“Here’s why technology is limited in my house.”

Here’s a typical scenario in my house; it’s the end of a busy day, we’re all around the table for dinner. I want to check in and see how everyone’s day has been, enjoy a meal and do that old thing called conversation but…it would appear that there’s an intruder at the table that seems to stop this conversation from even starting.

The intruder’s name is TECHNOLOGY.

I can hear the collective sigh of parents, grandparents, partners and other family members who are probably nodding along madly in agreement. Technology – it’s the ultimate conversation killer.

Now let’s be honest; technology is a fact of life and it makes our lives a bit smoother in a lot of ways. However, when do you limit it and how do you sell this to kids (young and old) who, in my experience, interact with their devices more than their families?

It’s hard one, isn’t’ it? On the one hand, many of us might secretly enjoy the peace and quiet that a device can bring to a noisy home but at the same time, I’m probably not alone in worrying that technology is reducing my loved ones interactions with the real world but is also reducing their other skills.

So, I decided to look for some non-technology activities I could introduce to my home. I have to say, I was thinking this would be a hard sell to my hand-held generation. I was struggling to find things that I could bring home to replace the use of devices and introduce some tech-free-time in the house.

Luckily, I came across the CleverDIY range for kids. There’s currently three to choose from;  the Transport Project, a Christmas Project and a Jewellery Project, all of which were reasonably priced and easy to use. And a new project will be released each month as of January 2016.

But it was the simplicity of the kits that really caught my eye.

Each kit comes with everything you need to complete a unique project – you don’t need anything other than what’s in the box and a creative mind.

I brought the CleverDIY projects home to a range of expressions: a raised eyebrow, a grunt and a sigh of ‘really?’ but I persisted. After much haggling, we sat down and the phones and tablets were turned off – it was pretty much a Christmas miracle.

What happened next was wonderful.

We opened the boxes and suddenly we were making something from scratch and adding our own creative touches to it. It was amazing to see these kids of different ages and interests knuckle down and get their hands covered in glitter and glue and interacting with each other to create something.

What was even more incredible was the conversation. It was different – it wasn’t like it is usually –where I’m looking at a bunch of young ones going through the motions whilst waiting to return to their screens – we were all interacting and enjoying the creativity that these projects were inspiring in us.

I was pretty stoked with what we created with the Transport and Jewellery Projects -- a wooden rocket, a wooden plane and car plus a wooden flower desk organiser (which I claimed as my own) and wooden bangles and trees.

When we were finished, we realised that a few hours had passed and nobody had asked to be on their phones and more importantly, the house was relaxed and interactive for the rest of the evening AND everyone slept well. That’s what tired bodies and brains will do to you.

I feel like I’ve stumbled on a goldmine here. CleverDIY  has introduced a range of creative project activities for kids that stimulates their imagination and gets them back to the basics of making things with their hands. What was really great about these projects was that we all wanted to do more.Luckily for us there’s a great website where you can buy more projects and basic craft supplies and can even subscribe to get a monthly delivery.

If you want your family to come together,enjoy each other’s company and get their creative juices flowing, then you needn’t look any further than CleverDIY.

What sort of craft do your kids enjoy?