technology

Tech Timeout

By in Play 21 Comments Tags: ,

As I have mentioned before on the blog, although I do love technology and see the benefits of it when used in moderation, I do feel its really important to take a tech time out now and again. It is great to spend time together as a family away from all the screens – with the TV turned off, laptops and phones away and just spend some quality time enjoying the simpler things in life!

TTOFacebookI was glad to be selected to take part in a Tech Timeout™ challenge with Foresters. From Friday to Monday, we pledged to spend one hour each day disconnected from all things electrical, with the aim of building better and stronger family bonds. One hour a day is not really long at all, but having made a pledge and knowing you need to account for your time makes it easier for parents to be more aware of screen time in the family. It can be easy to think of spending just 5 more minutes on Facebook (which drags on to 10.. and so on!) when we could be doing something much more worthwhile.

I didn’t find it too hard to find things to do to keep us all entertained without technology. An easy favourite with the boys is to spend time out in the garden. So rather than letting them come in from school on Friday and relax with the television or playing games on their tablets, we went straight into the garden and they spent more than an hour running around, playing with their cars and bikes and on their climbing equipment. Meanwhile I chat to them and join in some of their games.

bikesOn Saturday there was a live football cup final to go to! That made it easy to spend hours away from the TV and computer, and this was great quality time for Mr Z and his dad.

danonecupOn Sunday we took time to spend with relatives.

Forester’s have prepared a pledge form for any families who wish to make the same commitment to just one hour techtime out quality time each day. Do you want to join?

TechTimeoutPledgeFormAnd if you are stuck for ideas on what to do to keep yourselves entertained without the trusty technology, then they have prepared a great list of 50 ideas too! Click the image below to get the list bigger.

50ThingsToDoWhich idea appeals to you the most? Let me know in the comments.

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Could technology mean game over for family time on holiday?

By in Days Out & Holidays 1 Comment Tags:

villa-plus-1325606462Is technology taking over from quality family time on family holidays? A new survey has revealed that Children using technology on holiday could indeed be distracted from quality family time.

Parents surveyed in a recent poll have revealed that technology dominates their children’s holidays. Fifteen per cent of parents with children aged 18 or under who used IT devices on their last family holiday said, on average, their children used the technology for 3 hours or more every day!

To me, this is crazy! While I do understand the benefits of technology and my kids do love playing on tablets – to me, family holidays are a time to switch off from spending too much time on that and enjoy each other’s company and get out and about exploring new areas and making new memories while enjoying some family time on holiday.

Teenagers aged between 15 and 18 were found to be particularly devoted technology users, the data shows, with 62 per cent of parents with kids in this age group revealing they use a smartphone while on holiday. Parents of 15 to 18 year olds were also most likely to have a child who uses a laptop whilst on holiday (21%). I can understand this more than with younger children although I do hope that when the boys grow up they would still like to spend time with us rather than focusing only on their laptops.

I did really enjoy the fact that on our summer break this year, we didn’t have too much time spend on technology at all. I decided not to bring the laptop with us, and although we have our iPhones so we can stay in contact with others, we didn’t spend hours playing on our phones.

Simon Lifford, Head of Sales & UK Operations at Villa Plus, also had his say on the trend of using technology on holiday:

“For some families, discouraging children from using games consoles, smartphones and the like too often is an important concern while on holiday, and I can see why families who have spent any amount on getting away may be disappointed that their children wish to do so.

However, staying in an inspiring space with plenty of room to enjoy family activities is sure to make it easier to give children other ways to fill their time. Villa accommodation typically includes a private pool, BBQ and pool table, so kids may not feel they want to use their gadgets as often as they would when confined to a single hotel room.

Of course, some families embrace devices that allow children to stay connected, both to friends and information, and they view games consoles as a valuable means of family bonding. In holiday accommodation with several rooms and fun facilities, families will have the space to use the technology they want with the opportunity to mix things up with some outdoor activities and traditional family activities, too.”

Villa Plus have created a Holiday Game Guide to help you out if you are lacking in ideas! This has been produced together with expert bloggers who offer their top tips for keeping children entertained on holiday, without breaking the bank. You can download the full guide as a pdf.

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