Balancing green time with screen time
Introduction
Motivate your kids to get outside. Here's an easy and fun way to keep track of how much time your kids are spending outdoors versus indoors, watching TV or on the computer.
Watching kokako at the Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre
Green time is free, on your doorstep and the most fun kids can have.
Let’s make sure our kids get outside and enjoy the outdoor games we used to play!
Motivate your kids to get outside
How it works:
- Download the 'Balance Green Time with Screen Time' template (PDF, 454K)
- Print it out and put it on your fridge.
- Get the family together and agree on a family treat – something simple like a family bike ride, a trip to the beach or their favourite meal – and write it down in the space provided on the flyer.
- Select a length of time that works for the age of your kids – we suggest one hour.
- Now, every day your children spend at least an hour outdoors in ‘green time’ they should colour in one of the native animals on the left.
- Each time your children spend an hour indoors in ’screen time’ they should colour in one of the screens on the right.
The aim: To colour in all of the ‘green time’ animals before all of the ‘screen time’ screens are coloured in.
- Green time can be spent at your local park or simply in your backyard, playing in the sand, climbing a tree or making a mud pie.
- Screen time includes time spent on the computer, watching TV or movies.
The prize: if all of the ‘green time’ animals are coloured in first then the prize is the family treat you agreed upon earlier in the week!
Green time can help your childrens cognitive, emotional and physical development
Ideas for fun outdoor activities
Green time is free, on your doorstep and the most fun kids can have.
- Build a wētā motel
- Make a pine cone bird feeder
- Take a garden insect census
- Track down your garden pests
- Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt.
For resources on these activities and more, see Get outdoors.
Why is green time so important
The number one reason why children should make the move from the screen to the outdoors is that it’s loads of fun. Plus you and your kids will be happier and healthier, doing things together.
Getting the balance right between green time and screen time is also important for your kids’ health. There is a growing body of research showing the positive effects of unstructured outdoor play on our children’s lives.
It can help their cognitive, emotional and physical development and ensure they build resilience and imagination that are so important for a fulfilling life.