GRAND Magazine- Winter 2020 - 14

tech and kids
electronic devices at home or put away during
the extent of the visit.
2. Provide alternatives
Now that you've established screen time
guidelines, make sure you have alternative activities on hand to engage your grandchild. Not
every activity is going to capture their attention,
so it's best to have a menu of choices available.
Remember, for your grandchild, discovering that
other activities can be fun is going to take some
doing. For them, fun has been narrowly defined
by a tiny LCD screen. Show them that there's a
universe of fun available to them.
3. Engage with them
Be sure to be a participant in whatever activity
you engage them with. You can't expect to set a
child in the corner with a toy and say, "go play," and
expect it to take hold. Make companionship and
co-discovery part of the fun experience. This will
help them learn how exciting and rewarding interacting with others, face-to-face can be.
4. Lead by example
Be mindful of your own interactions with technology when in your grandchild's presence.

sleeping under the stars and having to stop the car in
front of a giant moose - much to the puzzlement of
the aunt they're travelling to visit who wonders aloud,
during the ad's voiceover, why they didn't just simply
fly. It's just those kinds of active and stimulating activities you have to provide your grandchildren that'll
make watching a four-inch screen seem much less
inviting.

Make sure the time you spend
with your grandchildren is
quality time that both of you
will remember for years to come.

I should come clean here and admit my concern
at seeing my own granddaughter's embrace of a
mobile device inspired me to start a non-profit
that promotes taking journeys of discovery in
a tech-free environment. For sure, the foundation's focus is on young people who are soon to
become parents and not grandchildren per-se,
but I've found many of the strategies we use
apply to anyone, of any age, who seeks to take a
break from technology.
From the positive feedback we've had during
our experiences, here are some tips for making
sure you're not the grandparent who falls into
the trap of spoiling children with too much
screen time.
1. Get buy-in from the parents
Let your parenting child know about your concerns
about the effect screen time can have on developing
14 GRAND

JAN., FEB. & MAR. 2020

Click here to continue reading

minds. Agree upon an allowed amount of screen time
your grandchild can expect while under your auspices
or better yet, see if you can get them to leave any

Marygrace Sexton is Founder of A-GAP, a 501(c)
foundation that takes participants seeking to break
from technology on a journey to clarity, unity &
simplicity in a technology-free environment. She is
also founder and CEO of Natalie's Orchid Island Juice
Company, an authentic juice company headquartered in Fort Pierce, Florida.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0994809700/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0994809700&linkId=c0cf2342749a51234e00421ef2df453e https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003B6QYSW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B003B6QYSW&linkId=74a78ba0a510c9871c2e38f745d59213 https://www.grandmagazine.com/2020/01/5-tips-to-help-your-grandkids-value-face-time-over-screen-time/ http://www.agap.life/

GRAND Magazine- Winter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine- Winter 2020