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Sunday, April 21, 2013

25 Ideas for Screen Free Week

Screen Free Week is almost here...are you and your family participating?  From April 29-May 5 we are all challenged to turn off our TVs, put down the tablets, close the laptops and hide the smartphones while we learn to entertain ourselves and each other.

Those of you who have been here before know that I am not an anti-TV mom.  In fact I have written about what I feel are some positive benefits of television and other technology for children.  That being said, in this technology driven age it does us all well to consciously put it all aside from time to time.  It might be hard for your kids, it might be hard for you, but you might want to give it a try.

If you think you might be up for the challenge you can click here for an official pledge card.  The Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood has many other resources that you might find useful for screen free week and beyond.

There is so much you can do with the screens turned off.  Here are some of my ideas to get you started.


  1. Read, read, read!
  2. Stay up late and go on a flashlight hike.
  3. Look for pictures in the clouds.
  4. Check out an audio book that the whole family will enjoy.
  5. Take your kids on a mystery drive.  Choose a destination and give them clues so they can guess where thay are headed.
  6. Try letterboxing.  There is treasure hidden near you, just follow the clues to get there.  Go to letterboxing.org to learn all about it.
  7. Daydream.
  8. Put on a shadow puppet show.
  9. Listen to an old time radio show.
  10. Create a work of art to hang.
  11. Build a fort out of sheets and blankets.  Hide out inside and tell stories about when you were a kid.
  12. Learn Pig Latin, then try to speak it for the rest of the night.
  13. Play board and card games.
  14. Fly a kite.
  15. Go on a backyard scaverger hunt. 
  16. Play wiffleball, or soccer, or horseshoes, or tag, or anything else you can think of in the backyard or nearby field. 
  17. Bake together.
  18. Put on a family play.
  19. Have a talent show.
  20. Write and illustrate a book.
  21. Plan and plant a garden.
  22. Design and build something.
  23. Write letters to friends.
  24. Call a relative that lives far away.
  25. Go out for ice cream.
Have a great screen free week!

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3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing about Screen Free Week! We'd love for you to share on our Screen free Activity and Resources Link up. Shared your post on our Pinterest Board too!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by. I linked up and love your Pinterest board!

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  2. I'd love for you to share your family-friendly crafts and ideas at Monday Kid Corner at thejennyevolution.com. See you at the party!

    Jennifer

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