I just found this article that I wrote a long time ago about our experiences of raising our children. Home computers were fairly new, so we had a new option for our children's time to cope with. It really took effort to encourage our children to lead active lives instead of just sitting at the computer or playing video games. Hope our experiences are a help to you.
Our children were always busy doing something. I have been asking myself why they didn’t just sit in front of the TV or computer all day. I think the major reason was our family policy. Watching TV or playing on the computer were considered rewards, not rights. Play time was earned.
Though I’ll admit it was tempting, especially since I was often ill, to consider using the TV as a babysitter to keep the children quiet and passive, we didn’t. TV was mainly limited to an hour or two in the evenings. As parents we were conscious of our example, so we didn’t just turn on the TV every spare moment to amuse ourselves or just keep us company.
We tried also to set an example of spending our time doing good things, and included our children in these projects. Our children helped rewire the house, learned to cook, washed cars, planted gardens, and picked fruit. Besides projects, we provided regular work for them to do. We divided the upkeep of the house and yard and made assignments according to ability. Even toddlers were given small jobs to do.
