Dadview on going Tech Free for Christmas

in parenting •  7 years ago 

No electronic toys


This year at Christmas we made a conscious decision not to get Luke any electronic games or gadgets as gifts. It wasnt hard to do. There are so many great toys out there. Board games, sporting goods, action figures...

Luke had asked Santa Claus for a Sidney Crosby Hockey stick and a Goalie stick. Santa came through and brought him both.
Note: The storm trooper night coat was a gift from his aunt. He wears it all the time.

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Another great gift he received was a few sets of Pokemon cards. He got his first set of Pokemon cards last Christmas from Santa. His older cousins all collected Pokemon cards and usually play with Luke when he goes over to visit. He was so excited to have so many of his own cards and cant wait to beat his cousin James. Obviously, I have to play with Luke constantly to help him practice. Sure Luke doesn't play by the actual rules but we still have a lot of fun.

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This next gift was to Luke from my mom. It was the highlight us his Christmas. He had been asking for a pet to keep in his room. To prove that he was responsible enough to have his own pet, he took care of our dog for the entire month of December. He fed her and gave her water every morning and every night after school. We were going to let him pick his own fish but my mom wanted to surprise him with it. He now spends every night taking care of fish who he names Kylo Ren... due to the Red colour of him.

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Okay, so this next one was one of my favourite games as a kid. We have had hours of fun playing Connect Four together. It did not take him long to catch on. I can still catch him on the diagonals but I don't think that I will be able to take him for much longer!

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Yet another game that Luke asked for was marbles! Yes they still exist. I think he saw them on a kids television show because after he opened them he told me I needed to paint a circle on the ground. The best that I could do was to make a square with some Hockey stick tape.

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Since Christmas, we have been spending almost every night playing games. Kids today dont just want to play on tablets and phones, Xboxes and PS4's, YouTube and Snapchat... they still enjoy good old fashioned fun. The main thing they want is time with their parents. So put down YOUR phones and pick up the things that your kids really want to play with... YOU!


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Darryl (@dadview) is a loving husband and father who enjoys spending time with his family no matter the activity.
He is an active member of The Alliance and teamcanada
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My kids are still young (2.5 years and 9 months) but I love this idea <3 I think we are becoming too reliant on technology. This year we tried to get them experiences, we got a zoo pass and some family days out. Also Kylo is so cute!!

He is cute. His aquarium also makes for a great night light! ha ha

I love his night coat! Wanted the Kylo Ren jacket from the disney store but there's no adult sizes lol

Ha ha, too funny. I want the chewbacca hoodie!

Ive done that also.. It is good for the kids to be more active & gives them a chance to use their imagination more

It is surprising how much fun we have with simple things like marbles!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

This is such a great ideal, kids need to be kids and get outside and play and use their imagination. It's so easy to put a tablet or game in their hands to keep them entertained. Props to you for doing this. Oh yeah by the way the coat is awesome good taste

Thanks.
Every night after work and school I make it a point not to turn on the TV. He always goes to his toys before the remote.

doing it! #dadlife

Thanks. Missed some of your posts lately.
Going to head over and check out your feed!

Good dad! nice pictures from you, I love all games that was giving to Luke..

Glad you do!

After seeing so many kids almost attached to their electronic devices I found this post refreshing

Good to see him enjoying real hands on presents 👍👍👍👍

I wont lie, electronics can be fun and educational.... but people lean on them way to much.

I agree they are handy but some become over reliant on them

Awww man, looks Luke raked it in! Congrats, young fella! Tech free are the best. They're more sustainable and they work without electricity. Sure, one could argue their usefulness, but I'll just argue back that it's no match for a hockey stick!

We love taking the games with us when we go camping in the summer. No electricity required. The fish on the other hand is going to have to stay home.

That's the main benefit! Haha!

My son is asking for some "jacks". My bare feet still hurt from all of the legos on the floor. I'm not sure how I will do with stepping on metal star-like land mines on the floor, such as jacks. LOL I have found that the simple games are the ones that the kids actually remember the most. Caleb loves playing "Go Fish" and will drop his tablet at the very mention of that game.

That is awesome. We play the memory game a lot. And snakes and ladders.

I must admit I bought my kids a bunch of electronics.

Ha ha ha. At least you are honest about it.
Maybe you can use them to look up new gifts on Amazon :)