunteering – Start volunteering as a family. Many family volunteer jobs include physical activity, whether it’s at the local food bank, shoveling the neighbor’s walk, or cleaning up the pathways or riverbanks. If your kids are teenagers, there are also many paid jobs that also involve lifting, moving and carrying.

#3: Do it with them – Set the example and get moving yourself. Most children will get involved if Mom or Dad does it too. Invite your child for a bike ride, rollerblade excursion, or time at the basketball net. Driving them to the swimming pool and then texting your Blackberry in the viewing area sends them the wrong message. Get in the pool too! Besides, most parents could use a little more activity in their lives.

#4: Refuse to drive – Stop acting as the chauffeur and when children need to get somewhere, encourage them to bike their ride, rollerblade, scooter, skateboard or take the bus. Even when children access the bus system, they still expand energy walking (or running if they are late) to and from the bus stop.

#5: Plan friend and family activity dates – Rather than meeting friends or family members at a restaurant, plan a sport or physical activity for a “play date”. Simply changing the venue dramatically changes the activity level.

#6: Play active games – Turn screen time into active playtime by adding the active game accessories such as video game dance mats or the latest get-fit sports games. Establish a family fund for outside sports equipment instead of sedentary video games. By putting your money where your values are, your children will see that physical activity is important.

#7: Picnic, camp, or hike – Get outdoors and the physical activity will happen. Bring frisbees, balls, bikes and other sports equipment.

#8: Swim – Instead of defaulting to basement time, drop your kids off at the local pool for the afternoon with their friends. If your kids are younger, book them into organized lessons or make it a mommy and me activity.

#9: Start a “walking school bus” – If you are walking your kids to school, offer to walk the neighborhood children and turn it into a walking school bus. Parents could rotate turns.

#10: Start a “playground swap” – Start a playground swap where parents take turn supervising at the neighborhood playground after dinner. Designate a place and time for all the participating children to meet and one or two adults will walk all the kids to the playground and return back to the meeting spot at a designated time.

Staying physically fit doesn’t have to be a big effort. Ten minutes here and fifteen minutes there all add up. Build small amounts of activity in every day and your whole family will notice the difference.