What would we do without TV?

I get the draw of television…I really do. I’m a stay-at-home mom, also trying to work from home a few hours each day. I’ve turned on the television so that I could squeak out another half hour on the computer, or so that I could get dinner started in peace. I get it!

The purpose of Screen-Free Week is not to burden families or to cause mayhem at home…quite the opposite, really. The purpose is to spend a week tuned-in to family life, to do just a little more connecting than you may normally do when the screens are lit up.

One of my biggest complaints about television is that it displaces moments of engagement. Couples could be engaged in conversation, children engaged in art or dramatic play, families engaged in hobbies or other pastimes. During Screen-Free Week, we are going to take those moments back!

Now this is the fun part! Make a long list of all of the wonderful screen-free activities your family might enjoy. Evening strolls, picnic in the park, dance parties, family game night… write down whatever comes to mind. Be sure to include the experiment you’ve been meaning to show the kids, and the long-lost hobby you say you never have time for. With a little bit of planning and perhaps some voting at a family meeting, this list will keep you going screen-free all week long!  And who knows? By the end of the week, your family may end up wondering how you ever had time for TV!

Need a kickstart? Here are some of my favorite activity lists!

Creative Kickstarters for Families from Mamascout


More Things To Do Instead Of Turning On The TV from Childhood 101


10 Ways to Make Today Magical from A Magical Childhood


120+ Activities for Ages 1-4 from Play, Create, Explore


 50 Things to do before you’re 11 ¾ from the UK National Trust

Screen-Free Week begins April 30th!  Will you pull the plug?

Pulling the Plug: One Family's Story

Perhaps you have already heard a lot of the reports urging parents to limit their children’s screen time. If you haven’t, I will share some highlights at the bottom of this post. But first, I thought you might enjoy a look at one family’s screen story: my own.

We are a fairly typical American family in that we do have a television in our living room. My husband and I have long enjoyed curling up on the couch and watching a good movie. We’ve been known to tune-in weekly to an entertaining series, and for a while, our children watched about an hour of television each day.

Here are some of my personal observations about kids and screens:

• First thing in the morning, plugging into a show does not satisfy a child the way that cuddling, reading or playing with a parent does. No, not even Elmo can hold a candle to playing trains with Daddy before he gets ready for work!
•  Fast-paced television shows and cartoon characters are overwhelming to young children. After all the stimulation, it’s very hard for little ones to transition to another calmer activity.
• Children’s play is more original and imaginative when it’s not influenced by the characters and story lines of television shows.
• There is an addictive quality to children's programming, especially for little ones who want to stay with these "friends" and have the television experience to continue.
• Even when you avoid commercial television, the characters from children’s shows appear everywhere- on groceries, toys, games and clothes- and even the most passive television observers seem to pick up the marketers’ trail of crumbs.

So what’s a parent to do?

In our house, we decided to pull the plug on children’s television. Immediately, my daughters were more alert and vibrant, transitions between activities improved, and the whole family gained more time for each other. Within two days, the requests to watch a show quieted considerably, and imaginative play began to return to normal- full of fantasy and originality.

With Screen Free Week approaching, take some time today to make observations in your own home. What affect do you think television is having on your children?  Do you notice changes in play and energy and moods?  What would family life look like without screen time?

For some additional perspectives, I leave you with a few facts, figures and quotes from leading child advocates:

[Pediatricians should] discourage television viewing for children younger than 2 years, and encourage more interactive activities that will promote proper brain development, such as talking, playing, singing, and reading together.- American Academy of Pediatrics

Limit children's total media time (with entertainment media) to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality programming per day.- American Academy of Pediatrics

Companies spend about $17 billion annually marketing to children, a staggering increase from the $100 million spent in 1983.- Factsheet, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood

Television is a direct counter-force to simplifying, and it's stronger than the mightiest parent armed with good intentions. Television runs on commercials, the siren song of "stuff." An altar of commercialism, it is your home's most efficient conduit of clutter. -  Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne

Children today have less time for outdoor play than any previous generation, in part because they spend an average of seven and a half each day in front of a television, computer screen or playing video games. Screen-Free week is a great reminder that good old fashioned play is not only fun, but important for our children’s overall health and well-being. See what happens when the prepackaged entertainment stops and your brains can wander wherever they may.- Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO, KaBOOM!

Screen Free Weeks begins April 30th. I hope you will consider pulling the plug, too!

Lessons from the morning news

The countdown to Screen-Free Week continues! 

Today, I'm over at Kidoinfo sharing my impressions of the morning news.  Come on over and say hello!

Be sure to check back here tomorrow for more tips and tools to help you prepare for screen-free success next week.

Getting Ready to Unplug

My family will be going Screen-Free from April 30-May 6 and we want you to join us!

What is Screen Free Week?

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 time with family and friends.

– Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood

Most of us grew up with televisions in our homes and their presence in our living rooms feels completely normal. But times have certainly changed since we were young, and children’s media usage is at an all-time high.  According to The Nielsen Company’s research, the average preschooler spends 32 hours in front of screens each week.

The number sounds astonishing, but let’s imagine what it might actually look like in our own homes. We’re talking about an average of 4 ½ hours each day. Maybe the average family turns on 2 shows in the morning as everyone is just waking up. Then they go about their day. Perhaps they turn on the television again in the afternoon, say another 2 shows after nap. Maybe there is 1 more show or a game while parents are making dinner. Before you know it, your preschooler has watched 32 hours of television throughout the week- the equivalent of a part-time job.

But I think preschoolers have a much more important job to do-- that of being a child.  Of playing, running, climbing, imagining and adventuring.  Of hearing stories read aloud and painting pictures.  Of helping in the kitchen or outside in a garden.  Of feeling loved and important, connected with no distractions.

Whether your kids are racking up the hours, or not even close to average, Screen Free Week gives us all a chance to look at our own families and our own viewing habits.

So just for fun today, count ‘em up! How many hours are your children entertained by something on a screen each day? How many hours do you spend in front of a screen? Write it down, notice the patterns and the times of day you use screens the most. Then tally it up for the week. How do you feel about the number? Do you think you could swap an hour or two for a different kind of family connection?

I’ll be back in this space throughout the days leading up to Screen Free Week, with more about my own family’s media experiment and tips to help you embrace seven days, unplugged! Stay tuned…