It’s time for Screen to Green

The world is a busy place to live and survive in. With the rapid advancement of technology and our ever increasing needs...wehave become so fast paced, that we tend to forget certain basic rules, that weas children followed or were made to follow by our parents. Going through theannals of nostalgia, we can remember that as children we all loved playingoutdoors: in parks, in courtyards, in gardens, in playgrounds. But today theconcept of outdoor play is quite minimalistic. This can be attributed to variousreasons like: nuclear and small family set up where, we as, working parentsdon't have the time to devote to our children. Moreover the cramping ofresidential areas and the lack of open spaces etc. are also attributes of lessoutdoor play in today's times. This has led us to expose our children totechnology through digital screens: mobiles, tablets, television etc. providingthem a sort of companionship.

There are many ways in which this generation’schildhood is different from that of our generation and the most significantdifference is seen in the amount of time children today spend indoors, unlikeus. And while they are indoors they are exposed to not too many indoor gamesbut only electronic devices. The WHO (World Health Organization) says thatchildren in the age group of (2-5) years should not spend more than an hourdaily facing a digital screen. However this is not the case as children spendmore than this prescribed time span on screen. 

But not only them, we as adults and parents alsoare quite addicted to screen and depend on it almost for everything. Thechildren are handed over these devices by us only. Though I am not saying thatdigital devices are not good but "too much of anything is alwaysharmful". As our children grow, we should keep in mind that too much screentime has been linked to a lot of issues which the children might face in lifehenceforth, like:

1) Obesity/being overweight

2) Developmental issues

3) Irregular sleep schedules/ shorter duration ofsleep

4) Problems in behaviour

5) Lack of social skills or socialisation and muchmore. 

According to experts, to make children avoidexcessive use of screens and urging them to play outside isn't always an easytask, but the benefits of spending time outdoors are worth all the efforts.Here, we as parents have very important responsibilities to follow. 

We have to convince our children that it'sfine to get dirty and messy sometimes while playing outdoors. Playing inthe sunlight is also a natural way to build up vitamin D in the body, whichleads to stronger bones and prevention of a number of diseases. 

Whenever time permits us, we as parents shouldorganize an outdoor play date. We can invite friends, relatives, neighbours,people with whom our children are comfortable and take them to a park or aplayground. We can see how our children socialise and cooperate in this socialsetup.

We should go for regular walks, runs, or bicyclerides as a family in a natural set up. Children can also do nature walks, playwith the leaves, sand and mud. They can play in the beach, do jumping, hopping,climbing and running. It improves their agility and motor skills. Playing innature infuses creative imagination in children. We, as family, can also dogardening and show the children how to plant trees and flowers and explain themthe whole process including sowing, planting and watering. 

Every holiday should be utilised to the maximum. Weshould make a wish list to explore new areas of our city/ town as a family: tovisit as many different parks and playgrounds we can and ask the children topick their favourite one amongst them so that we can take them thereagain. But it is not that easy to unglue the children from screencompletely, so if this is the case, we can set a fixed timer for the maximumamount of screen time they should see in a day and we must keep in mind that itshould not exceed the limits. It will be difficult in the beginning buteventually the children will also accept.