Despite the new closeness developing within families as this pandemic continues, there is still an importance for free time. Whether that is the freedom to walk away, and tend to work or chores, as an adult, or for children to have individual and on-their-own playtime, free time is an important thing to remember when creating balance in these close quarters. 

You might be the kind of parent that grants permission to your children to watch TV, play video games, etc., and you might be the type of parent who does not condone these past-times. Either way, there’s an importance for children to play with physical, tangible things, as well as with other children. 

Did you know that today, on average, children spend twice as much time on their screens than outdoors and less time outside than most prisoners (Habyts). 

Although it seems to be one of the easiest ways to distract young children, things have not always been this way. Children used to distract themselves with games, like tag, and dolls. 

On the subject of family unity, what’s better than toys you and your kids can both relate to? As the generations evolve, one thing that remains the same is Spongebob Squarepants. Spongebob Squarepants toys have been one of the main ways we occupy our children these days. Laughter and silly voices fill their play spaces as we go on with our day and work responsibilities. 

Non-interactive toys inspire imagination in kids, allowing them to produce and tell their own stories; play with different sounds, costumes, and characters; and switch these roles when they get bored. We even have a Spongebob Squarepants boombox for them! The familiarity of these characters increases the comfort of using new objects, and they can sing and dance to their music as much as they want to without having mom and dad do it for them! 

Because we also know the characters and most of the storyline, it allows us to get creative and playful in our free time, as well.

Interactive toys, like walkie-talkies, can also inspire these roles, so we bought them Pokemon walkie-talkies. They end up inspiring us all day as they run and hide, pretending to be explorers and spies. Don’t be surprised if you see them come out in their camouflage costumes!

We love to have options for them to play within their free time, other than the screens, although we do grant permission for a limited time each day. 

If you will allow your kids this screen time, we’ve been uncovering some great educational games and videos. These vary depending on the age of your children, but can be easily discovered for yourself with a quick Google search! 

Without in-person schooling, or with less time spent with friends, how are you going to inspire play in your children? Use your personalized variation of these games and toys, and let us know what did and didn’t work for you by sending us an email at the bottom of this page.