Go out to dinner and count how many kids are on an iPad or iPhone. We don’t judge, we swear, this isn’t about saying one way of parenting is right or wrong, rather a way to turn your kids’ interests towards a more academic direction while still keeping you sane. So, how many kids did you count? I can’t remember a dinner out where there wasn’t a kid on an electronic device.

We are really strong believers that electronics do not teach kids. . . anything. If all of those academic apps were really teaching our youth, then grades would be up, state testing scores would be out of this world, and school would be a breeze. But, we’re seeing the exact opposite. We are seeing more and more children who don’t know how to read by 1st grade, and who aren’t fluent readers in 5th grade and the subject most students struggle in is still math. (If you’re interested in the academia, please reach out to us and we’ll send you a few of the articles we’ve been reading.) Quick recap: screen time does not improve academics. What improves reading and helps children read better? Reading! And that’s the same for every other subject.

Do you remember when you took your baby’s pacifier away or stopped breast feeding, tried sleep training, offering vegetables, or any number of things you just knew your baby was going to be so mad about? How long did it take before they were back to their normal, happy selves? 2 days? 3? A week? And what happened after that? I bet they were great! While the struggle might feel like it’ll make you lose your mind, it’s over sooner than you expected. It’s the same for screen time. The more activities you do that don’t involve a screen, the less your child will want, need a screen.

There are some AMAZING options for you and your family, or even for independent play time, regardless of whether you’re at dinner, making dinner, are on the phone, in the car, or in the shower. There are a plethora of activities that your child can do WITHOUT any screen, be just as happy, and be more prepared when school starts.

We’ll start with our car bag. In Henley’s tiny, rainbow backpack, we always pack:

A pad of blank paper
A pencil bag that we sewed and puffy painted together (pictures of which will not be shown because while Henley is proud of it, it’s not my finest work) now consists of markers, pens, colored pencils, and crayons. When she was 2, and even early in her 3’s, we had to nix the markers because well, I’m sure you can imagine. We’d turn our heads and her arms would be colored green and her clothes polka dotted blue.
A small tin filled with Legos
A small puzzle
A few thin books
Plus a Target or Lululemon-sized bag filled with new books, library books, and more and more books

Minus the 50 pound bag of books, that rainbow backpack goes everywhere with us. It’s our out-to-meals bag, at-a-friend’s-house bag, our plane bag, our pool bag, and as you can see, that is our basic do-anything bag.

Home is a bit of another story. Just kidding, it’s really similar, just messier!

Art with parents. . . quick dry in the oven!

We have a pad of paper in every room with some sort of writing utensil. This includes sidewalk chalk outside, paints, crayons, markers, and more. And they’re all accessible without us. In the not so distant past, play dough was a huge hit.
We also have a bookshelf or stack of books in every room, including the bathroom. When we started, Henley couldn’t read any of them on her own, but she would still go through them as if she could.
There is a cabinet full of puzzles. At 1, Henley could manage 12 pieces on her own, but we’d work on 24-36 piece puzzles together. If your child hasn’t started doing puzzles yet, start! It’s a great way to start pattern recognition, learn colors, words, counting, sequencing, and more! Henley will still go back to the really easy puzzles on some days, and on other days she’s working out a few hundred pieces.
There is always dancing and gymnastics, whether stretching on the floor, jumping on the bed, swinging on a bar, or walking across a beam. If your child prefers running or riding a bike, get those going!
The same goes for music - we always offer it, it’s always out. However, now that Henley takes lessons, she’s less likely to choose music unless people are over or she particularly loves a song.

Not much is different if we’re around. We will take the same basic activities and expand them. We’ll go to the aquarium and draw the coolest fish we find or we’ll paint on huge canvases at home. We’ll read books that Henley loves or books that we know she needs help with. We have a microscope that we use for everything from drops of blood, parts of leaves, ants and cockroach legs, and anything that we can fit onto a slide is fair. We’ll also play board games like backgammon and chess, card games like Blackjack and Rummy, and lately Henley has been extra interested in playing doctor and in magic, so we’re trying to learn and teach those simultaneously. If anyone is good at card or coin magic, please help!

As you can see, we stay busy, but we don’t have one million choices available or toys laying around the house. Yet, Henley is rarely bored. And if she is, she’ll lay on the couch and make a fort, as to play hide-and-seek, or sit on the kitchen counter with us and just chat. It’s created a great relationship within our family, and one where there is no screaming or yelling or getting mad about a screen. If you’re brave enough to take the plunge, we salute you! You and your family can be screen-free, no matter what time it is! That is. . . until all of the kids are asleep, then you can binge watch whatever you want!

To be clear, we’re not crazy about screen time, which I feel like we need to reiterate. She’s seen a few movies, usually of books we’ve read first, she’s seen some gymnastics and ballet, and if she’s at someone else’s house, she’s under their rules, but our general, weekly routine does not involve technology. Be firm, don’t back down, no means no, not another 45 seconds or one more game. Now take all of that time and add in a few books and you will start to see a difference in your child’s willingness to sit and learn within the week!

Screen-Free Days