Screen Free Week: Can TV Turn-off Week Be Screen-Reasonable?

4/22/13 - By erika

When asked to come up with a list of ten fun things to do during "Screen-Free Week," my first instinct was to come up with suggestions of fun, eclectic outdoor activities (which already abound on Mommy Poppins) that would act as fresh-air substitutes. Then I paused. In our house, screen time doesn't preclude physical, outdoor, or hands-on activities. As computer-savvy parents who take the time to use wonderful resources like this parenting website, we are highly aware of both the dangers and advantages of including some screen time for children. We've read the reports about the effects of too much television on brain development, and we're cognizant of the negative impact of substituting screen time for real human interaction. Sometimes in a two-parent family, there are even discrepancies between what we deem appropriate. It's a quest for balance.

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The most salient factor about screen time in our family is that it is not unexamined. My daughter's school, while it prioritizes hands-on, experiential education, includes an online math program. We also use our computer to communicate with far-off friends via Skype. Our daughter likes to include a half-hour of nature television or an educational video game in her day; she finds it relaxing. So do I. After our half-hour of screen time, we read together and sing songs. It is not either/or.

I believe that just as excessive screen time can erode creativity and increase obesity, "no screen time" (just like "no sugar ever" or any other absolutist restriction) can breed rebellion and compulsivity. Just look what Kevin Bacon did in Footloose when he was told he couldn't dance! For many of my friends whose children have disabilities, iPads and other technology have set them free; there's a great documentary called My Name Is Maceo that addresses how advances in mobile technology are revolutionizing communication for people with disabilities.

So I find myself in a bind. I worry that the event "Screen-Free Week," presented by Commerical-Free Childhood could actually be counter-productive, as it sets people up for feeling like failures or missing out on valuable parts of their schedules. I believe the overall mission of many of the organizations that are supporting the event (from Waldorf-based groups to nutritionists and outdoor-play supporters) is better supported, like most things, with an emphasis on a balanced approach. With all that in mind, I decided to propose that our family use the "screen-free week" concept as an exercise. Instead of composing a list of fun, wacky, time-consuming activities, my seven-year-old daughter and my husband helped me compose this list of real-world substitutions for the actual way we use screen time in our household. Here it is:

1 - In lieu of a Skype conversation with grandparents or friends who live far away, try to write an old-fashioned letter this week. Maybe even make it into a care package with physical artifacts of every day family life.

2 - Check to see what the math homework concept is on IXL.com and challenge yourself to re-create it with a hands-on activity - use paper and pen or better yet, manipulatable blocks or toys to add, subtract, approximate, etc.

3 - Instead of watching a half-hour nature show, set a timer and challenge each family member to spend that half hour searching through nature books, encyclopedias, or children's nature magazines and presenting one concept we researched to the family at dinner.

4 - Many families' ritual is limited screen-time for children while the parents make dinner. This week, consider planning a dinner that your children can truly assist with. Depending on age and developmental abilities, this might mean anything from pre-chopping vegetables, and letting them combine and toss a salad to teaching them how to carefully peel the carrots. Though in our real-time lives, cooking can't always be a pre-planned, communal event, cooking with children incorporates everything from shared ritual to math opportunities. It's a wonderful way to be together.

5 - Post-dinner walk. Now that it's getting light later, instead of settling in for that post-dinner television show, scoop out some ice cream cones and take a walk around the neighborhood. Bring a bag in which to collect rocks, leaves, other treasures.

6 - When you need that half-hour of quiet grown-up time to get some last minute work done or answer that phone call you've been putting off, dig out an old shoe box and pick the crust off the glue bottle, and ask your children to create a treasure box with the treasures collected on your walk. Remember dioramas, people? Still just as much fun as when we were kids!

7 - Sit outside your house and make a "sound map." All you need is paper and pen and a little time. Take turns - one of you holds the paper and pen and the other closes his or her eyes and listens. The listener points when s/he hears a sound and says what it is: "airplane!" or "roaaar!" The recorder draws a symbol of that noise where it lands on the paper. At the end of five minutes (or less depending on children's developmental age), you study the sound map together, then switch.

8 - Quiet living room reading half-hour. During the time when the expected activity might be group television watching, or more likely, adults looking at their individual screens while children watch theirs, turn off all media except quiet classical or jazz (instrumental) music, and each open your own book. Studies show that to become lifelong readers, children not only need to be read to, but also to see their role models reading. In this digital age, many children see their parents staring at phones and iPads more than print. Even if your children are pre-reading, they can glance through picture books while you read your novel/non-fiction book/magazine. At first it might be just a fifteen-minute quiet time, but once it becomes a ritual, it can grow.

9 - Remember Solitaire? When I was a young child, my grandpa taught me a simple version of Solitaire with a deck of cards. Teach a solo game to your child (you can get books about it, or sneak a peek online) and suggest that instead of an online game, s/he practices solo tactile games. Simple peg-jumping games also work.

10 - Discuss the concept of "screen-free." With work schedules and the pace of our current life, sitting down around the table every night can be challenging. Sit-down, screen-free, uninterrupted dinners remain a great way for families to connect, face-to-face, heart-to-heart. Introduce the topic of "screen-time" for discussion. Possible prompts: What do you miss? What feels good about less time in front of a screen? Do you notice any differences in your body, your head? If you were to eliminate just one screen activity a day, which would it be? (no, dear, the online homework is not an option.) And so on.

For our family, instead of creating absolutes, we try (not always perfectly) to create dialogue and reflection. Whether or not we decide to actually do a "Screen-Free Week," we'll use the concept as an opportunity to examine our relationship with not just screens, but the content they deliver, and explore the different ways they can create access and/or limit creativity; open doors and/or close windows; connect and/or isolate us. We will continue to strive for balance and acknowledge the ways we can improve without demonizing or lionizing the concept of "screens." I hope your family finds it equally stimulating.