No More Battles Over Screen Time, Here's the Solution

Struggling with the amount of screen time your kids are getting? Running out of creative ideas and activities to keep them entertained during this time of quarantining? Tired of signing them up for virtual classes and hoping they enjoy them? Well if the answer is yes to any of these questions then you'll want to keep reading.

During this time of social distancing, I honestly have struggled with mom guilt in a very different way. This type of mom guilt didn't stem from working too much, or traveling without them but from a sense of frustration at my inability to find activities that were not only entertaining but also educational. During this time, my children have definitely spent more time on their devices and playing video games than ever before. On the one hand, I know that the video games create opportunities for virtual connection with their friends, but on the other hand, I wished that there were other productive and fun things they could do to pass the time. However, I was fresh out of ideas.

About a month ago, I mentioned to my mom-tribe on instagram that I was running out of ideas and asked them for some suggestions. Unfortunately, we were all in the same boat, challenged with the same issues and there wasn't anything suggested that I hadn't already tried. I knew I needed to find a solution and I needed for it to be something the kids would love and would want to do on their own since I can't monitor them closely during the workday.

On a random Target run, I came across the Play Osmo Coding Starter Kit. And I have to admit, I was intrigued... As many of us know, coding is definitely a skill that our kids should learn. However, I didn't imagine this would be a fun activity for them to do on their own without an instructor. Let me tell you, I was in for the surprise of a lifetime!

My 9 year old son Cayden was the first to try it out. I had him test it to see what his thoughts were and I am not kidding, it was love at first code. He started with a program where he used code to control a character in a video game {insert visual of the clouds parting and the angels singing}. He now plays the game at least 30 minutes a day (and most times without being asked. He's now playing art games, controlling virtual characters in a dance off, etc... there are so many activities that he enjoys.

For our family, though, the true test was if my rambunctious 6 year old Chase could get into it. He's the youngest and although he as a mind of his own, he wants to do anything his big brother does. So, for Chase we tried the Genius Starter Kit + Family Game Night. We thought this could be a great way to get him engaged in activities that the whole family could enjoy. And O-M-G, it's a winner!!! Chase played 3 different games in the first sitting.

The first game he tried was one called Tangram. Which is a game that helps you exercise spatial and visual problem-solving skills. It was a challenge for him in the beginning and he became a little frustrated because he couldn't figure out the first puzzle. However, after I helped him to understand how to mirror the images, to be patient with himself and to keep trying, he became a whiz! His confidence grew and he began to do multiple puzzles throughout the evening. The best part was, when he went to bed that evening, he had already planned to incorporate Osmo into his schedule for the next day.

Needless to say, I am loving Osmo! Oh wait, I meant to say, the kids are loving Osmo :). The platform allows my kids to explore STEAM topics and foster their love of art, math, reading, and more in a playful way. So now, when they are getting their screen time with playOsmo, mom guilt is gone because I know they are learning and growing at the same time.

So, if you're a working mom, like me, and have a real challenge during this time of the pandemic, you should definitely give Play Osmo a try, it's totally worth it and it's kid (and mommy :)) approved!

If you try it, let me know! I'd love your thoughts.

XO,

Ayanna