As toddlers and babies its easy for parents to put limits on TV/Gadgets etc, but as they get older it will only get worse and tougher to add restrictions. Also thanks to countless gadgets and tablets, kids have way too many mediums to consume information (most of it bad anyways). I fear that our coming generations are only going to be more and more sloppier, unhealthy and unfit. How will you motivate your kid to be physically active while maintaining a healthy balance with information age?

I'm new at this too so feel free to take my thoughts with a grain of salt. My attempts will be to provide alternatives that seem better to the kids in terms of entertainment value. If you insist on them doing something because "you will learn" then they are more likely to tune you out.

Also, not all TV and gadgets are bad. It is what you do with them and what content you consume on them. Sesame Street is one of the best things you can watch on TV. the programming is created by experts who know how to mesh entertainment and learning.

I'm also not worried about the iPad as long as its not a passive consumption, but more interactive. The apps R plays with are educational - learning ASL and animals & sounds. We're usually with him repeating the sounds/signs. As they get older & more demanding, I think all we can do is set limits with TV & devices - not more than 1 hr/day, not before bedtime etc.

Outdoor activity is something we can encourage, and of course they love being out at this age. As they get older, I think all we can do is expose them to various activities - swimming, soccer, baseball etc & hope something sticks.

And I think it's important we set a good example ourselves!

insteadoftv.com is an interesting site, though most of the stuff seems to be related to crafting and painting, which though good, is still mostly static (staying in one place) kind of activity.

Not sure, but it feels like members have to join first and then post comments? I got requests from Kyle, Sujai and Donovan with their comments, but when I approve them to join the conversation, their comments don't show up. Not sure if thats a bug with @branch or they are supposed to type again. FYI for everyone who wishes to join the convo.

I'm a relatively new parent. When my wife got pregnant, I was a couch potato, more or less, and I was in front of a screen of some kind all the time. I'm basically the "older kid" you're talking about, just as a mid-30s adult. The pregnancy got me to re-value my health. I want to be there when my kid wants to play catch as a high schooler and to see his kids. I bike to work some days and go run others.

My goal with him will be to pass on that perspective: to value his health and enjoy the outdoors by sharing those activities with him. I play video games, I code ever moment I can, so he'll enjoy those, too. But we're going to go for long bike rides or go hiking or go run. We'll find something outdoors we both like and we'll do it regularly.

I would build tents with chairs when it rained, we would dig in the garden when it was fine. The fire engine was a bit of hose & a Frisbee steering wheel. All the activities (pre-school) were based around a story, activities, and spending time with them, showing no interest in technology & TV. I was a IT manager then. The secret is to spend time with your kids, but ignore anything that is plugged in. When they got to about 4, we would go to the cinema, rather than watching a video. It's all about creating foundations. The other was always reading/telling a story at bedtime, then I would relate that to our games. Winnie the Pooh DID live in out local park!

I guess I'm not doing very well at unplugging with my 3 year old dinasaur train addict. But my theory is they need to be a little bored to develop an imagination and TV and video games are way too entertaining. Forts, play dough, and cooking are things I offer that seem to work.

Early on we set limits on the amount of screen time for our almost 8 year old and he just doesn't even expect that he will watch TV or play on the computer. We also as a family do lots of active things--hiking, biking, walking the dog. I think it helps that we like to be active, so it is stuff we like to do anyway.

@Donovan - Great response. My first reaction at rain would be to run inside instead of building a tent as a fun exercise ;), but you are so right about building foundations and building around a story.

Parent of a 5 years old boy and expecting a new one! We do a lot of gadgets/tv off activities, like biking, gardening, play with his toys. And when we turn on the TV we watch it together and discuss about the show or movie.

For the iPad we have some educational apps that he loves.

I try to marry the use of technology with some form of enrichment. This could be raw education such as counting or alphabet in addition to the arts.

