5 Technology Rules I Enforce Every Summer to Make Sure My Kids Stay Outside
:upscale()/2018/05/29/833/n/44054896/d4790e055b0da34c16a1b7.60957313_.jpg)
Summer is a time to be free. I want my kids to run through sprinklers, eat s'mores around a bonfire, ride bikes with their friends, and stay up way past bedtime to eat ice cream and watch the stars. And the one thing that all of this has in common? No technology. Kids are too plugged in today, and while I allow it during the school year for academic purposes (and to save my sanity while we're stuck inside during the Winter), I want nothing more than to give my kids the kind of Summer I once had. In order to do this, I enforce five technology rules for my family all Summer long. Yes, my kids still get some, but these rules force them to also have as much fun in the sun as they can.
:upscale()/2018/05/22/621/n/44054896/4e33b0a45c804133_summerfun.jpg)
No Technology on the Weekends
The weekends are for family time and building memories together. Not only do I make my kids unplug every weekend, but my husband and I also put away our phones and tablets. This allows us to really be together as a family, and we'll do things like swim in a local lake, go for hikes, have barbecues, and lie in the grass to breathe in that fresh Summer air.
:upscale()/2018/05/22/622/n/44054896/cddf7d4b7fda0b19_technology.jpg)
30 Minutes of Technology Per Day
As a kid, it was always so nice to wake up early on a Summer morning and eat cereal while watching some cartoons. I don't want to take that away from my own kids, even when the sun is shining. During most Summer days, I let my kids have 30 minutes of technology (there's more wiggle room on rainy and sick days) to use however they want.
:upscale()/2018/05/22/624/n/44054896/9e0cf0cd97047457_reading1.jpg)
30 Minutes of Technology = 30 Minutes of Reading
If my kids want to use up their technology time every day, then they have to read for 30 minutes, too (it's a win-win for both of us). My hope is that they'll want to read anyway, but this helps them dive into fun Summer reads they might not otherwise have touched.
:upscale()/2018/05/22/627/n/44054896/6c60d8af2b64e496_summer.jpg)
No Technology in Social Settings
If we're having a Summer barbecue, at a birthday party, or even just eating as a family at the dinner table, there will be no technology by any of us. I've always found it rude when kids or adults have their eyes glued to a screen when there's a group of people around wanting to talk to them.
:upscale()/2018/05/22/630/n/44054896/5989d1286a9c1d29_tablet.jpg)
No Tablets. Period.
Our tablet broke a few months ago, and honestly, it's been the best thing for our house. So this rule will stay. It's just one fewer tech addiction for all of us.