10 Ways to Create a Screen-Free Home Environment

1. Create play spaces where you are, inspiring real-life work and play. Children want to be near their caregivers. These spaces can be simple- A wooden kitchen in the kitchen with small bowls and wooden utensils, a wooden barn with felt animals in the main room, a climbing triangle for deep pressure play, a place to rest and relax without stimulation-a cozy blanket, a little shelf for picture books.

2. Create ways for them to engage in what you are doing. For example, if you’re making lunch, they can chop the carrots for a side dish. If you’re making eggs and toast for breakfast, they can spread the butter. If you’re still looking for ways to integrate your child into daily tasks, you can provide them with a bowl and a whisk, and they can pretend they’re making breakfast alongside you. Children seek time for meaningful connection with those who care for them.

3. Go outside: take a walk together, a bike ride, or head to the park. For your child, possibilities for engagement outside in nature is endless. Being outside creates real-life experiences and is a good place for them to move naturally and interact with real- world experiences that nurtures brain growth and development, it also supports awe and wonder in your child. You’ll also find that you’re both amazed by something you see together in nature.

4. Create a rhythm your child can depend on, so there’s ample time for free play and movement. Children thrive in a home where the day flows with predictability. When you create a consistent daily rhythm that includes mealtimes, outdoor play, quiet time, home tasks, and bedtime, you create a secure framework that gently holds the child’s need for order, making screen time feel unnecessary and out of place.

5. Allow them to be bored! Brilliance happens in boredom.

6. How the day begins sets the mood for the day, so it’s best to keep all TVs and screens off as this also eliminates “background noise” which can be overstimulating and disorienting.

7. Cover the TV with a beautiful tapestry when it is off. Put iPads, tablets, LeapFrogs, and video game consoles up and out of sight.

8. Turn off the TV and all devices, phones included during mealtimes. Create an intentional place to come together during meal times. Say a blessing, light a candle. Create reasons to gather together for dinner as a special time.

9. Because screens flood the young child’s senses and often leads to overwhelm, offer them experiences that are simple, slow, and satisfying like kneading dough, watercolor painting, building with blocks, or just simply lying in the grass. These activities soothe and nourish their developing nervous system.

10. Tell and read stories to awaken and nourish their imagination. This is something no screen can do. Tell seasonal tales, bedtime stories, or little made-up adventures about animals, gnomes, fairies, or even family members. Stories like these meet a child’s emotional needs and build a rich inner life.

By Ms. Lauren Wheeler
Preschool Lead