Screen-Free Week: A Beginner’s Guide to Unplugging the Kids
National Screen-Free Week is Coming!
National Screen Free Week will be May 4-10 in 2020, and no matter how much screen time your kids usually get, I hope you’ll join me in making some changes to your family’s screen usage for a few days (at least)!
My husband and I are doing our best to practice screen-free parenting with our kids, so you may be wondering how I’ll do anything different than business as usual with my kids during Screen-Free Week.
The fact of the matter is that the changes I make for Screen-Free Week this year will affect me more than they’ll affect my kids. My pledge for Screen-Free Week 2019 wasthat I would not use my phone for social media (even my Disciple Mama accounts), games, or other entertainment while my kids were awake. I wanted to use Screen-free week as an opportunity to ‘detox’ from all that screen-time and focus on more important things.
I haven’t decided what my pledge for Screen-Free Week 2020 will be, but I’m sure it will be similar–I want to take the week to be extremely intentional about being present in the moment with my kids and with my husband (and with whomever else may be around).
What is Screen-Free Week?
Screen-Free Week is one week (the first week in May) that many families turn off their entertainment screens and focus on other things. You can read more information, as well as access many resources at screenfree.org.
The main reason that Screen-Free Week (originally called “TV Turnoff Week” was started was to help kids get back to the creative play that’s so essential to healthy child development.
Why participate in Screen-Free Week?
Play is essential for our kids, but as Christian parents focused on the discipleship of our kids, first and foremost, we can take the reasons for Screen-Free Week even further! Turning off the screens (or at least reducing our kids’ time with them) can increase their opportunities to spend time with God.
Screen-Free Week can also help your family spend more quality time together.
If everyone participates, you may be surprised at how productive you can be without all those media distractions!
Maybe you’ve been struggling with your kids’ screen usage and you’re thinking about going permanently screen-free with them (or at least screen-lite). Screen-Free Week is a great time to do a trial run and, if you decide to take the plunge, you’ve already gotten through the toughest part of the media detox!
There’s never going to be a better time to try it than now, and I mean that in more than just a carpe diem kind of way. This time of year (at least here in Michigan) is when the weather is just starting to improve to the point where it’s awesome to be outside, and we have a few great months of sun and warmth ahead of us before the long winter hits. This is the time to drop screens! That way you’ll be used to finding alternative entertainment before you and the kids are hibernating in the family room for the winter.
Benefits of Reducing Screen Time
The benefits of reducing screen time for kids are pretty intuitive, actually, but here are some that will affect the whole family (more information is available from the American Academy of Pediatrics):
- BMI increases with each hour per week of screen time in 2 year olds.
- Parental screen use is the best predictor for child screen use.
- Parents who are on their screens less interact more with their children.
- Reducing screen time facilitates more face-to-face interaction
Conduct a Screen Time Audit
Still not convinced?
There’s time between now and Screen Free Week to conduct a screen time audit. Doing this will give you an idea of how your family is interacting with screens and how much time they’re spending with digital media during a normal week.
If you like what you find, great! No changes necessary! But, for many of us, conducting this sort of audit can be really eye-opening and may lead to setting new goals or limits for our kids’ screen time.
You can keep it really simple and just track screen time, or you can track as many activities as you like.
Want to try it? Start today! I’ll send you my really simple Digital Media Audit Chart (otherwise known as a screen time chart), so you can print it out, customize it for your family, and get at it!
The idea, as always, is to be intentional about parenting our kids. To do that, it’s a great idea to know exactly how their time is spent, and then make sure that those activities line up with our family core values. If they don’t, make whatever changes are necessary to bring the ways your kids spend their time into alignment with those values.
No Screens for a Week?!
Are you ready to try it? If you’re going to take the plunge, you may be wondering how to reduce screen time for toddlers without causing tantrums or giving up your peaceful 5 minutes of morning shower time.
Well, I can’t guarantee a tantrum-free transition to no screens (and I don’t think I’ve had a peaceful shower–except when my husband is home to watch the kids–since 2015). But, I do have a few tips for keeping the peace.
Shake up the routine– If screens are a regular part of your preschooler’s routine, do something different (and I don’t mean something small) the first day. So, get crazy! Go to the zoo. Make a blanket fort and read your 2 year old’s favorite book 8 times in a row. Go for a spin on the tricycle around the block. Just shake up the routine enough that the usual screen time isn’t missed.- Include your child/ren in your tasks– Teach your children how to help you unload the dishwasher, give them dishcloths to “fold”, or tie aprons on everyone and have them help you dump ingredients into bowls (or, give them whisks and water and let them stir).
- Spend more time outside– Outdoor play works wonders, especially if your kids have been cooped up a lot during the winter. Head outside early and often, and your kids won’t be likely to ask for their screens.
- Check out this post for more screen free activity ideas!
Participate in Screen-Free Week!
Keep reading!
Check out: Great Screen-Free Activities You Can Do at Home
and: The 10 Best Low-Tech Toys for your Preschooler
Love this idea of being screen-free for a week! It gives us so many opportunities to see what we have been missing! My IG was hacked a couple weeks ago, and as annoying and time consuming as it was to get it back up and running, it made me realize how much time I spent scrolling through it mindlessly. A break away from our screens is a great thing!
Yes, it’s actually so refreshing to get away from the screens and immerse yourself in the real world for awhile, isn’t it? It’s so crazy how much time social media consumes without us even realizing it!
Our family is going to try this. It’s hard but important.
Jessica, I’m excited that you’re going to try it! I hope that it works well for you and your family. I’d love to hear how it goes!
I am completely on board with no screen week. Looking forward to screen free time this week and this summer.
That’s great to hear! I’m curious: do you have scheduled screen-free time during the summer or does it just work out that way because you’re outside more often?
So I did not do screen free week even though that was my plan. However, now that track season is officially over, I plan to be intentional with the amount of screen time my children get this week. Such a great idea!
I’m not ready to have a screen free week since everything that I do is on my phone. I know that is sad, but true. But it’s a great idea for the kiddos. Good luck and have a great time!
Wendy, I sure didn’t totally give up my screens, either. You need your screens, and using a screen supports your goals and values! For kids it’s different because sometimes screens stand in the way of their healthiest development. Of course, for someone of any age and circumstance, if the screen is standing between you and God or even you and quality family/friend time, it would be good to lay the screen aside more often and be present. I can’t cut screens because I’m a blogger and because it’s the best way to keep in touch with family and friends who live far away. But I sure can cut down on mindless scrolling when I should be present with my husband and kids. It’s all about healthy limits. Thanks so much for reading and responding to my post today!
I love that you ALSO went off your phone in front of the kids as part of the screen free week. That is such a good example! And honestly sounds so appealing to me!
I am a little late to the official screen free week, but I will make my own 😀
I definitely wasn’t perfect about staying off my phone around my kids. It’s crunch time for one of my little odd jobs (I coordinate my church’s small groups), and I had to do some things while they were up, but I was intentional about not using it for social media or games or anything like that. I’m looking forward to doing it again during Screen-Free Week in 2020, but also planning on being more mindful of how much time I’m spending behind a screen with my kids around ALL YEAR LONG. It was a good detox week, and I hope it brings lasting change for me. I am glad you’re excited about the idea, and I’d love to hear how making your own Screen-Free Week goes!!