Ways To Step Away From Screens This Summer

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Ways To Step Away From Screens This Summer:

If your household is anything like today’s average family’s household, then you have all these darn Gen-Z kids who are attached to their phones, tablets, or the TV all the freaking time. There is nothing that bugs my husband or me more than being on electronics constantly (and I do it for a living!). And while we vowed that would never be our kids, I have to admit I plopped a tablet playing “Paw Patrol” in front of my 6 month old just to get 20 minutes of sleep after a rough night with him. But the truth? Even we need some ways to step sway from screens this summer.

I think we are so bugged by it, because yes, we are 90s babies. We were really the last generation that grew up playing outside, got our first flip phone in high school, and didn’t have the instant gratification of on demand television. Yes… we ACTUALLY had to wait an entire week to watch the next episode, and there was no such thing as binge watching. *gasp*

So if you are sick of looking around your living room and seeing everyone looking at their phone while the TV blares, here are some great ideas for a family night that breaks the mold. Do something different that you and your kids will remember for years to come. They may roll their eyes or cry at first, but these are the memories they will look back on, not what was trending on Twitter in the moment. 🙂

Look below for some ways to step sway from screens this summer!

Game Night

I’m sure everyone has a shelf full of games and puzzles that was played with one, then put away never to be seen again. Break out some of those board games, place bets and wagers with chores or privileges, and make it a fun night!

If your kids are older, try playing Apples to Apples or even Cards Against Humanity. Just be warned, you may not recognize them after a quick witted, dirty response comes out of their mouth!

Starry-Starry Night

Take a flashlight, some bug spray, a couple of blankets and pillows and go out and lay down under the night sky. Watch for shooting stars and talk about galaxies, black holes, moon-walking, astronauts, constellations, the planets, and the universe. Bonus if you can make a campfire and roast marshmallows and bacon on a stick. No joke, this was my siblings and my favorite thing ever!

Art night

Get some play dough, or buy a package of clay for some modeling fun. Grab random objects from the kitchen like cookie cutters, utensils, and rolling pins, then you can let your children’s imagination do the rest. You can even try making your own homemade play dough and mix in fun scents or textures!

You can also try a blindfolded doodle game. Place a bunch of object names in a bowl, and take turns picking out an object. Blindfold yourself and attempt to draw it. The first one to guess gets a point!

Good Deed Night

Come up with a service project that you can work on together. For example, making a shoe box Christmas gift for a needy child. Purchase and wrap gifts or make cards to deliver to a local nursing home. Prepare a package for a serviceman. Spend your evening doing something nice for someone else. Have a good time sharing and just being together as a family!

Try cooking an ethnic recipe or thematic meal.

Serve a “Snow Supper” by decorating the dining room table with cut out paper snowflakes and serve all white foods. Some ideas for that are: potatoes, fish, coconut, rice, white bread, vanilla pudding, or ice cream, banana smoothies, etc.?

Do a little bit of research and plan an entire meal with foods you have never tried! How about a Jewish meal? Polish, German, Cajun, a jungle feast or mountaintop menu.  You can even dress and choose music to go along with your theme.

If you have older kids, you can even have everyone choose a recipe that none of you have ever heard of, and serve it up for a unique taste testing experience.

The bottom line is, you don’t have to settle for the screens, there are always ways to step sway from screens this summer with family fun you can do together instead!