No excuses

I've been working with National Family Week over the last couple of weeks. They've just done a survey which has highlighted that the average family spends just 49 minutes together every day, adding up to about 6 hours a week in total. Shocking! I can't believe that as a nation we aren't able to do better than that.

Yes, we all have time constraints. Yes, we are all very busy, (particularly our children with the myriad of after-school school activities that are on offer). But 49 minutes? I can only assume that although we may all be under the same roof for many, many more minutes, we are not in the same room, doing the same thing. What's more likely is that we are all glued to different screens in different corners of the house, in our own solitary worlds, bumping into each other for the occasional meal, the occasional break from our beloved technology.

It's a simple thing to remedy. You just have to make being in the same room more fun than typing on social networking sites using as many indecipherable abbreviations as you can, or collecting thousands of gold coins on a purple scooter dressed as a cyber-hedgehog. A bit of effort, a bit of imagination, and a bit of humour is all you need. So no excuses. Try playing any of the games on this blog if you're stuck.

If you need to get out of the house, away from household chores and the temptation of screentime in order to get your family minutes up, then make the most of National Family Week during the upcoming half-term. There are over five thousand events planned, most of them free, across the country. So once again, no excuses. Visit their website http://www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk/ to find out what's happening in your area.

GMTV clips

Just wanted to let readers know that lots of my ideas were recently included in eight separate mini-films shown on GMTV during the Easter holidays. They are still accessible via their website so click on this link to check them out. http://www.gm.tv/lifestyle/families-and-parenting/47508-polly-beard-raising-kids-parenting-advice.html

My own lovely children, plus a fantastic motley collection of nieces, nephews, godchildren and other willing friends helped make filming these clips an absolute pleasure. The fun and spontaneity of a game can easily get lost when you have to reshoot a section over and over again, but my little helpers were amazingly patient and understanding. So huge thanks to Ella, Joe, Betty, Alfie, Hazel, Jared, Emma, Eddie, Dan and Jack. All stars, the lot of you.

Are We Nearly There Yet?

Car journeys can be SO long and boring, particularly at the moment when going any faster than 10 miles an hour in the snow and ice seems downright foolish. If you're unlucky enough to get stuck in a jam and have very fidgety children in the back, or just fancy a game to help pass the time, here are some of my faves you might like to try.

With Ding Dong Splat!, one of you tells a story and everyone else does the sound effects. It doesn't matter what your story is about, but tales of spooky houses or trips to the farmyard always keep everyone going for ages. Be sure to include good noisy things such as footsteps, thunder, laughing, sneezing, police sirens, farting pigs and a trumpet fanfare. Make sure everyone has a go at being the storyteller.

A good one for a jam is Who Are You And What Do You Do? Take a good look at any person in a nearby car, and try to imagine what their name is, what they do for a job, whether they are happy or sad and why, which football team they support, whether they have ever been told off by a policeman, what they got for Christmas, etc. This is also great on a train journey as long as other passengers don't catch you staring at them.

And if you're still bored, get rid of some of your frustration with a bit of Car-Drumming. Twiddle the radio tuner until you stumble upon some suitable music - anything with a solid drum beat will do. Then get drumming with imaginary drumsticks and an imaginary drum kit around you complete with cymbals and percussion accessories. Shake your hair in front of your eyes and pout, then get drumming. Wink rock-star style now and then into an imaginary camera. Be careful not to poke anyone in the eye or hit the front seats otherwise they may just show their nastier rock-star temperament!