Screen Time vs Green Time Tool

The Green Time vs Screen Time tool for families is a fun way to help you keep track of how much time your children are spending playing outdoors (‘green time’), versus time spent indoors, watching TV or on devices or the computer (‘screen time’).

Getting the balance right between green time and screen time is important for your kids’ health, cognitive and emotional development and will help them grow into the capable and resilient people you want them to be.

Plus green time is free, on your doorstep and the most fun kids can have! So let’s make sure our kids get outside and learn to enjoy the unstructured outdoor games we used to play!

How to Use the Green Time vs Screen Time Tool:

1. Print  the ‘Green Time vs Screen Time’ flyer and put it on your fridge.
2. Get the family together and agree on a family treat – something simple like a family bike ride, a trip to the beach or their favourite meal – and write it down in the space provided on the flyer.
3. Now, every day your children spend at least an hour outdoors in ‘green time’ they should colour in one of the native animals on the left.
4. Each time your children spend an hour indoors in ’screen time’ they should colour in one of the screens on the right.
5. The Aim: The aim is to colour in all of the ‘green time’ animals before all of the ‘screen time’ screens are coloured in.
6. The Prize: If all of the ‘green time’ animals are coloured in first then the prize is the family treat you agreed upon earlier in the week!

‘Green time’ can be spent at your local park or simply in your backyard, playing in the sand, climbing a tree or making a mud pie.
‘Screen time’ includes time spent on the computer, watching TV or movies.

Why is ‘green time’ so important?

The best reason why children should make the move from the TV or computer room to the outdoors is that it’s fun and you and your kids will be happier and healthier doing things together.

There is also a growing body of research showing that by bringing unstructured outdoor play (nature play) back into our children’s lives we can help their cognitive, emotional and physical development and ensure they build resilience and imagination that are so important for a fulfilling life.

Nature Play is leading the Outdoor Classroom Day campaign in Australia.