Half term is here and the weather is turning. How do you keep the kids busy without screen time taking over the whole week?
Screen time doesn't have to be a bad thing. If they're learning while they play, a little can go a long way. Here are five ideas for half term where the screen time helps them learn, and they barely notice.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
1. Make a small version of their favourite game
Ask them what their favourite game is, and why. Then ask if they could recreate their favourite part of it. Scratch is free in any web browser, and getting a character moving is easy. It won't be exactly like the real game. It'll be theirs, which is better.
2. Change the game
Give them a game, theirs or yours, and ask what they'd change. Different enemies? More moves? Better power-ups? Get them to write the new rules down and work out how each one would work. Deciding how the code should behave comes before writing any of it, and designing the features gives them a real taste of coding.
3. Tell a story
Some children would rather tell a story than make a game. In Scratch they can animate characters and make them speak. They'll have to work out what happens in what order, which is a big part of coding. Our Sequencing Video shows what that means.
4. Give them a finish line
Set a goal, and keep it realistic. Nobody builds a whole game in a week. A small feature is plenty, like a game with a score and a way to win. A sensible deadline gives them something to aim for, without much pressure.
5. Get them to teach you
Ask your child to show you what they've made and explain it. Explaining is one of the best ways to make learning stick, and you may be surprised how much they know. Ask questions as they go. What if you change this? How would you make it do that? They have to think to answer.
No guilt needed
There's no need to feel guilty about screen time this half term. Making something is different from scrolling or watching. In my experience children feel better after building than after consuming, and by the end of the week they have something that's theirs. Let them show you how proud they are of it.
If your child would like to make their own games with a tutor and a small group, our live online lessons are for ages 8 to 16. Book a FREE taster session and see how they get on.
