Our daughter is 7, almost 8, but we don’t allow her to have handheld screens. She is not allowed to be on our phones unless under very special circumstances. We don’t let her use an iPad except for Osmo and to use the Home Court App. This means no video games or movies (unless on a plane for vacation). We allow her to watch TV shows and movies, but not very much, and because we have limited it, she knows her limits and will choose to play rather than veg on the couch. She watches TV on an actual television, but there is nothing handheld. Because we have limited her with technology, we have found two excellent alternatives to a relatively screen-free childhood for her.
The Modern Walkman – Yoto Mini
This fantastic little device is like a Walkman. It has no screen – except to tell the time and what chapter or song they are on, and it’s very durable. Yoto is a UK-based company. We bought the Yoto Mini for our daughter because she likes listening to stories. Yoto provides books, music, and learning opportunities for kids. It hasn’t disappointed!
We love Yoto for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is that we can control the device from our phone. We can set timers so that it will shut off, and we can play the content on our phones if the Yoto is mistakenly forgotten at home. Our daughter mainly listens to books on her Yoto. But what’s cool is that they have “make your own card” cards, you can download audio files on these make-your-own cards. I have recorded myself reading some of Quinn’s favorite stories and have put them on a make-your-own card for her.
The buttons and controls are kid-friendly, giving them a sense of independence with their audio player. The Yoto works by placing your chosen card (the size of a credit card) into the Yoto slot. The Yoto will then play the content on that card. Make sure you download all the cards you want to play so they are synced with your Yoto before you go anywhere that doesn’t have wifi.
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The Old School Camera – Camp Snap
Our daughter loves taking photos, but is still too young for a nice camera or phone. We didn’t want her to be able to look at the pictures right away because when we have given her our phones to try her hand at photography, the camera usually ends up on her, where she makes silly faces and then goes and obsessively looks at them. I’ll be honest, some of the photos are gold, but we don’t want to encourage the habit.
Enter Camp Snap. Think back to when you went to camp with a disposable camera. You would take all these photos and then turn them in so the film could be developed. You would finally get your pictures back and have all the fun memories from camp come rushing back. This camera is like that, but takes out the developing stage. Camp Snap is fitted with an SD card that will store 2000 pictures for you.
The camera is rechargeable, and each charge allows 500 pictures to be taken. Quinn has loved having the freedom to express herself through photography using this camera. Many of her photos are of our animals because that’s what she loves. It allows her to be independent, get fun photos she cares about, and is a great beginning to learning about photography.
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These screen-free options for kids are excellent at home or on your next vacation. Let’s keep our kids’ creativity alive, lower their screentime, and get them outside.