For example, my daughter loves Yo Yo Gaba Gaba and for me this is a great example of what my wife and I are trying to target as parents. YGG provides ways to engage with music and art in addition to counting and alphabet while being .... fun and quirky.

That being said we also offer strict "time limits" for both media and the devices. We typically never allow more than an hour a day. Not because we feel it is bad, but we are trying to install a sense of balance from in her at an early age.

How does everybody handle the inevitable "ZOMG ARGH!!" reaction ..... from a two year old?

The way the original post was phrased puts me in mind of what my wife and I always say when parents wonder what to do about children, which is "Who's the parent?" The latest research indicates that children should have NO screen time or any sort for their first two years; we probably didn't quite match that, but pretty close. Also children, and this includes through high school, should NOT have a TV or computer in their room. This is getting more difficult as tablets and laptops take over, but it's still doable. Again, you have to be the parent. Raise them in a well balanced way and they'll be well balanced. Use screens as babysitters, and you'll get what you deserve.

I don't have children (and hopefully won't in the next few years) but I imagine I would go about it as my parents did, with a few twists to account for todays world.
I would limit their time spent in front of screens and let them be bored. I would give them stuff to play with while they are really young and when they get older, I would let them roam around outside, shovel in hand to build forts, bunkers and dig for treasures.
But obviously there is going to come a time when they won't do as I say and just won't go outside.
I was like that.
And when that time comes, I'll let them stay inside for the most part, but I hope that until then I have instilled such a *need* for physical play and fun that they can't stay inside for too long.

I like what several people have said about being bored. We tend to think of that as bad, but as others have pointed out, that's when we learn to use our imaginations, rediscover toys we haven't used and maybe find new ways of using them, or even find new things we're interested in. It is a problem if we think our children should never be bored and use screens to keep it from happening. Just as failure is a key to learning (as discussed in another branch) so boredom can be a key to playing and developing.

The trick is to have a immovable framework, that is flexible when the situation demands. I found that by telling the Girl Child & the Boy Child what was coming next helped. "After lunch we're going to the park..." By accident I discovered that this kept their attention on what was happening, and to look forward to the next activity.

My children did not watch TV 'til they could stand. Though there is photographic evidence of the Boy Child using my PC at 6weeks. We did not allow any screen time for the kids in the early years.I would make it an activity to learn what police officers looked like when they were about 4, full names, memorising addresses, all the stuff that helps the children get home & reassures you. Do stuff, don't sit!

Couldnt agree more with Steven. I have myself struggled with this concept of the need to always have something to do for kids. Boredom is not a bad thing, but we have become so entrenched into the idea of continuous "mental stimulation" that seeing your kids bored automatically makes you feel guilty about not providing enough thought material.

@Supremus I think that can be especially true for those of us with an only child. There's a little guilt over not having a sibling they can interact with and we don't have a lot of children nearby he can play way, although his best friend is next door. But he'll say sometimes "I'm bored" and our response is usually "Good" or "Do something about it." Which of course doesn't involve using electronics; after a little pouting we usually find something fun to do.

I'm a little concerned by the use of boredom.

Imagination comes from stimulation. An empty large box becomes a pirate ship. A chair is a plane. Pillows become horses. The trick is to stimulate, then let children take over. Very quickly they will find wonder amongst pots and pans or in a bucket of water & a plastic bottle without you.

Just don't let them do it for too long. They'll want to get to get back to later without you!

I guess by boredom I mean non adult directed play. My 3 year old will make a train out of chairs or make a car out of a box. I try to rotate toys and suggest extensions to her play. But the problem with screen time is that it is so entertaining and fast moving that she really prefers it. We limit it to 30min a day and only started letting her watch at age 2. But I still feel guilty when she talks about TV nonstop.

Yes, I think by boredom we meant the complaints we hear when they're not allowed to watch tv or use electronics and nothing obvious presents itself, so they're bored. In that situation, there's always something around that can be stimulating. We never heard about boredom until our son was older, before there was always something, be it legos, wooden trains, making up games with his friends, etc. The boredom complaints started (and they're still rare) when he started be allowed to use electronics/watch tv when he was older. Then, when his screen time is over and he's read a lot (which he does), we'll sometimes hear how bored he is, especially if no friends are available.

