Guest post from Rhoda
As summer approaches, I am thinking of my yearly “TV-Free Summer Pledge”.
As a high school literacy coach, I am blessed that I get to spend a lot of time with my own children, but there are days when I look at a sea of teenage faces and think, “Someone else is getting to hold and love and teach my children.” This sense of helplessness led to my yearly “TV-Free Summer Pledge”. I have nine weeks of mostly uninterrupted time with my very own children, and I do not want a minute squandered on cartoons.
Two summers ago when I first made this pledge, it was a disaster because while I had planned for what we would not do (no TV), I hadn’t given much thought to what we would do. So the TV was turned off, and I had two little faces looking at me like, “Entertain me! Entertain me!” I was overwhelmed — nothing seemed to hold their attention for more than five minutes and there was no plan.
Now I have a plan and since that first crazy summer, my promise of television-free summers is much easier to keep.
1. Make a schedule for your days.
This sounds a bit silly, doesn’t it? It’s summer. Kids and adults are supposed to be free to enjoy the sunshine, chlorinated water, and daily naps without worrying about a silly schedule.
Well, if your goal is a TV-free summer, then this free flow of time will inevitably suck you and your children back into the world of animated cartoon characters and commercials. With no structure, you won’t have a plan for what you or your children will be doing on Tuesday at 10 a.m., so when that day and time come and you don’t know what to do, you will turn on the tube.
To combat this, I have divided my day into 30-minute to 1.5-hour segments. The shorter segments are for learning activities like summer bridge workbook pages, multiplication flashcards, and art projects. The longer segments are for outside play, free play, and naps.
2. Have a list of free-play ideas.
I have made a list of go-to activities for when my son and daughter look at me like, “Entertain me!” This list has mostly free activities for them to do that require very little prep or supplies. The value here is having a ready resource for fun activities.
My list is very long but here are a few ideas:
• Run in a sprinkler.
• Play bean bag toss.
• Build a fort out of sheets.
• Draw with sidewalk chalk.
• Assemble a puzzle.
3. Visit your library.
Libraries have free access to books, videos, and other resources. More importantly, libraries have free air-conditioning!
My children love the story time offered by our library every Wednesday morning. We arrive a little early to choose books for the week and to get a good seat. The programs are educational and fun-filled. We usually go to the park for a picnic afterward.
4. Create a busy box or bag.
I have created a busy box for each of my two children. For my younger child who is four, I have a collection of busy bags and small toys such as a travel Magna Doodle and magnetic dolls. My older child is ten. In his busy box, there are word searches, puzzles, and coloring sheets.
This is another set of go-to activities for the kids to do; they are also portable and work well for long car trips or waiting rooms.
5. Be flexible.
While I must admit that we have never actually had a totally television-free summer, we have made great strides in limiting our time in front of the TV and in increasing our time spent together as a family. I try not to stress out, and I look at being television free like I look at working out.
Instead of focusing on the times I fell off the wagon, I think about all the time we spent together without TV in the background. Even if you only have TV-free summer mornings, it is still better than being plugged in all summer long.
Have you ever done a TV-Free week, month, summer, or year? How did it work for you?
Rhoda has two children and teaches high school. She loves summer break because it gives her the chance to be a stay-at-home mom. She’s a fan of reading, thrift shops, spending less, living simply, and being creative.
Stacey Morley-Seaman says
Hello
We have a TV free day plan. I have operated it ever since the kids have been at school basically we are TV free all day and then they can watch an hour of programs between 6-7 pm. This works really well for our family and the children know that they are not allowed TV until that time so they don’t ask. I love the fact there are more and more parents going TV free 🙂
Nicole says
I have not had TV in my home since I was about ten years old. Now, with a new career as a pet-sitter, I turn on a client’s TV and find myself disgusted with the unavoidable trash, even just while trying to turn the channel to a harmless show or sitting through a commercial break. I feel so blah and miserable after watching too much and I am ever more convinced that I will never have TV in my home. I am so thankful my parents made that decision at such a young age in my life!!
jenn says
I like that you admit that you have not had a tv free summer……realit says we can minimaze screen time without total elimination. Reading & playing are summer magic for all ages!
