Screen-Free Week is a week that helps mark the importance of limiting excess screen time for families, communities and children around the world. The week is celebrated from May 2 until May 8 and is a time when families around the world can put down their screens for one week to re-energize and focus on rediscovering simple activities.

Screen-Free Week is a chance for families to go back to participating and interacting with each other in ways that they may have forgotten or taken for granted. With children and multiple screen time opportunities, many normal activities are pushed aside.

As parents, teachers and caregivers, we always want to try to provide more opportunities for our children to get important cognitive and physical activity time and reduce screen time.  Reading a book is a great way to take a break from excessive screen time and get some valuable reading time in.

Let us explore how Screen-Free Week came about and why it is so important. And we have suggested some reading picks you can pick up today to read with your family.

About Screen-Free Week

Screen-Free Week is a week that is marked once a year from May 2 until May 8. It is a week of no screens for entertainment usage. This does not mean that you should not use screens for office and schoolwork, but that you should try to limit your extra screen time for leisure and entertainment purposes.

Teachers should try not to assign homework that involves screens during this week, and parents should help children put down their screens for the entire week. Screen-free week first came about in 1994 when it was referred to as TV-Turnoff Week. At this time, caregivers and child experts felt that children were watching too much television. The week was commemorated to give children a chance to get outside, play and spend time doing constructive activities other than sitting in front of the television.

As technology developed, different kinds of screens have provided more opportunities for children to sit for hours without any physical activity. The negative effects are not only a lack of physical activity but are far-reaching and more permanent than initially thought making it all the more important for parents to reduce screen time.

Different organizations around the world come together to mark the week by encouraging families and children to put down their screens. In the UK, schools and charities promote the week by raising awareness about the negative impact of screen time on families and children.

Detrimental Effects of Excess Screen Time

One of the most important reasons why Screen-Free Week is so important is that it raises awareness about the negative impact of excessive screen time on children. These negative outfalls are not only immediate but can have far-reaching consequences on our children as they become older. It is important that as parents and caregivers we realize these negative impacts and put in place ways to curtail excessive screen time.

Below, we have listed some of the detrimental effects of excess screen time use:

Behaviour Problems

Children who are spending too much time on the screen can develop behaviour problems. These problems can manifest in children who have more than two hours of screen time during the day. They may have emotional, social and attention problems.

Educational Problems

Excessive screen time can also lead to a fall in academic performance. It has been found that those children who have screens in the bedroom without supervision will do more poor academically as compared to those who do not.

Obesity

Children who watch screens excessively can develop weight problems due to a lack of physical movement and exercise. If you are looking for one of the reasons for childhood obesity in younger children, it is excessive screen time.

Sleep Problems

The light that is emitted from screens causes disruptions in sleep cycles. This light can be a serious issue when it comes to watching screens before bedtime.

Violence

Children who watch violence on screens may become desensitized to the violence they see on screens. They may start using violence in their everyday lives to deal with problems and that can lead to social interaction issues and conflict with peers.

Chronic Back and Neck Pain

Looking at our screens constantly throughout the day can cause back and neck pain that can become chronic for children and adults.

Low Self-Esteem

Spending too much time on screens and social media can cause low self-esteem, depression and anxiety in young adults and children. If your child is spending more time making virtual friends rather than real ones, then it may cause them to develop self-image issues and they can become victims of cyberbullying.

Impaired Socialising Skills

Lack of socializing skills due to excessive screen time can lead to issues for children when it comes to developing relationships with their peers. It has been found that children who engage in large amounts of screen time may find it difficult to engage and socialize with other children.

Loss of Cognitive Ability

Excessive screen time can alter your brain matter, which can result in a decrease in cognitive ability. This means that watching screens too much can decrease your ability to concentrate, memorize, process information and control impulses.

Why is Screen-Free week Important?

After looking at the negative impact of excessive screen, time in adults and children, we can see that overuse can have a detrimental effect on the emotional and mental development of children.

What we do not realize is that with increased use of screens there can be long-term effects that can be life-changing. Some long-term effects include:

• Reduced sleep
• Day-night reversal
• Headaches
• Digital eye syndrome
• Myopia

The benefit of reduced screen time is that it gives everyone a chance to take a break from the regular use of gadgets and screens. This week can provide a restart button for some who may find themselves on their screens constantly. As it is only when you limit the use of something that you understand how much you are using it.

The Week provides some required rest from the screen so that you can spend some time outside with your family. It gives children a chance to learn how to play and interact with other children. And it allows families to explore the great outdoors which, is often pushed aside when most of our time is spent indoors staring at screens.

Ways you can Celebrate Screen-Free Week with Your Kids

If you are looking for some unique ways to celebrate Screen-Free Week with your kids then look no further. We have come up with some great ways you can celebrate with your kids.

Let us check out some activities you can plan to do during the week:

Shadow Puppets Show

Why not put on a Shadow Puppet show for friends and family. Your child and you can create shadow puppets that can be used to put on a grand show in your home. You can spend time making sets and picking out music.

Read Outside

The benefits of reading books are vast. Why not grab a book and participate in a reading session outside. You can take turns reading to your children or simply grab a blanket and put it down on the lawn to enjoy a good book together.

Visit Local Museums  

Why not visit all those local museums you never get a chance to visit because you are spending too much time on your screen. Getting a museum pass is a great way to plan out your week and see the most on a budget.

Take a Walk

Planning a nature walk out into the great outdoors is a great way to get some fresh air and explore what you have been missing. Taking your child with you is a great opportunity to bond and give them a different experience.

Get an Ice Cream Cone

Buy an ice cream cone at a local parlour to cool off this summer. Inviting your children’s friends can make the visit even more exciting and fun.

Bake Cookies to Gift to Your Teacher

Get into the kitchen and spend some time with your child baking some delicious cookies for their teachers. Even better make small gift bags of cookies you can distribute throughout the neighbourhood.

Fly a Kite

With the warm weather and breeze, why not take some time to fly a kite. This is a great opportunity to spend some valuable time with your child and teach them the ins and outs of flying a kite.

Play a Board Game

Playing board games used to be a great pastime and fun activity for the whole family. Why not bring that activity back to your family and share it with your children. Many children in the digital age do not even know what is a board game. Screen-Free Week is a great time to introduce this fun activity.

Books You Can Buy for Your Children for Screen-Free Week

Let us check out some great book picks that you can purchase for you and your children to enjoy during this year's Screen-Free Week. Having these books ready to go before the week begins will be a great way to start.

Reading is a great alternative to screens. It can provide an important opportunity for you and your child to take a break and enjoy something else besides playing games and watching movies.

Encourage Reading During Screen-Free Week

Mark Screen-Free Week by encouraging your children and family members to read. The benefits of reading are many and it is a great alternative to screen usage and has many benefits. Promoting reading among young children is important for their mental and emotional well being.

We have provided a great introduction as to why you should be marking Screen-Free Week and given some great reading options you can choose from.

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