Thanks Tirza, for having us on this panel.
With kids (and perhaps especially with toddlers), it is about capturing their attention, which is so fleeting at times and can rapidly implode! And one approach is to actually embrace the screen time... but not necessarily
on the screen. If there is a character/theme that your toddler absolutely loves ON the screen, try finding a toy or game or book that has that same characters, for playtime OFF the screen. They may be more likely to play longer with things very familiar to them, and if they've seen the characters on the screen doing certain storylines (i.e., Sesame Street), they may already have those make-believe storylines in their imagination, which can lead to longer playtimes, Those tend to be the favorites in our house.
Another approach that I've seen effective, is to bring out a new or "new-for-this-month" toy or game, for times when its really critical to have uninterrupted worktime. Newness will help them explore playtime longer. And since buying new can get expensive, just put away a few of their toys every month, maybe ones that they really liked at first, but their appeal has now waned. Then bring it out next month or the month after... it'll be joyfull newness all over again.
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Jennifer Nakayama P.E., M.ASCE
Waikiki Business Improvement District Association
Honolulu HI
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-20-2020 04:52 PM
From: Tirza Austin
Subject: Balancing Working and Parenting
I enjoyed discussing working and parenting with
@Tzufit Boyle,
@Jesse Gormley,
@Chad Morrison, and
@Jennifer Nakayama on today's Thursdays @ 3! We weren't able to get to one of the questions. I wanted to share it here for our panelists to share feedback.
Submitted question:Does anyone has tips to encourage your toddlers to play by themselves (apart from giving screentime)? Thanks!
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Tirza Austin
Manager, Online Community
American Society of Civil Engineers
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, VA 20191
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