Alexa says
I have been close to TV Free since November. I always thought that I would never be able to go without cable, but I don’t miss it a bit! When I moved into my current home I kept procrastinating on getting the TV people out there. After a couple weeks I realized that living without cable was going to be easy so I never got it installed.
My girls play with toys, color, read, or play pretend all day. Sometimes at night I will let them watch a DVD before bed, but that’s the only TV time (except when they go to their dads) And for me I just have a friend DVR shows that I really want to watch (like American Idol) Not having the added expense really helps my budget.
Sarah says
Tv is not a problem for us but my children have discovered video games! The grandparents bought the WII and the husband paced up a Playstation, and between the two, my children break down sobbing when they get turned off.
Hannah J says
We don’t have cable. Sometimes we get movies from the library, or go over to my in-laws if a good baseball game is on… but other than that, we’re TV free. Our vice is the internet. But, this post can apply a little to that. Especially the first 2. Thanks for the tips! Hopefully we won’t be glued to our PC for the summer, or at least not too much.
Check out my Christian Mommy Blog at:
dreamingofperfect.weebly.com
Lisa Pepper says
This is such a great idea. Does anyone have any ideas for teens to have a TV free summer? or parents with teens? They are past the running in the sprinkler stage, although I am not ;o) heehee
Amy says
We limit their screen time to 2 hrs per day. It is hard with older children to take away all tv and games because they have so much more time on their hands. Especially when the afternoons get to 100+ degrees outside and no one wants to be out. We keep busy with reading, chores, swimming, playdates, etc, but even I enjoy relaxing together with a good movie. Its summertime!
Cindy Knox says
While I don’t have small children at home, this post has inspired me! My youngest daughter is 18 and home for the summer from her first year at college. I’ve been feeling the pains of separation and even though I don’t get to spend all day every day with her, this article has prompted me to plan at least one special time with her on a weekly basis, because it won’t be long until she is permanently out on her own!
TJs Sweet Home says
Most days we don’t turn on the television until later in the day to catch the news or a documentary type show. We don’t have little ones but these are all great ideas!~TJ
Susan says
I’m just the opposite … we have more screen time during the summer months than during the school year. On week days during the school year, our TV is rarely on. It’s not a “rule” so much as it’s just our lifestyle. Between our work/school schedules, homework, extracurricular sports and music, dinner and family time, there is simply no time for TV.
When school is out and we have more free time, I don’t see anything wrong with allowing my pre-teen daughter downtime to just relax. We select what to watch and not just mindlessly watch anything that happens to be on.
I also agree with other commenters that kids shouldn’t need to be constantly entertained. I don’t do that, and my pre-teen daughter has never had difficulty coming up with things to do that don’t involve vegging in front of the TV. I do make sure to prepare as much as possible — make sure she has books that she’s interested in available to her, craft supplies on hand, ingredients for recipes (she likes to cook), things like that.
Norma says
Any ideas for teens?
Dolly Heins says
We were blessed to have no t.v. in our house for one full year…….. our kids barrely rememb er it now, but when we started was another story.
It was like any addiction, We all had to wheen our way off of the t.v. We took ours out of the frontroom and put it in the attick.
It took imagination at first to keep the two kids and ourselves busy at first, with games and puzzels, etc. We also found time to do everything together when we were not at work, and they were not in school.
The first thing on our list of to does, was start a bible study, and prayer time that we had not taken the time to do before…..So that was a great blessing all by itself.
We all grew that year. It was wonderful.
I hope others will try it,
Liz says
I always give my little ones a spray bottle of water and a rag to ‘help’ me clean. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but they always have fun and they are learning to help so when they are old enough to actually clean, they will think its fun!
