Do you know how much time you spend looking at screens? If not then check your screen time from the following table:
|
Age/Years |
Hour/Day |
|
0-2 |
1 |
|
2-4 |
2 |
|
8-10 |
High Exposure |
|
8-12 |
5.5 |
|
13-19 |
7.5 |
|
16-64 |
6.58 |
|
65+ |
5.2 |
Do you know how many times you check your phone every day? It is 58 times. The data doesn’t end here. It further highlights the increasing use of phones among teens. Almost 70% of teenagers (12-18) interviewed admitted to using their phones within 30 minutes of bedtime. The data indicates a growing trend in screen usage, especially among teens. It is a harmful trend.
Why is The Average Screen Time Increasing?
The easy availability of digital devices and their suitability for working, learning, and meeting people online have created a new social media. It is the digital version of society and social relations, including family. People shop online, communicate through messaging apps, and stay connected to their near and dears through social media networks.
While digital media is the need of the hour, people should be aware of its negative effects
1. Physical Health Risks
· Eye strain (myopia in children)
· Neck/shoulder pain
· Poor diet
· Obesity
· Immobility
2. Mental Health Concerns
· Screen addiction
· Depression
· Anxiety
· Sleeplessness
3. Developmental Delays
· Reduced personal interaction
· Slow brain development
· Language problems
· Delayed early literacy
What is The Solution to The Growing Menace of Screens?
In this tech-driven world, people need to live with technology. Instead of becoming a slave to digital media, they need to learn ways to control their craving for digital content. You need to return to normal and use the screen only when it is needed the most.
Children are the most vulnerable to digital content. They consume more digital content than needed. Not only is the unnecessary use of screens affecting their physical and mental development, but it is also reducing their overall quality of life. They feel lonely, frustrated, and act violently. They need a refreshing change. They need their traditional toys and real companions, such as grandparents, parents, and siblings.
How are Family Board Games for Kids & Adults Helping People Reduce their Screen Time
In earlier times, people used to gather around board games to play, enjoy, interact, and have a good time. Let’s quickly have a look at popular board games.
· Carom: A multiplayer tabletop game involving flicking discs into pockets.
· Snakes & Ladders: A traditional Indian multiplayer dice game.
· Ludo: A classic dice-based race game for all ages.
· Chess: A strategic game based on conventional warfare.
· Vyapaar: A trading game, especially for kids.
These games are still relevant. The good thing is that they are most entertaining when played in real, digital versions of the games are available, though.
Factors that Bring People Around Wooden Family Board Games
Board games are fast reclaiming their lost charm and attention. It is proven that nothing entertains the human mind more than board games. They are for all ages and can be played anytime, anywhere. However, the biggest charm is that they never feel monotonous or exhausting. Enthusiastic players can be seen playing their favorite games for hours at picnics and holidays.
1. Nostalgia for Traditional Games
The time has come for parents to recall their golden days when they used to play carom, chess, and other games with their family members, friends, and siblings. They need to bring out their family board games for kids & adults from the storerooms. New parents can buy wooden games for screen-free entertainment at home. They have to take the first step towards creating a screen-free environment at home.
2. Encourage Family Bonding
Grandpas can surprise their grandchildren with their carom skills, chess strategies, or poker hands. Similarly, children can show their gaming skills and win accolades. Parents can feel proud of their children playing board games like champions. Indoor gaming with family members strengthens familial bonds. Games bring the entire family in one place for gaming, entertaining, and discussing family matters in a relaxed environment. The good thing is that everyone enjoys this screen-free time.
3. Support Cognitive Development in Children
Children learn the rules of wooden family board games from their seniors. They also develop skills to pocket maximum dices in carom, make winning strategies in chess, and create winning hands in poker. In this way, gaming becomes a learning activity, helping children in:
· Problem solving
· Creative thinking
· Decision making
· Memory boosting
· Concentration building
· Logical reasoning
An hour of board games reduces screen time by an hour and also develops motor and cognitive skills.
5. Enhance Social Skills
Playing board games involves following rules and maintaining discipline. There is an impartial referee in each game, and they can be any senior member of the family or the most senior player. Children play under parental guidance and develop the following skills:
· Waiting patiently for their turns
· Following the rules of the game
· Communicating with fellow players
· Accepting the outcome (victory/defeat) gracefully
· Learning from mistakes
Children learn to be patient and wait for the right time. They follow rules instead of emotions.
6. Promote Healthy Competition
Family board games for kids & adults promote healthy competition. Board games provide everyone with equal opportunities to learn and grow. Children see their parents as role models and try to outperform them in games. It excites them to the point that they forget about their mobiles or social media messages. They can even invite their friends or cousins for board games competitions. Healthy competition develops healthy relations.
7. Stress Reduction and Mental Well-Being
Board games exercise the mind. Whether it is carom, chess, or poker, it requires planning and execution. The first thing is to strategize your moves while keeping the rules in mind. It is a kind of exercise that diverts attention from unnecessary stress. You put all your energy into creating a winning strategy and feel happy about winning the game. You feel confident, manage stress and be positive in all circumstances.
8. Create Lifelong Memories
People have lifelong memories of wooden family board games. Starting with parents, they can share their childhood memories with their children. Similarly, kids can remember their indoor gaming experiences with family members long after they grow up. In this way, board games help develop family legacies. For example, parents can pass their gaming skills to their children. They develop an interest in indoor games and participate in school competitions.
9. Durable and Long-Lasting
Wooden games are durable and long-lasting. They can run into families for generations. Children can preserve their favorite games, like carom boards, for years and feel nostalgic when playing with their childhood memories. A carom board, chess, or any other game doesn’t require much care or maintenance. You only need to keep protecting wood from dust, dirt, and moisture. Shopping for board games is also a fun activity. Most of the time, parents buy games on special occasions, like birthdays.
10. Eco-Friendly and Sustainable
The most important lesson children learn from family board games for kids & adults is environmental protection. Wood is found in nature. It is a non-toxic, biodegradable material. Games made with wooden pieces and blocks are safe for everyone, including children and the environment. Investing in wooden toys is investing in future. Playing traditional games not only reduces screen time but also promotes sustainability.
Tips for Playing Family Games
Board games are appealing, but they need some preparation to start. For example, take a carom board. You need to clean the board and apply a special powder on it for the dice to flick smoothly. Similarly, other games require settings.
1. Create a Gaming Corner
Why not dedicate a room, nook, or corner of your home to games? In this way, you or your kids won’t have to look for space to play games. You can keep wooden family board games ready to play in the games corner.
2. Choose Games for All Ages
Invest in games suitable for people of all ages, especially kids and seniors. They are most vulnerable to screens. With interesting games ready to play, they will have much better things to do in their free time.
3. Find Gaming Moments
Turn your family time into gaming time. Whether it is teatime or free time, you can make it memorable by adding games to it. The advantage of family board games for kids & adults is that they can make the environment friendly.
Conclusion
Gaming is a favorite pastime activity for all ages; however, people find online games more attractive. Online gaming may feel entertaining, but they aren’t good for your overall health. It is especially true for children, who easily become addicted to online games and compromise their mental and physical health.
Playing with wooden family board games is a fun way to reduce screen time, have more time for family, strengthen familial bonds, and help your children achieve their developmental milestones. They are a perfect way of screen-free entertainment for kids and adults. Buy board games for all ages and create a gaming corner in your home for anytime gaming.