I think we're losing the question: in an age of childhood obesity, how do you get your kid to be physically active?

At least in my case, the answer was simple, lead by example. Buy tricked out workout gear, track your exercise and diet with apps like runkeeper and livestrong. You can even include rewards for meeting certain goals using web 2.0 tools like Gym-Pact that give you cash incentives to meet your goals (you give them cash, you get it back if you meet your goal, it goes to charity if you don't)

@Chris you're right, but again it gets back to being the parent. Where we lived until our son was 3 there was almost literally nothing to do, no museums, parks, zoos, etc. that are ideal for getting out and about. But even so, we went for walks every night with him in the stroller and found playgrounds that weren't locked when school wasn't in session (yes, I'm serious, and we had to drive to find them). When we moved to our current location (Peoria, IL) we immediately, as in in the first few days, joined the zoo, discovered the Nature Center where you can take miles long hikes, etc. We also talk to him about the issue now that he's older. But because he started out active, he still wants to be, even though he also loves his electronics.

I don't think resisting is the right goal, I think it's about incorporating gadgets properly into our lives (which most adults need to learn too).
I think the most important thing a parent can do is, as @Chris mentioned lead by example.
If you're constantly looking at your gadgets and not being physically active, then why would your kids be any different? As it has been mentioned, you can use the gadgets to add to the experiences that are already available; for example, a nearby museum has a dinosaur exhibit that has incorporated augmented reality to take the educational aspect that's always been available, and modernize it in a really fun and unique way (granted I haven't seen the exhibit myself, but the kid in me really wants to).

As a father of two toddler sons, I think I understand the dilemma here.

On one hand, as an iOS developer, I embrace technology and its great impact to our lives. I have even created Akzara, an iPad app for my son to learn the alphabets. I believe and have seen the wonderful impact of the great iPad educational apps to my son's learning progress.

On the other hand, as the head of a family with both parents working full-time, I try to spend all my after-hours time with my juniors. Playing LEGO, training my youngest to walk, telling stories, building up their imaginations, going out, visiting grandma, and many more. We don't watch TV, even though we have three TVs at home.

One thing I'm sure of: your toddlers will mimic you. Whatever examples you may set before their eyes, they would mimic them. That's why my wife and I agree to set great examples by living the way we want our juniors to live. My advise would be for you to take the time to think about these things seriously and passionately before planning what your strategies are. There is no right or wrong, there is only what you want for your juniors. Discuss them with your partner. It really is what family life is all about.

As a geek who loves to try adopting new technology, I agree with @JonathanBunford that we're living in a unique era where even geeks (like us) need to learn how to properly integrate technology into our lives. To keep my sanity, I personally try to filter them and focus only on the right technology that can act as an enabler for my juniors.

As a blogger, I always try to share some of the great iPad apps I find for my juniors. I believe curating the best contents for our juniors is part of parenting as well. Here is a list of Math apps that I believe are great examples for the iPad as an enabler:
geekswithjuniors.com

As a parent, I have set up time windows where my juniors can interact with the iPad, but for most of the day, they are doing physical activities, interacting with physical toys and family members. Getting my son to a pre-K school also help to teach him social skills, language skills, creative/musical skills and other life skills that an inexperienced parent like me might be neglecting.

I believe all new generations are always challenging to the previous generations, but that's exactly what makes parenting is an eternal topic. Every decade has its own challenges. It's nice to see parents like us stepping up to take the challenge and try to overcome it.

@arturo - which apps has your son found most enjoyable?

Thanks all, I am closing the thread. A lot of good comments but most of them have a similar theme. The gist being -

- Lead the way to your kids, and get out of that couch
- Use technology but judiciously.

Thanks for the comments.