Screen-Free Week: Turn off that TV to celebrate – not suffer
You’re Invited to a Celebration!!
What: Screen-Free Week 2013 When: April 29-May 5 Why: To get reacquainted with the “natural” world
Can you survive a digital detox? Take on the challenge this spring with your family during Screen-Free Week. The Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood says, “Screen-Free Week is a national celebration where children, families, schools and communities spend seven days turning off entertainment screen media and turning on life. It’s a time to unplug and play, read, daydream, create, explore and spend more time with family and friends.”
Dr. Jennifer Andrews of Shawnee Mission Pediatrics says that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, screen time is strongly discouraged for children under 2. For older children, one to two hours of entertainment screen time with nonviolent, educational programming is the suggested limit. Dr. Andrews also says, “There should never be a TV in a child’s room, as it interferes with their sleep patterns.”
Screen-Free Week is an opportunity to jumpstart a “digital diet” that may even result in a lifestyle change…big or small. Make Screen-Free Week work for you. Participate for a week or participate for a day. Do it with just your TV or include all screens. Shut down all your social networks or just vow to get together with friends instead of texting. Make your own rules.
“I put a sheet over each of our TVs for the week to make it ‘out of sight out of mind,’” Lenexa mom Jennifer Koskela says. Talk to your family about your goals for the week and, more importantly, what fun things you want to do together! Planning these activities as a family will build the anticipation and enjoyment of the week.
Ironically, the computer screen can help you prepare for going screen free. Once again, Pinterest delivered some awesome ideas when I searched “fun and active alternatives to screen time.” Check it out and consider these other simple, fun and inexpensive ways to enjoy your vacation from the screen.
Screens Off INSIDE
- Look at family photo albums and share stories about people and places.
- Make homemade pizzas for dinner.
- Bake cookies together for a neighbor or friend.
- Play! Board games, cards, dominoes…when was the last time you played a game that wasn’t an app?
- Craft! Check out www.InnerChild.com ahead of time for tons of fun and inexpensive craft ideas.
- De-clutter and organize. Thin out the toy boxes, garages, closets and donate.
- Set up some cups as pins and have a family game of hallway bowling.
- Curl up and read a book together.
- Work on a jigsaw puzzle throughout the week.
- Have an indoor campout with a homemade fort.
Screens Off OUTSIDE
- Grow something in the garden; pot some plants or herbs.
- Explore your neighborhood.
- Picnic in the park.
- Take a family bike ride.
- Create an obstacle course.
- Visit a new playground.
- Adopt a new active family hobby: bike riding, walking, geo-caching, etc…
Screens Off AROUND TOWN
- Set up a time to volunteer at a pet shelter, soup kitchen, etc.
- Go see the game. Don’t watch it in pixels—see the REAL thing (Go, Royals!).
- Check out the public parks in your area.
- Call Aunt Edna—set up some visits to those relatives and friends you have been meaning to see. This is a perfect week to bring over a meal and spend some time catching up.
- Spend some time at your local library.
Make sure to visit www.ScreenFreeKC.com for a calendar of local events during Screen-Free Week!
For more information on Screen-Free Week, visit www.ScreenFree.org or check out the Facebook page https://www.Facebook.com/ScreenFreeWeek.
It will be hard to part with her iPad for a week, but Amanda Doll is looking forward to taking on the challenge of Screen-Free Week with her family in Lenexa.