I often clean the bathroom when my babies are in the tub, put dishes away while they eat a snack, I build them a fort/ nest on the couch just before I vacuum, etc.
Theresa says
This post is very timely for me. I admit. My kids are electronics addicts. I told them this summer we are going to have one hour of electronics free each day. No TV, computers, iPods, etc. And it’s going to be their job to find something to do. They’re 9 and 11, so they can do it. Wish me luck!!
Michelle says
Why not go TV free in general? Then you won’t have to deal with TV withdrawal/detox and your kids will more naturally come up with creative things to do without your having to plan so many things to keep them entertained. If you can do it for a summer, why not continue on and make it a lifestyle? I can tell you from experience that it is a very worthwhile and freeing venture to do life this way:)
Sara says
Agree wholeheartedly! We need a “like” button.
kathy says
Would love to but hubby would never go for that.
Lisa-panaMOM says
We travel all summer so TV watching isn’t an issue, but the best trick I’ve come up with for keeping the kids busy is outlawing saying “I’m bored.”
If you utter those words in our house, you’re given a special chore to do (cleaning baseboards, scrubbing grout, etc).
I can’t tell you the last time someone couldn’t come up with something to do. LOL!
Julie Smith says
I’m planning on teaching my grandkids ages 5 and 6 how to cook this summer. They’ll hopefully develop a better palate when cooking their own food.
Debi Z says
That’s exactly what I do! My kids are only ever “bored” once because I keep an ice cream bucket, rag, and toothbrush under the sink, ready at all times as the cure for boredom. No one wants to scrub the bathroom floor more than once lol
Sara says
read books
audio books and music CDs (plenty of choices from the library)
VBS
making treats and delivering to neighbors
playdates with other children/moms (great time to catch up with people)
writing letters to family members or their friends, people that need encouragement
clear communication about when screen time will be available (after chores, etc)
free play (with toys, chalk, sandbox, etc)
finally open Christmas gifts and use them (I encourage craft & creative gifts from family)
Mason jar filled with chore/fun ideas when the inevitable “I’m bored” statement occurs 🙂
Kimberlee says
This is a great post. I am wondering if anyone has suggestions though about keeping older children busy. Mine are 15 and twins that are 12. At that age they don’t need entertaining by me so much but they sit in front of the TV in the summer sometimes out of boredom.
We have recently gotten rid of cable – are now saving approx. 76.00 per month since doing that – we do have the regular channels through an antenna and we have netflix. So they have a variety to watch through that.
The problem I have with my older ones is they like to be on the internet and talk to their friends while playing some of these internet games. I can’t get rid of the internet as it seems to be the way the world operates nowadays and I also operate my business from it.
I like the ideas of having a plan-schedule. I did that a couple of summers ago for at least the first couple months and that was good. I have already told my kids there will be a time everyday for scheduled reading of a chapter book and we will be visiting the library once a week – I go there a lot for myself anyhow. I need to get my plan written down for them this coming week – they are out of school soon – 2 more weeks.
Sara says
Would your older kids enjoy taking a class in an area of interest from MIT open courseware or Coursera? Are they interested in coding or software development? This is a link to an article with a bunch of different websites for free online learning…
http://thenextweb.com/dd/2012/10/21/so-you-want-to-be-a-programmer-huh-heres-25-ways-to-learn-online/
They would be having screen time but at least it would be useful. Perhaps you could also offer them an incentive to complete the course (within budget).
Linda says
Our children are now grown & married with children of their own…but we did this when they were younger. It was great! Episodes of fighting plummeted while creativity soared! We did allow watching 1 or 2 carefully chosen movies per week which became a special family time. We did more outdoor activities…thus being more active as well. Those summer times were some of our best times.
