Reaching Kids Who Are Glued to Screens

We’ve all seen it: a room full of kids , eyes fixed on their individual screen instead of looking at one another and interacting face-to-face. The question is, how can we change that dynamic? Is there anything parents can do to grab their attention, lift their gaze, and learn to extend their reach out into the real world?

That is the aim of today’s free printable. It contains a short checklist of items we ask our kids to complete before using technology of any kind.

For twenty-five years, we managed to keep Nintendos and Gameboys and X-boxes out of our home, because we didn’t want our children to waste their childhood playing video games.

But enter the age of the iPhones, iPads, and laptop computers, and guess what? Our kids spend far more time staring at screens than we would prefer, despite the fact none of them get their own phone until they turn 16 and get their driving license. And, with rare exception, we do not allow any of them to have social media accounts until after they graduate high school.

Not only does too much screen time cause kids to neglect more creative pursuits like art and music and pleasure reading, but it often tempts them to procrastinate on doing their homework and neglect their household chores, as well.

Sadly, the same thing can often be said of their parents!

If you are a mom who doesn’t want to see screens completely dominate your child’s — or your own — attention, I’m right there with you.

And if you also happen to be a list-maker and goal-setter, you’ll love the chart I created this morning to help our family disentangle itself from the clutches of technology — at least until we’ve all attended to our other responsibilities and have spent some time doing activities that don’t require electricity, such as reading books, drawing pictures, riding bikes, or practicing the piano.

So make it a goal for you and your kids to do everything on the following list before reaching for a phone, tablet, laptop, or video game controller.

Free Printable: Extend Your REACH

This chart is available in a full, 8.5″x11″ version (shown above). Or, if you prefer a smaller size, you can also print them out two-per-page:

I printed out enough copies for every member of the house, including myself. Although I have no desire to play video games, I could use a reminder to postpone answering emails and to stay off social media until I’ve read, exercised, and done at least one load of laundry each morning!

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