Screen Free Summer? Let’s Do This!

When we first introduced the idea of a screen free summer to the kids, I had braced myself for some serious whining, a healthy helping of “this is so unfair”, and plenty of “but none of my friends have to”. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised by their reaction. Excitement. My kids were actually excited about the prospect of spending an entire summer, seventy five days in all, away from a screen. Their reaction, while unexpected, was definitely encouraging, and has strengthened my resolve to actually make this happen.

Let me first say that I am not judging anyone who lets their children have access to a screen. While not daily, our kids DO watch TV, spend time on the Kindle, play online games, etc. And I love when they do. I’m pretty much guaranteed a bit of peace and quiet (once the argument over what exactly they will watch is settled), and they are thoroughly entertained for the duration. However, do I believe other options exist to achieve this same level of serenity? Absolutely. And that is where the screen free summer comes in.

All too often, screen time is their fall back. “I’m bored. Can I play Angry Birds?” “There’s nothing to do. Can I watch a movie?” I hear questions like these on a daily basis. But I won’t this summer. Because we have eliminated that option. Our kids will have to get creative.

Read a book. Even our youngest two, at two and four, spend loads of time “reading”.

Play a board game. We have several currently gathering dust in our storage room.

Create something. Our kids do amazing things with paper, glue, and a bit of imagination.

Get outside. Ride a bike. Draw chalk pictures on the driveway. Play Charlie Ball (A game of my son’s invention. Still not sure how it works, but they have a blast every time!). Set up a car wash. Skip stones in the creek.

And when they run out of ideas? I have more than a few up my sleeve.

Will my children retain their current enthusiasm for this great experiment all summer long? Probably not. Will the novelty wear off on that fourth rainy day in a row, or perhaps the second straight week of oppressive heat and humidity? Likely so. Will they have moments of utter boredom? Definitely. Is that okay? It sure is.

The purpose of this screen free period is not to keep the kids so crazy busy and our days so full that they don’t have time to watch a movie, play a game, use an app. Rather, it’s about giving them an opportunity to use that time in another way, whether that be creating an artistic masterpiece, going on a scavenger hunt in our backyard, or reading an exciting and colorful new book. Even if that means they twiddle their thumbs for 45 minutes before they come up with their big next idea.

I will consider it a success if, by the end of the summer, they don’t give the screen free concept a second thought. I’d love it if, instead of labeling this “the summer we weren’t allowed to watch TV” or “that time my mom took my Kindle away”, their memories focused on all the things they DID do. The places they explored, the things they created, the fun they had. And if, come August 12^th and the start of another school year, they don’t acknowledge the end of our screen free time…well, I’m certainly not going to remind them!