In the era of technology, it’s easy to bring work and worldly distractions through your front door. Although we can all pinpoint the significance of family and spending time with the ones we love, it’s not always in practice. The current generation, Gen Z, has grown up in a fully tech-focused world with tablets and phones propped in front of them before they could walk. Kids are currently spending hours in front of their devices – causing social and behavioral issues. But the transformation from tech time to family time starts with you, the parent.

The best way to prevent your kids from becoming addicted to their devices is to lead by example. Kids often mimic what they see their parents doing, so set your technology to the side when you’re with them – this also give you the excuse to leave work at work. Show them the value of communicating and having genuine interest with those in front of them. This way, you’re not only instilling the importance of family, but also having a balanced life.

– Put Your Phone Down
You do not need your phone to distract you from the important people sitting in front of you. Whether it’s you, you and your spouse, or you and your kids, make a point to silence your phone or set them out of reach. Because children mimic what their parents do, be mindful of what your focus is on when they’re around.

– Make Dinner, Make Memories
If you have kiddos, do not be afraid to bring them into the kitchen. There are plenty of easy to follow recipes that allow everyone to get messy and enjoy their time together. It also gives opportunity to lessons on patience and working as a team. Familiarize yourself with Pinterest to learn great family friendly recipes. Also, check out TastyJuniors for recipes kids will enjoy to make and love to eat.

– Weekly Activities
A great way to get your family excited for the week is having weekly traditions. Choose the especially hard days (like Mondays…) and make them enjoyable. Whether you’re making meals or playing board games, setting weekly activities will give everyone an event to look forward to.

– Ask Questions
Whether you’re sitting around the dinner table or the coffee table, ask questions! Put together a questions jar and write in random questions or play Would You Rather. This makes everyone sit together and engage in conversation. Make sure the questions go past the standard “what did you do today” talk. Ask what their favorite part of the day was and if they learned any new information. To make it easy, type out some questions so you can quickly print and cut. Also, make decorating the jar a family activity and allow everyone to make their own personal touches.

– Quiet Time
Because you and your family are always on the go, set aside one hour of quiet time. You can read a book, draw, work on homework, or write. This is a great time to catch up on your responsibilities at home (not work related) and gives your kids a chance to get their homework done or express their creativity. Although this doesn’t force everyone to participate together, it helps put everyone in the same room and gets them away from their devices.