Erin says
I can relate to this post as I am a SAHM to a energetic 3 year old who seems to be a constant state of “entertain me!!” and has a 10 min attention span. We aren’t “TV Free” but we do limit it to 1 hour of Sesame Street in the morning so I can have some time to get stuff done—without little helpers underfoot 🙂 I find a routine to be key to limiting TV time. Not only during the day (playtime, nap time, chore time) but also days of the week. During our playtime, each day we do a different activity. On Monday, we do art, Tuesday the park Wednesday the library, Thursday meet up with a play group, ect. We, of course, do all sorts of different art projects and visit lots of different parks to keep some variety. Now that it is summer, I am excited to add pool/water play to the routine!
Jessica @ The Abundant Wife says
We haven’t had cable since we got married 7 1/2 years ago, but I we do watch movies and some programs on our computers. I think I will try some of your tips because as our kids get older (almost 4, 2 1/2, and 16 weeks) they want to watch the computer more. I want to offer better alternatives for their time. 🙂
Jennifer says
We always do electronic free before 1 pm. This way they get a good morning of outside time and activity before doing anything electronic. By the time 1 pm rolls around they are tired and it is hot and I don’t mind so much if they are inside playing electronics for a bit.
Amanda T. says
That’s my plan this summer! 🙂
Laura says
I am all for this, and agree that any time the TV is off is a win! My kids are all high-school or older now so I allow them to choose their own TV time (this is based on our understanding that they maintain good grades – otherwise things change!) When they were younger I allowed them to watch TV on Saturday mornings. I also made exceptions (assuming all work completed) as they got older if they made a request to watch a specific show – because my primary issue with TV is the mindless surfing that sucks them in and drains hours from the day. I’ve always felt that making a choice to watch a specific “whatever” (TV or DVD) and then turn the thing off was a way to help them learn how to use TV responsibly. I wanted them to learn how to make and follow through on choices about how to spend their time. Now, they often request that the family have days, weeks or vacations that are not only TV, but also computer free because they want the family social time or opportunity to work on larger projects. We laugh about the times they had surveys in class about TV time and their friends and teachers were “shocked” that they wrote down less than 2 hours a week.
Ashlee says
One of my biggest goals is to cut back on TV. It’s just too easy to turn something on so I can get things done. We’ve cut back significantly, but I still want to cut back more. I’m not sure we can ever go TV free, but I’d like to cut back to no TV until 5pm while I cook dinner. I’ll have to try out some of these suggestions.
Do others have suggestions of good activities to keep a 21 month old and a 3.5 year old busy while I do chores??
Kemi Quinn says
That’s rough I know. If you can’t clean while they sleep you could try getting the older one involved (I know takes longer.) while the younger one is in the playpen. You can coral the 3 and half year old to play with the toddler. Make them forts of blankets and some toys.
I don’t have two children but when my daughter was toddler age I waited until she napped. Then when she was older she just wanted to be near me so giving her anything to do while I did chores was fine.
Dawn Shaver says
We haven’t had tv for 8 years. Some of that time period we have had Netflix and sometimes not. We do rent movies occasionally and watch on hulu. My kids think it is a real treat whenever they are allowed to watch tv because it isn’t a normal occurrence. We certainly do not miss those commercials!
Ali says
My belief is kids need to take more responsibility for keeping themselves entertained. Part of summertime includes having enough time to “get bored”. When kids get bored, they get creative. My job, as I see it, is to set the expectation that the TV -and computer- remains off and when they come to me for suggestions I have a list of chores available for them to do. Otherwise, they are on their own. Wouldn’t you know it, they come up with much more creative ways to solve their boredom problem then I ever could. My kids are 7 and 9, more than old enough to entertain themselves.
