Parents everywhere are seeing a trend with their children that is getting completely out of hand—electronic overload. Between video games, iPods, laptops, smartphones, and endless texting back and forth to friends, our kids are getting away from activities that stimulate both their brains and their bodies. There is nothing wrong with allowing kids time to indulge in electronics. It is the digital age, after all. But electronic moderation is key and we as parents have to encourage kids to rouse their brains and their bodies on a daily basis as well. Here are some tips to practice while your child is on holiday break.

Read Everything and Anything

One of the best gifts we can give to hungry brains is knowledge. Reading is still one of the most effective ways for learning new things. While chapter books are certainly wonderful, you can also give your children a variety of other materials to read such as cookbooks, nutritional labels, newspapers, magazines, menus, travel itineraries, and movie schedules. Then test their understanding by having them summarize what they read. Let them read aloud to you, to their siblings, to neighbors, and to grandparents as often as possible. By interacting with them after they have read something, you are engaging them to think, respond, and get creative.

Learn a New Hobby

Find an age-appropriate interest for your child that he or she hasn’t tried before. It could be building a model airplane, learning to paint a still life, taking a pottery class, or the trend that’s currently surging in popularity, teaching kids to knit and crochet. When the brain is learning new skills, it is also staying sharp.

Puzzles and Construction Projects

Crossword puzzles, word searches, and the popular game of Sudoku are great ways to exercise the brain. Kids needn’t spend hours doing them, either. Spending 15 minutes a day is perfect. Another wonderful way to get those brains thinking is by allowing them creative play time with construction items like Legos, wooden blocks, building card houses, constructing sand castles, and playing with big foam blocks.