The No-Screens Experiment, One Month In

So, it has been one full month since we started the no-screens policy in our house.

The policy is (and this will not sound revolutionary to most of you)

that Monday morning through Friday afternoon, there are no screens on in our house for the kids.

There are some minor exceptions of course:

Kate needs to check her email once daily, because her teachers will sometimes email

a change in homework or other information

and also a couple of times a week, log on to FB so if her peeps are making weekend plans,

she is in the know.

Other than that, it's no tv, no computers, no texting unless all homework is done, no DS or Wii or whatever other types of video games.

Instead, it is snack, free play, homework, instrument (or SAT) practice and then down time.

Benefits:

1) More reading. Specifically, Trey is reading more, which was always a difficult thing to get him to do.

2) More creativity. Drawing, origami, making action movies with their neighbor and his camera, building clay figures, playing imaginative games and the like.

3) More outside playtime.

4) Increased skills, particularly with the boys and their Ripsticks.

5) Grades and schoolwork are excellent thus far.

6) Better planning. Kate has been working for HOURS on a project for Humanities and I think she is doing so because she has more time now than when she was using the computer and watching TV.

Cons:

I may be singing a different song in the winter, when it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon, but right now I don't seen any cons. The kids are happy and don't seem to be suffering, although they may say something different.

A hidden, extra benefit is that if I decide to overrule the no-tv policy for a specific reason (ie- I'll be at meetings that evening, the weather is unbearable or just as a surprise hour) they are really excited.

Since it is no longer an expectation but a treat, they see it as a privilege.

I'll keep reporting back but so far, I give it a BIG thumbs up!