Michelle says
I absolutely agree with this!! I think we plan way too many things for kids these days and I honestly wonder if the kids are better off for it since they’re not given much chance to come up with their own things to do and we as parents wind up burnt out from being constantly kept on our toes planning “the next thing”. It may initially take a lot of patience and discipline, but by letting go and having zero tolerance for whininess, you can “train” kids to be creative, imaginative, and come up with their own things to do. And it is SO worth it:)
bizzyb says
This matches up more with what I remember from childhood. I rarely recall mom sitting down and providing activities, but what she did do is provide a lot of supplies at our house, and we used our imagination for the rest. I remember one summer my sister + the two neighbor kids created an olympics, then other we made our own school curriculum. One May we created corsages that we sold for Mothers Day in the neighborhood, etc.
Linda says
We did not have a TV growing up this is what my mom used to do. I knew better than to say I was bored because as soon as I uttered those words, I was “recruited” into doing boring chores.
I would either go out and play with my friends or read books (I must have read my dad’s library over 3 times as a child). We did not have money for crafts but I would find ways to entertain myself, even playing with mud, which I loved! My mom did not mind it as long as I was wearing old clothes.
Unfortunately, I’ve more than made up for the lack of TV as an adult. I have no kids, but I do want to try to limit my own TV time this summer so I can get more things done.
Laurie says
We are almost tv free. My girls get to watch a movie every so often. They are not interested in watching tv. Maybe some Disney channel here and there,but our tv is off most of the year. This summer we are looking up all the free stuff in our town and doing most of it. We also belong to a private pool and that takes up most of our afternoons. We love it this way.
susie says
we grew up without a TV and we never missed it, now we don’t have a TV but I think we spend way to much time on the internet…. I think this article is good for the computer too!
Kristin says
BTW, we have tried to go TV-free, but my parents thought we were being cruel to our children, so they bought and had delivered a new 39″ TV. We felt bad to not accept it. And it has come in VERY handy this past week when my 4-year-old was recuperating from an appendectomy. We don’t have cable or Netflix, so the kids watch only their DVDs and AFV. But, still, we prefer them to play together or read. 🙂
Andrea says
Your parents made me laugh, they sound like mine. We cancelled cable a while back and only watch Hulu or Netflix (in controlled amounts). According to my parents, you would have thought we took away the kids’ birthdays 🙂 They make sure to let them have plenty of “TV time” at their house. Grandparents…:)
Kristin says
Yes! They let them watch TV nonstop at their house and eat all the sugar and diet-coke the kids want (and they want a lot). And my Dad is a diabetic! I love them, but they make me totally crazy sometimes.
Kristin says
I LOVE this post! I feel like I need more ideas for indoor (free) summer fun. We live in Florida and it is already too hot (like heat-stroke, skin-cancer hot) to go outside from about 9-5 and it will stay that way until October at least. If anyone has any great ideas, please SHARE. We already have the splash pad, the beach, the indoor museum, and the library, which might be plenty, but I always like new ideas! 🙂
Marie says
Check out pinterest for ideas. Type in summer fun for kids or summer bucket list. I’ve been making a list and already have over 100 ideas that are broken down into rainy day fun, sunny day fun, around town fun, etc.
Mona says
We’re in FL too and the days are definitely getting warmer! 😉 We try to go to the beach in the morning (before 11) or in the afternoon (after 3). We try to hit playgrounds then too or even after dinner. Our development has a pool so we use that some too. My daughter is 9 and learning to do counted cross stitch and she and my 7 year old son are learning to sew (think pillows…things with lots of straight sides). We do quiet time most days for an hour after lunch. They have to be in their beds and can either write/draw or read (or sleep!).
The Prudent Homemaker says
I know the feeling about the heat (I live in Las Vegas). Playgrounds are empty here until after dark, when they are full. It’s 113º at 8pm, but at least the sun isn’t shining on the play equipment, so no one gets burned!
However, I’m not a fan of keeping the children up late just so we can go to a very crowded park. I will, on occasion, let them stay up a little later to play in the backyard.
We treat summers as indoor time. I homeschool year-round, so we still have school in the mornings, and they also have their regular chores every day as well.
