Join Us For Screen-Free Week: April 29th – May 5th, 2013

Source: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org

Source: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org

April 29th – May 5th, 2013 is the Screen-free Week! That means it’s time to put down the remote and pick up a book.

This week, people around the country (and world!) will turn OFF TV, video and mobile games, and other screens they use for entertainment, and turn ON the world around them! Think, read, play, daydream, explore nature, enjoy family and friends–do all this and so much more when you spend 7 days unplugged.

It’s a great way to introduce your kids to activities that don’t involve technology. Of course, totally ignoring technology may not make sense for school or work – but when it comes to entertainment, there are plenty of ways to engage kids and reunite the family for some fun.

  • Read
  • Talk to each other!
  • Daydream
  • Explore
  • Hike
  • Enjoy nature
  • Visit friends
  • Write (with a pen and paper!)

Screen-free week is about making important lifestyle changes that will improve well-being and quality of life all year round. It’s about moving your body more and getting exercise.

Let us know how you’ll celebrate Screen-Free week by leaving a comment on our Facebook page. And if you can’t celebrate all week, try to celebrate Screen-Free for at least a day!

Why Screen-Free?

According to The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, children are spending way too much time with screens—and it’s not good for them. Did you know?

  • School-age children spend more time with screen media—television, video games, computers, and hand-held devices—than in any other activity but sleeping.
  • Screen media use is at an all-time high among preschoolers—according to Nielsen, young children spend, on average, more than 32 hours a week watching just television.
  • Screen time is habit forming and linked to poor school performance, childhood obesity, poor sleep habits, and attention problems.
  • 64% of children ages 12 to 24 months watch TV and videos for an average of just over 2 hours a day—even though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends discouraging screen time for children under 2.

For these reasons and more, so many leading health, education, and childcare organizations actively support this year’s Screen-Free Week (April 29 – May 5, 2013), the annual celebration where children, families, schools, and communities turn off screens for entertainment and turn on life. Endorsers include the National Head Start Association, National WIC Association, KaBOOM!, the US Play Coalition, the National Black Child Development Institute, and the American Public Health Association.

“Screen-Free Week helps American children, families, schools and communities shift their focus from passive screen-watching to activities that help us all become healthier and more fit. Screen-Free Week is in sync with the growing realization that physical activity promotes individual health and well-being, builds community and reduces health-care costs. It also makes for family fun and interaction. Let’s all click off and move more—not just during Screen-Free Week, but every day!”

Dan Henkel, Senior Director of Communication and Advocacy
American College of Sports Medicine