Get the grandkids out of tech and into real play

There used to be a time that you didn’t have to tell kids to “go out and play.” They were already doing it. The problem was trying to get them back in for dinner. As technological advances grow and the areas people live are getting busier, kids play inside on devices such as tablets and computers.

A new campaign from the Newcastle council is aiming to get kids to set aside their tech for good old fashion play by using nothing more than a cardboard box and their imagination. The Cardboard Box Challenge has been set up to get kids out and using their mental muscles while having fun with other kids.

Talking to the ABC, creator of the event Katie Cadman said, “A little bit was a response … to the frustration we felt when kids started school; that [at] preschool there’s a lot of focus on play-based learning, and obviously once they transition into school, of course, it has to be a little bit more structured.

“We had noticed that with the increase of technology, things had become quite organised.

“There was this real desire to re-create something like [bygone childhoods].”

Remember when your parents, or even yourself, used to think that the kids used to love playing with a box more than the item that came in it. This kind of play helps creative development but also increases social skills, and self-esteem. The play is never about what you don’t have but what you want the materials you have to be.

With only a few days left of the school holidays before the grandkids put their uniforms back on and head back to the classroom, it might be a good time to get out and play that gets their minds ready for another school year.

How much did you kids love playing with boxes? Do you remember doing it when you were small?