Create a fun day for kids that doesn’t involve electronics with a no screen day! Here is how to do it. Our kids are typical kiddos that love their electronics. Whether it is the iPad, iPhone or the computer, you can typically find our kids on screens. With 4 kids and busy life – we let this become our norm until we came up with a solution to the constant screen time issue.

No Screen Day for Kids

For our family to have a digital time out – the easiest way to do this was to create a no screen day for kids. Our day, is Sunday – so no screen Sundays is what we have coined the holy day. While every other day we do, to some extent manage our kids’ screen time – creating a no screen day we are able to put a definitive and regular boundary on their digital usage.

Today after church, our afternoon plans were cancelled leaving us a full-day of NOTHING. Saturday, we had a color guard performance, a vehicle that had to be taken into the dealership, a Christmas party, life group and the usual weekly errands. So a day off, that just sounded wonderful.

no screen day for kids

We got home from church and I watched the kids run upstairs to jump on their devices. It hit me. This doesn’t have to be like this. I turned off the downstairs TV, yelled at the kids to come downstairs, used Circle to turn off the internet and declared Sunday as Screen Free Sundays for the kids. I didn’t declare this for myself or husband but we did minimize our phone use.

Creating a Screen Time Routine with No Screens

Today was fabulous. Once the kids got over the initial “WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?” fit – things went pretty fantastic. We got laundry done, 6 people – this is massive in our house.

Our clothes were ready for the week. My husband and I cooked meals together while the kids bounced outside.

screen free day
  • Does this happen every Sunday, nope. In fact our first No Screens Sunday was great but not perfect.
  • Did I catch my teenager on her phone several times while I was getting the littler kids to bed? Yes.
  • Did I catch our son watching re-runs on Netflix? Yes.
  • Did I see the Instagram stories my daughter posted on our no screen day? Yes. Did I comment on her Instagram story? Also yes.

The kids did their reading and homework for school (thankfully none of it required a computer!) We did a few family projects, including putting up patio lights and putting together an outdoor heater. The kids went to bed exhausted. And while it wasn’t perfect, it works for us.

Read: How much screen time is too much

This is the thing with any screen time rule that you implement. Boundaries only work if it works for your family. This is what is working for us, right now. Will it work indefinitely? Probably not but for this season a no screen day is what our family needs.

Read what the Mayo Clinic has to say about Screen Time and Children.

Moderation is Key

While I know that with the world we live in, I don’t want to block my kids from all things screens – but today was a great example on how you can successfully limit screen time and create some order.

A Day Without Screens

No Screen Day / No Screen Sunday will definitely be something we do moving forward. Who knows, maybe I’ll even jump into the no screens Sunday game…. maybe. Probably not but the thought is nice.

Ready to jump into the No Screens Sunday game, tag me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let me know! #NoScreenDay

How do you limit your child’s screen time?

No Screen Day for Kids is part of the Digital Mom Blog series on Technology

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