Did you know?
• The average home in the United States has three TVs; 56 percent have three or more.
• 59 percent of U.S. homes with TV have digital cable.
• 90 percent of U.S. homes with TV also have a computer with Internet access.
• Approximate hours of TV watched per week: 39 by women over age 18, 35 by men over age 18, 24 by youth ages 12 to 17 and 26 by children ages 2 to 11.
• Reducing TV time can help prevent excess weight and obesity.
• For children under age 3, screen time is linked with sleep problems.
National Screen-Free Week is an annual celebration of the magic of being unplugged. During this week, parents, children, teachers and others across the country turn off screen media — including TVs, video games, computers, tablets, e-readers and smartphones — and get in touch with being unplugged.
Use this time to take a look at your family’s screen-use habits. How many hours are spent using a screen compared to doing other activities? Here are some ways to change these habits:
• Create screen-free zones in the home. Establish one spot for storing and recharging everyone’s handheld devices.
• Gather the family and come up with a list of alternative activities to sitting in front of a screen. Jot down lots of ideas and post them on the refrigerator (see suggestions below).
• Make changes gradually. Set limits. Experts recommend no more than two hours a day of recreational TV, computers, video games and DVDs for kids.
• Know what your children, of any age, are watching on TV, doing on the Internet and seeing on their smartphones. Ask them open-ended questions about what they’re seeing and doing. Ask them whom they are communicating with when emailing and texting.
• Take TVs out of bedrooms. Sleeping with the TV on, even with the sound off, can disrupt sleep patterns and contribute to fatigue.
• During meals, turn off the TV and put away other distracting screens and electronic devices. Instead of using them, talk about everyone’s day.
• Keep the TV and other screens off unless someone is watching them.
Instead of sitting in front of a screen:
FAMILIES
• Plan and prepare meals together.
• Visit a park or public library.
• Go on a picnic.
• Play charades or board games.
• Take a walk down the street and collect litter.
• Dance and sing to music. Check out CDs at the library for some new or different music.
• Have a family talent night.
• Plant a garden, and tend it daily.
• Plan a dream vacation or party.
• Walk around the neighborhood and talk about different houses, trees and gardens.
• Catch up at mealtimes (“Share one good thing and one bad thing about your day…”).
• Assign everyone a housekeeping chore, schedule a time to do them and celebrate when they’re done.
• Catch up on letter writing, cards and phone calls.
ADULTS
• Read a book or magazine. Find an author you like, and read everything she or he has written.
• Look for and try new recipes.
• Do stretching exercises or yoga.
• Clean out a closet, the garage or the basement.
• Find a new hobby or dive in to a neglected one.
• Plant flower seeds indoors. When they have sprouted several inches, transplant them outside.
• Volunteer in your community.
• Clean under the refrigerator and stove.
• Hand-wash woolen sweaters.
• Set up an easy-to-use recycling station.
• Read a local newspaper.
• Organize family photos, and write picture captions.
• Start a scrapbook about your family.
• Gather and give away old clothes and household items.
TEENAGERS
• Think about future careers or jobs. Write a story about yourself being successful in that career or job.
• Volunteer.
• Interview your favorite relatives and record their stories.
• Write poems or short stories.
• Plan and plant a vegetable garden. Create a weeding schedule for the family.
• Sing along to your favorite music. Try writing down the lyrics and understanding the song’s meaning.
• Do stretching exercises or yoga with friends.
• Find a cause, such as saving the earth, that interests you and get involved with a friend.
• Make a list of things you want to learn. Visit the library for books on those subjects.
• Find a recipe that your family really likes and practice making it so that it becomes your specialty.
• Take up a new hobby or sport that interests you.
• Dance or exercise to music.
6 TO 12 YEARS
• Play hide and seek indoors or outside.
• Make a list of what you like about yourself.
• Play flashlight tag in the dark.
• Play board games, cards or memory or dictionary-based games.
• Crafts: Make greeting cards or wrapping paper, bead necklaces or bracelets. Weave friendship bracelets. Macramé a hanging plant holder, necklace or bracelet.
• Learn to play a musical instrument and practice every day.
• Set a goal to learn something new or to save money for something you want. Create a plan to achieve your goal.
• Write letters to a grandparent or favorite relative.
• Write a play for family members to act out.
• Stand on one foot and try to keep a balloon in the air using your hands and other foot.
UNDER 6 YEARS
• Practice spelling new words, including names of family members.
• Play with water with bowls, cups and spoons on a protected surface in the kitchen.
• Make a tent out of blankets and “go camping” indoors.
• Have a parade with simple musical instruments.
• Practice writing letters, numbers and your name.
WHAT PARENTS CAN DO
• Create toy boxes that can be rotated by day or week (adds an element of surprise).
• Make available plain paper, old magazines, safe scissors, markers or crayons and tape.
• Keep a dress-up basket full of clothing and safe accessories.
• Put a long line of masking tape on the floor to use as a balance beam.
• Create an obstacle course in the yard.
• Have lots of books available. Visit your local library.
• Provide puppets and encourage children to put on a puppet show.
• Jennifer Russell is an area child and family development agent for the Mississippi State University Extension Service. You may contact her at 453-6803 or jtb20@ext.msstate.edu.
