Tips for a Low Screen Summer
If you are not careful, those lazy days of summer can quickly turn into hours and hours of screentime for your kids.
Screens and phones have been around long enough for parents to see some of the ill effects – diminihsing family time, trouble focusing on long tasks, higher states of irritability, lowering of frustration tolerance and a need for lots of dopamine!!!
And I am guessing because you are here, that you want to come up with some screentime rules for summer
Don’t Miss the Screenfree ideas free download at the end!.
Help Your kids have a low screen summer
Idea #1 Get Your expectations clear in your mind, first.
Before you have a conversation with your kids about their wishes for screen/phone time, make sure you have clear expectations of your own. Think about the usage that will be acceptable to you, first:
- How much time per day is acceptable?
- What is the expectation for acceptable types of screentime? – video games, social media, etc.
- What time of day are screens okay to use?
- Are there spots in the house that are totally off limits for screens?
- Where will devices be charged at night?
Take some time to talk it over with other who help parent your kids (babysitters, coparents, grandparents, etc) and be clear about your goals and why you’d really like to focus on activities that are screen free this summer.
Idea #2 Start with a conversation About Screens
Depending on the age of your kids, setting limits on screentime can be a tricky thing.
No longer can you just declare ,”There will be no screens all summer long!”
There has to be a conversation where everyone’s needs are expressed and HEARD. Your child gets to have say in what’s important to him and you get to voice your concerns.
You can start the conversation with a few of your non-negotiables, like no phones out in the car, devices must be charged away from bedrooms overnight, etc.
Then get your kids input on what they’d like to be doing on a screen, and how much screentime they think is reasonable.
You might have to give in a bit to come to a mutually satisfactory plan. Write it down and refer to it, if needed.
It does not have to be complicated. With teens, I enforce a 3 consecutive hours without a phone on days they do not work in the summer. Younger kids will need much less screentime.
Idea #3 Focus on Screenfree activities that are fun
Be sure to brainstorm all the other activities they could be doing besides being on a screen. It might be super helpful to document these ideas on a big poster, so kids are reminded of all the fun things available to them that do not involve screens.
Idea #4 Let your kids be bored
Oh, I could go on and on about the benefits of being bored. You probably already realize this, which is why you are here, finding ways to decrease/eliminate screen over the summer.
There are so many benefits that come from being bored. When kids are bored:
- They develop creativity skills.
- Problem solving skills are greatly improved.
- Planning skills are put to use.
- They might need to work together and cooperate.
- They feel empowered and in charge of their own happiness.
Wow! What a list!! If you kids have trouble figuring out what to do, you can sit and make a big list with them. Look thru your art supplies, unused toys, outdoor equipment, etc. and see what could be dusted off and used this summer.
Idea#5 not all screen time is created equal.
Make sure you are clear about the expectations around all different types of screentime. There are plenty of “better” options for being on a screen.
- You can connect as a family while watching movies together.Â
- Zoom meetings with friends and family.
- Online classes like Outschool, or learning a skill like Typing.
- Relevant YouTube Videos to learn a skill or research a topic.
- Creating stop motion movies, editing videos, etc.
Personal note: One of the best classes we took several summers ago was our Kids Cook Real Food Class from Katie Kimball of Kitchen Stewardship. I’ve talked about her awesome cookbooks, and her classes are just as valuable.
You might want to allow more screen time this summer for social, creative or educational screens than just videogaming or mindless scrolling.
Idea #6 It’s okay (& Necessary) to enforce a time limit
Remember, you are the parent and can enforce screentime rules for summer, if your kids can’t do so for themselves. You know when it’s too much for your kiddo and they need to have someone else step in and help them manage their screen use.
If I did not enforce a limit, my kids would be on screens for 12 hours a day, literally. They become addicted very quickly, if I don’t step in – still at 14 and 16.
Kids need limits – especially kids who loose track of time and get addicted to the dopamine rush that screens provide.
Limits can look like a certain number of minutes per day to be on a screen OR you can have a time frame where screens are a choice, say 7 to 9 at night or the hour just before dinner.
Maybe your limit is no more than 90 minutes of video game playing a day. Those limits can expand a bit when there are social opportunities, like playing with friends in person or talking via headphones to friends playing elsewhere.
The games they play should be monitored. There are so many games out there that are just too much for kids – too violent, too sexually explicit, etc.
Again, this is a personal choice, but less is always better, when it comes to screen time.
Idea #7 Share some rules as a family
It is vital for all family members to abide by screentime rules. Kids are smart and will wonder why you get to have your phone at the table if they can’t.Â
Rules like these seem doable as a family:
- No screens at the table for mealtimes.
- All screens away an hour (or two!) before bed. Even better – to a central charging station.
- No phones out at restaurants.
- No phones out in the car. (definitely front seat passengers)
- Limited(or no)engagement on social media sites
- No screens in bedrooms past 9 pm.
Idea #8 “Low Screen Summer” will vary from kid to kid
There are no absolutes when it comes to screentime across the board. How a kid reacts to being on a screen will vary. My kids turn into zombies, some kids are calmed by screens.
It’s important to observe your own kid and see how they react. We don’t start any video gaming until 4 pm. If we started earlier, my kids would not be able to rouse themselves back to another activity.
I know this because I observe my kids before, during, and after being on all sorts of screens. You know your kid best.
Prioritize Connection over Screens
When kids are spending too much time on a screen, it’s usually at the expense of family connection time.
Kids holed up in their rooms for hours, day after day, with little to no interaction with their family is not what we’re aiming for.
Make sure you are planning and prioritizing family connection time to happen as often as possible. Do that first.
Summertime = Downtime
You are not a cruise director, so be sure to stock up on things that promote open-ended play and creative time. It’s good for kids to be bored and come up with their own plan.
Preparing the house to make sure you have supplies that encourage creative play:
- Have a section of your yard that can be used for dirt play. Your kids can spend lots of time digging and building forts, etc. Mix in pallets and pavers , rocks, vehicles a hose and they can build all sort of structures.
- Consider having lots of art supplies. Have supplies readily available on a few shelves when inspiration strikes.
- Blocks, legos, Kapla Blocks, and Magna Tiles are available at all times.
- Visit the library weekly to make sure you have enough to read. are voracious readers and can go thru 5 or 6 books a week.
