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If you can muster up the willingness to actually mail these pictures when your child is done, they will be motivated to do this regularly. Any friend or relative is a great recipient of mailed preschooler drawings. Who doesn’t like receiving envelopes of adorably disproportionate stick people? Give them a large cardboard box and some markers. No further directions needed. What do they create? Write a story or graphic novel. They are writing and spelling and illustrating. Their teachers would be so proud. Or let them build a scene and then have the other kids guess what it is. Mom cooking dinner for dinosaurs? Legolas bossing around Orcs? An outer space pizza parlor? The possibilities are limitless. Macarena dance club. Kids whose parents took away their screens club. This required a lot of work up front too. 
Picture This
But like the detox, it repaid huge dividends. Choose an incentive that fits your family and budget well. Set a goal to memorize a Bible verse, poem, the Gettysburg Address, states and capitals, all the presidents, a different language’s alphabet . Right now, our kids have incredible amazing memories. Ask your kids which they’d be most excited to memorize. Or simply declare what you want them to memorize. I am continually amazed at the amount of information our children can retain. If you have a few kids, let an older sibling teach a younger sibling a Bible verse. They can make up hand motions together. Ask them to surprise you when they have it committed to memory. And by all means, celebrate what they’ve accomplished with lots of verbal praise. Become an expert, then teach us about a topic. Holding Back The Years
Remind your kids that they are wired with unique talents and interests. Is your child a great speaker? Does she have a knack for explaining complicated information? For making great analogies? Affirm those talents! What does she stop to wonder about? The Titanic sinking? The history of the burrito? The Bermuda Triangle? The Pittsburgh Steelers? Let them peruse the children’s nonfiction shelves. And then, by all means, listen attentively as they share what they’ve learned. Give them the floor at dinner for a few minutes. If what they share is new to you, let them know. How exhilarating for our kids to realize that their parents don’t know everything, and that reading and a little legwork can open so many doors. But seriously, be flexible and accommodating if you can. Allow space and time for connection. This is also a great opportunity to help your kids be intentional about the friends they choose. How many times have your kids encountered bullies or rude friends on social media or group chats? Be mindful about who you allow to speak into your kids’ lives. Feed the friendships that are good, and create space for them to grow. Get the tea, the craft kit, the smoothie ingredients. Between Two Worlds
Let your child bond with a good friend. Share your digital detox journey! A box of Duncan Hines works fine. Teach your children to use the kitchen. Start them now, and by the time they get to college they will know how to make so much more than packaged ramen. If you aren’t into sweets, let your children think of a recipient they might bless with their baking. The school secretary, a neighbor, a friend who is going through a tough time. If you have kids in several of these age groups, direct an older child to lead the younger in one of the list items. Don’t frame it as a chore, but as a joy and a responsibility. Part of being a loving and responsible human is caring for those littler than you. Emma really looks up to you, Kate. You get to model what she wants to become when she is your age. Isn’t that a cool role you have as her big sister? What if the list isn’t working, and the kids are still complaining of boredom? Get ready for a secret weapon that has worked literally 100 percent of the time I have used it on my children. You could find something on the list we made together. Or if you are still bored, I have lots of laundry that needs putting away, and I would be so happy to have your help! Watch them scatter like cockroaches in the daylight. But when it’s our young kids who are still learning everything about how to be a human, we can take heart. When our children show us that they haven’t yet learned a necessary skill or that they need some assistance, we can internally celebrate. Now we have clarity about what we can help them work through. If your child is having trouble getting started with nonscreen tasks, that’s okay! Now you know how to come alongside and help. Remember through it all that boredom is not a problem for you to solve. Allowing our kids to be bored is really, really good for them. It invites them to create and invent. It’s an opportunity to explore their giftings and interests, to learn more about the world and discover their place in it. What do your kids want to change in the world? What movements do they want to be a part of? What keeps them up and makes them tick? Rebekah Lyons says, Your calling is where your talents and burdens collide.3 Boredom helps our kids uncover and hone those talents, and to pay attention to the burdens quietly tugging on their hearts. Boredom nudges our kids into thoughtful reflection, where they can slow down to the speed of human thought and dwell in possibility. They might use your list daily. You might use it to remind them not to complain of boredom, lest they wind up polishing baseboards. When all is said and done, by the end of a successful detox, don’t be surprised if your kids no longer consult the list. Knowing the list is standing by for consultation is the best part of making it.