I’d love to read a day in the life of a screen-free kid during summer break! The bulk of this day is spent at school, where presumably they’re not on screens by default.
I agree that a summer day would be helpful, and will write it up as soon as school's out in another 2 weeks. There are, however, a surprising number of hours not spent in school. The day described above is half school, half home time, when you actually calculate it (7 hours each). But stay tuned!
I realize it's not an option for many families, but if you never introduce "screen time" then this never becomes a question you have to ask. I realize this could sound snide and I do not intend for it to at all -- it's just another route in to an analog life. My kids are young (3 & 8) so I realize it's different at this age. We don't have a TV in the main part of the house (just in the attic for my husband to watch basketball), and the kids don't have iPads or anything so it just never comes up, and time gets filled with other activities without us having to explicitly think about alternatives to screens. Life just...happens.
The best thing my husband and I ever did was not own a tablet before our son was born. If we don't have one, why would we buy one for a baby?! And phones are for adults, so again, why give one to a baby?
Same. We don’t own a tablet and our 3 year old is only interested in phones as cameras. It’s a non-issue… for now, lol. We are fans of TV but as a communal activity (i. e. Family Movie Night).
We are okay with TV that we choose, like Kipper, Franklin (his parents are my role models!) Stinky and Dirty, and some old school Snoopy, when we are at home. My husband worked from the living room for the first 2.5 years of our son's life, so that really helped not introduce screens!
Happy to see a kindred spirit, because it can feel lonely sometimes. We are the same - this is the way it always was from the start, so the question doesn't come up. Even the no-TV. Mine's 11, loves to read and it's a normal life.
I LOVE this. It gives me hope for my future teenager!
I’m very curious how you document family moments and cook from scratch without using a screen — yes, I know there are cameras and cookbooks but it’s easiest to just pick up a phone. And yet I hate that I’m so dependent on it! Would love to hear your take on these two crutches.
Hi Emily. Thanks for your comment. I do have a phone nearby and use it to take pictures, but I've actually tried to minimize the number of photos I take because it detracts from the moment at hand. I also try to take only 1 or 2 at a time to reduce digital clutter on my phone. As for cooking, I use cookbooks almost exclusively. I wrote about it here: https://katherinemartinko.substack.com/p/why-i-love-my-cookbooks. Occasionally, I'll use a recipe on my phone, but that's pretty rare.
Loved this! I do think it is a little more difficult with small children. I’ve worked really hard to foster independent play and provide a lot of different screen free activities (water table, walks, blocks, art, etc) but especially in the summer the days are long! No school and no extracurriculars (except once a month playdates and occasionally a baby music class) so that time between dinner and bedtime stretches on forever. I can only read aloud for so long. 😂
We’ve almost eliminated screen time but I still find myself using it 1-2 times a week for a straight hour of chill. Especially when it’s too hot to be outside even in the evenings.
Completely devouring all your content while my toddler naps, hoping I can get us past this crutch for good. Thanks for all you share. 🤍
I think it’s harder when you are not 100 percent screen free… my kids are rarely on screens in the school year but it’s hard on vacation and summer break. They are visiting family and friends who use screens. It’s a lot harder to control when you’re outside your house or around other families.
I’d love to read a day in the life of a screen-free kid during summer break! The bulk of this day is spent at school, where presumably they’re not on screens by default.
I agree that a summer day would be helpful, and will write it up as soon as school's out in another 2 weeks. There are, however, a surprising number of hours not spent in school. The day described above is half school, half home time, when you actually calculate it (7 hours each). But stay tuned!
I realize it's not an option for many families, but if you never introduce "screen time" then this never becomes a question you have to ask. I realize this could sound snide and I do not intend for it to at all -- it's just another route in to an analog life. My kids are young (3 & 8) so I realize it's different at this age. We don't have a TV in the main part of the house (just in the attic for my husband to watch basketball), and the kids don't have iPads or anything so it just never comes up, and time gets filled with other activities without us having to explicitly think about alternatives to screens. Life just...happens.
The best thing my husband and I ever did was not own a tablet before our son was born. If we don't have one, why would we buy one for a baby?! And phones are for adults, so again, why give one to a baby?
Same. We don’t own a tablet and our 3 year old is only interested in phones as cameras. It’s a non-issue… for now, lol. We are fans of TV but as a communal activity (i. e. Family Movie Night).
We are okay with TV that we choose, like Kipper, Franklin (his parents are my role models!) Stinky and Dirty, and some old school Snoopy, when we are at home. My husband worked from the living room for the first 2.5 years of our son's life, so that really helped not introduce screens!
Happy to see a kindred spirit, because it can feel lonely sometimes. We are the same - this is the way it always was from the start, so the question doesn't come up. Even the no-TV. Mine's 11, loves to read and it's a normal life.
I LOVE this. It gives me hope for my future teenager!
I’m very curious how you document family moments and cook from scratch without using a screen — yes, I know there are cameras and cookbooks but it’s easiest to just pick up a phone. And yet I hate that I’m so dependent on it! Would love to hear your take on these two crutches.
She wrote a great article about cookbooks a month or so ago.
I have lots of cookbooks that I like using but I also follow a few great cooking Substacks, so I get the struggle!
Hi Emily. Thanks for your comment. I do have a phone nearby and use it to take pictures, but I've actually tried to minimize the number of photos I take because it detracts from the moment at hand. I also try to take only 1 or 2 at a time to reduce digital clutter on my phone. As for cooking, I use cookbooks almost exclusively. I wrote about it here: https://katherinemartinko.substack.com/p/why-i-love-my-cookbooks. Occasionally, I'll use a recipe on my phone, but that's pretty rare.
This is largely how my days went growing up.
It’s shocking to me its considered abnormal now.
Good reminder to stick to no screens and to fill the time with fun and constructive boredom instead!
Just wonderful! Thank you for sharing this!
Loved this! I do think it is a little more difficult with small children. I’ve worked really hard to foster independent play and provide a lot of different screen free activities (water table, walks, blocks, art, etc) but especially in the summer the days are long! No school and no extracurriculars (except once a month playdates and occasionally a baby music class) so that time between dinner and bedtime stretches on forever. I can only read aloud for so long. 😂
We’ve almost eliminated screen time but I still find myself using it 1-2 times a week for a straight hour of chill. Especially when it’s too hot to be outside even in the evenings.
Completely devouring all your content while my toddler naps, hoping I can get us past this crutch for good. Thanks for all you share. 🤍
I think it’s harder when you are not 100 percent screen free… my kids are rarely on screens in the school year but it’s hard on vacation and summer break. They are visiting family and friends who use screens. It’s a lot harder to control when you’re outside your house or around other families.