Construction Photo Build Challenge

I was sent the Brackitz toys for review. All opinions are my own.

Did you know that the average 8-year-old spends approximately 5 hours a day watching tv and maybe 35 minutes a day reading? In fact, total electronic media exposure is over 7 hours daily. And while I haven’t seen a recent report on how much unstructured play children get daily, I tend to think that there is not much time left after 7 hours interacting with a screen. As I read the numbers of the Kaiser Family Report (2010), I didn’t want to believe it. And then I sat down for dinner with my own kids at a restaurant…

Within minutes, they were asking for my cell phone so that they could watch Netflix while we waited. Even my nine-month-old grabbed for it. It was hard to admit, but as I looked honestly at my families screen time habits, I had to admit that a report that claimed 7 hours a day of media exposure was completely possible.

After taking an honest look at our media habits, I wanted to come up with a game that we could take with us on the go, that could be played inside, and worked for quiet time. Something that could encourage my kids to ditch the technology on their own. This Construction Photo Build Challenge worked like a charm and my kids have been requesting this activity over their tv time.

While this activity still technically counts as media exposure, and I do make my kids spend their screen coins for it, it has always led to unstructured media free play for us. Usually, my kids complete 2-3 photo challenges before their creativity takes over. My kids also LOVE setting up these challenges for each other.

Items Needed for a Construction Photo Build Challenge

Phone or Tablet
Construction Toys (we used Brackitz for this post which you can find for sale here)

How to Play

The hardest part of setting up this activity is coming up with creative builds for your child to recreate. My son loves to take photos of his builds and save them for future recreation which is a fantastic way to get around having to come up with new ideas every time your child requests to play this game. Right now on my phone, we have photos of a rocket ship, a helicopter, a fire truck, and a dinosaur. Some of them look absolutely nothing like what he says they are, and that’s ok. Because in his imagination they have come to life.

I love that we don’t have to print these cards off and that it is something that can easily fit into my diaper bag. I also love how it engages my children’s critical thinking and creative skills. He gets so into this activity he doesn’t even notice the minute I remove the phone from play…

If your family does this activity we would love to see it! Share photos of your kids or their creations with us on Facebook (just post it straight to our page) or on Instagram using the hashtag #Parenting Chaos!

Share This with Other Parents!