Interested in a low-tech summer full of productivity, rest, and family connection? I made a free resource to help you accomplish just that. Grab my summer screen time rules free printable below to help your child enjoy a summer with decreased tech time and increased play. Summer is the perfect time for a digital reset!
Summer Screen Time Rules Free Printable
This free printable package was specially designed with families in mind who long to limit screen time and create lasting memories with their kids this summer. Everything you need to manage your child’s summer routine and create a screen time plan you are comfortable with is included in this printable.
Here’s a sample of what you will get inside this Screen Free Mom free printable package:
- An easily customizable summer screen time budget tracker where you get to set a custom screen time limit for your unique child. This printable is fun for kids and gets them involved in the process of managing their tech time as they get to color in shapes and see a visual of how much they have left throughout the week.
- A summer morning routine and daily summer schedule sheet for kids that you can post to the fridge for your child to reference.
- A summer checklist before screen time to guide your kid through positive activities before they touch any devices.
- Both a blank and a filled in summer screen time rules printable with lots of food for thought for families navigating the digital age with children.
- Master list of indoor and outdoor screen free activities to fill up lazy summer days.
- A place for your child to set some summer goals they can look forward to.
- A summer chore chart to make your life easier as you handle the logistics of your home.
Grab the free printables below
Thinking of doing a summer screen time detox?
For the past several years, our family has intentionally unplugged from technology for the summer. Our goal is to keep adult tech usage to a minimum and keep the kids entirely screen free for several months between May to August.
This is way easier and more doable than it might sound. Once you pull the plug on devices and get some momentum going, your distraction free summer will take on a life of its own. In my experience, I have found that children quickly adjust and actually thrive when electronics are no longer an option.
During our summer detox we like to get outdoors together, make memories, read books, take weekend trips, and host friends for dinner and game nights.
Whether you choose to do a week, a month, or a full summer offline, you will be glad you did.
Here are 5 reasons to decrease your family’s tech usage this summer…
5 Reasons Why
You Should Unplug Your Family From Screens This Summer
# 1 Everyone Needs A Tech Detox
Reason number one that you should consider doing a screen free summer with your family is that everyone needs to detox from technology from time to time. While I’ve never met anyone who said, “I think our family should spend more time on screens,” I’ve heard of plenty of families struggling to balance their technology usage.
# 2 To Make Lasting Memories
This is the last summer that your family will be at their current ages and stages. Enjoy it! For me personally, I know that this summer is the last time I will swim with a 9, 7, 4, and 1 year old. Next year they will all be a little older and a little different. That is natural and good. Seasons are meant to change and we ought to enjoy them all. But let’s be fully present where we are and make all the memories we can with our kids at their current ages.
Resist the temptation to capture every moment in a photo or post your quality time to social media. Instead, simply enjoy the time with you’ve been given with your precious ones, take as many mental pictures as you can, and keep a journal of the memories you create with your family.
Need simple ideas for things to do with kids to make lasting memories? Read this post:
# 3 You Will Get Stuff Done
Does the pantry need to be completely reorganized? Do closets need a good declutter? Do the kids need to master their math facts before the next school year begins? Does the toddler need to be potty trained? Do you want to read more to your kids? Do you and your husband have an unfinished home project list a mile long? Get off screens!
There is so much we could get done in a more efficient and timely way if we didn’t get lost in the virtual time suck day in and day out. Screen based entertainment and social media was designed to keep us distracted. I have found in my own life that when I try to “multitask” and involve screen time in any task I need to get done, the chore takes me longer and feels harder than it ought to. On the other hand, when technology usage is simply not an option, my whole family gets more done.
# 4 Behavior Will Improve
Every time we have done an intentional digital detox behavior has improved (and I don’t just mean the kids)! Too much screen time can have a negative effect on sleep and mood. Not to mention all the healthy things we are typically not doing when we’re zoned out in front of a screen, such as exercising, getting natural sunlight, taking walks, working with our hands, and engaging with other humans in-person. A screen free summer might be just the trick to boost your mood, improve your sleep, and make your entire family happier.
# 5 Devices Will Lose Their Grip On You
This last reason is perhaps the most important reason why you should do a screen free summer with your family. The truth is that our habits become second nature. If our current habit is to reach for our smartphone multiple times an hour or if our kid’s current habit is to play video games whenever they feel bored, then we have most likely become attached to those habits.
Quitting technology is actually the hardest part of the entire process. The initial act of deciding, deleting, and putting it away is the challenge. What comes after we decide is the easy part. Living unplugged is entirely enjoyable. Most people who do a screen detox feel light and free. They wonder why they didn’t do it sooner. But in order to get through that point, you have to wade through the screen time fog and make a decision.
If you’re read to disconnect from the virtual world and plug into what truly matters, it’s as simple as closing the laptop, letting the smartphone die, and stashing the video game system in the attic for a while. Start replacing time online with human connection and time outdoors and you will feel refreshed.
If you are looking for more encouragement and support on your journey to limit screen time, I have several posts that will walk you through exactly how to successfully decrease your family’s tech usage that I will link for you below.
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