Fun activities for us inside include:
painting
sewing (especially hand-embroidery work)
building (Legos, blocks, tinker toys, etc.)
reading
paper mache (I don’t get the paper but we have used ads that come in the mail, or asked a neighbor to save his papers)
drawing (the library has lots of drawing books, and we do, too)
dress-up (this week they made cardboard shields and swords)
cooking together
playing board games and card games
indoor tents with blankets
modeling clay and Fimo clay
I may set up an indoor hopscoth with painter’s tape on the floor this year, since it is too hot to play outside, and they can make their own bean bags for tossing.
We play outside mid-Octber to April, like you do!
Tabitha says
Painters tape is great. My kids decorate the floors all the time. Also they “recreate” board games with painters tape and they become the pieces OR use their stuffed animals (you can buy oversized dice at the Dollar Store to encourage their creativity).
Kristin says
Thanks for all the great advice, ladies! I’ll be putting together our schedule and bucket list next week. 🙂
Anna@The DIY Mom says
One thing we did last summer with our kids was to do mini summer “camps” for our 4 and 2 1/2 year old at home. It was actually not super elaborate or involved, as I was hugely pregnant at the time and didn’t have as much energy to plan, so I basically picked a theme for each week and then we would try and do at least one activity related to our theme 5 days a week. Sometimes I had these planned out at the beginning of the week and sometimes I found an idea online each day. Having a fun theme for just a week at a time kept our kids excited and gave me a focus for planning activities.
We did Music, science, Armor of the Lord, cooking, and sports “camps”:
http://www.thedoityourselfmom.com/2012/07/mini-music-appreciation-camp.html
http://www.thedoityourselfmom.com/2012/07/mini-science-camp.html
http://www.thedoityourselfmom.com/2012/08/valiant-warriors-mini-camp.html
http://www.thedoityourselfmom.com/2012/08/cooking-mini-camp.html
http://www.thedoityourselfmom.com/2012/08/olympicsports-mini-camp.html
My husband also did a computer camp with our boys using his computer knowledge and resources from the Khan academy.
One other thing we did was defrost the freezer and have a snowball fight in July. My husband came up with this really genius idea, and the kids loved it. If you don’t want to go outdoors and your snow would melt to fast, you could try building a mini snowman inside.
http://www.thedoityourselfmom.com/2012/07/frugal-family-fun-defrosting-freezer.html
Jenae at http://www.icanteachmychild.com/ also has tons of activities that you can do with your kids. She compiled a list recently of summer activities, many of which could be done indoors.
http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2013/05/67-ideas-for-fun-and-learning-this-summer/
I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.
Doreen says
I am someone who has experienced a TV free life all my life. We never had TV in our home as a child and now as an adult my husband and I do not either. I say you should at least give a TV free life a try! I do not have so many worries (because I don’t watch all the depressing news) and I have more free time to do crafts, family activities, etc. My child and I do everything together. She helps me cook, hang out the wash, and is even learning to sew (she’s 6) We can’t imagine how we would ever have time in our lives to sit down and watch TV because our lives our so packed with fun and togetherness. Give it a try, I think you will enjoy it~
Luba says
My dad got rid of the TV when I was young (I’m not saying everyone has to do this), but it was one of the best things he did for our family. He would take my brother and me on bike rides, and Mom would take us to the library. One summer I remember reading at least thirty chapter books. I also never thought I was “missing out” by not having a TV because it became the norm for our family. 🙂
Amanda says
We generally operate TV-free. We have no cable, only Netflix and what we can get from the library. I sometimes allow the kids to watch one episode of a show or a short movie after dinner if they have picked up all their toys.
We NEVER allow TV/movies before lunch. We’ve found that if we start the day in front of a screen, we end up spending the ENTIRE day in front of the screen!
Sometimes I’ll also assign a few extra jobs in exchange for an episode of a favorite show.
Amanda T. says
This is exactly my plan! I’m glad it works for you. 🙂