This is a perfect way to incorporate a fun and musical daily routine that we can both look forward to enjoying together. We get to spend time getting ready for school, while we keep up with Melon’s adventures with Couch. Then, on our way to school we can chat about the fun episode we just listened to which allows for recall and comprehension, great skills for Lincoln to practice! The episodes are about 30 minutes so it’s perfect for getting ready before leaving, a car ride, or unwinding and having a snack after school. For us, it’s a great alternative to screen time and still engages the kids in a fun story. The amount of screens kids have to be on for school these days is so high, and we love to have them be able to stay entertained but still be present in their environments to enjoy time doing activities aside from watching TV or playing on their devices.

Introduction
Morning vibes – music lovers edition! Lincoln & I are the early birds of the house, and lately, we have been loving the addition of listening to Melon’s House Party by our partners at @WonderyKids, part of @WonderyMedia. Prior to this, we would either have a show on the TV or music playing, but this is such a nice change! We have always been cognizant of our kids’ screen time, even as tech professionals who live and breathe screens. We know that it is important to have balance and ensure our kids are able to experience and enjoy the world around them, including their home life. There are many reasons why kids, and people overall, can benefit from reduced screen time, but we won’t get into that too much, rather we can focus on what we can do to entertain and balance the need for some mental stimulation with the need for presence and task completion in a morning routine.

Even beyond morning routines, reducing screen time can help kids immensely, as allowing them to explore their creativity is more easily achieved when they aren’t eyes to the screens all day long. Screen time can be just as being responsive to boredom and other stimulating activities can replace it when it is limited. Some of our faves include reading books, listening to music/podcasts, doing crafts or artwork, and playing sports or games with the kids. Lately, we have been enjoying Melon’s House Party every school morning and also on longer car rides, since it is so convenient to sync up to our devices on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other major platform. We can even set it up to “Ask Alexa” or “Ask Siri” to play it! Following an ongoing story like this one is so fun for the kids, and brings up many ways we can connect and they can recall and discuss the happenings as well.
Melon gets into all sorts of fun with Couch, and there is a new episode every Wednesday for us once we catch up on all that are available. We never miss our morning or car ride rituals since the streaming aspect makes it so easy to turn on – we can easily just ask a voice assistant to start our podcast each morning, or set it on a schedule to start playing. Lincoln & I have been following the fun story of Melon and look forward to listening to a new episode each morning then discussing it on the way to school. The musical aspect is so fun! We can easily break into dance parties with it. We are always trying to find new ways to expose our kids to fun and educational screen-free content, so this is a great way to get some audio entertainment onboard while doing activities around the house or in car rides.




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