Steps:
Have you ever considered making a screen-free zone in your home? It's a great way to cut down the time your family spends on mind-numbing screens and encourage more family time!
Now you might be asking: What exactly is a screen free zone? It's simple, a screen-free zone is a designated area or time period where electronic devices are not allowed. By creating a screen-free zone, you can limit the amount of time your children spend in front of screens and encourage them to engage in more meaningful activities, either by themselves or with the rest of the family.
1. Pick Your Screen Free Zone
First, you'll need to pick where to have your screen free zone. Some popular areas for screen free zones are:
-Bedrooms: This is an excellent screen free zone for lots of reasons. Kids love to escape to their rooms to be on their phones, video game consoles, you name it. Having the bedroom as a screen free zone helps you be able to keep a close eye on your kids' screen time, as well as make sure they're staying safe online. It also helps kids wind down before bed and get a good night's sleep.
-The Dinner Table: Having the dinner table as a screen free zone makes for a lot more time together as a family. Time together at the dinner table is a lot more important than you think, check out this heartwarming video for example.
-The Family Room (or living room): The Family/Living room is often the go to spot to hang out and relax. Keeping the Family Room free of screens encourages family games MUCH more often. If you make the Family Room your screen free zone, be sure to keep it stocked with a variety of card and board games instead! Also be sure to check out this article about why you should start a family game night every week.
Another trend we see is people establishing a screen free time of the day, like during meals or before bedtime. We'll explore this idea in a later blog.
2. Set Clear Boundaries
Next, you'll need to establish boundaries, and be as consistent as you possibly can. Having consequences only sometimes leads to children thinking you are being unfair and builds resentment.
3. Lead By Example
Make sure to show your children what an important balance of screen time and other activities look like. Your kids imitate your behavior, so if you cheat, they'll think it is ok to cheat on the rules as well. Show what kind of fun things there are to do that aren't on phones, TV's, or consoles! Read a newspaper, play card or board games, read a novel, etc.
4. Gradual Adjustments
You may need to watch your family's response and make small changes. Maybe you allow phone calls, or you allow a TV in the family room but only when you're all there to watch together, etc.
Don't forget to reward your family for following the rules! By following these steps, you'll help your family reduce stress, increase time together making memories, and show your kids what a healthy balance between screens and life looks life.