Screen Free Kids

Screen Free Kids

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents monitor their child’s “media diet” and place limits on the amount of time spent in front of screens. In addition, the AAP recommends 0 screen time for any child under the age of 2. For more information, please refer to their article: http://bit.ly/1WArw6v.

Screen free week is celebrated nationally usually on the 1st week of May. This year it was celebrated on May 2nd-8th 2016. We have bilingual “Lee the Bee, Turn off the TV” books available by Shalini Singh Anand (contact FIRST 5 for more information),  and we have the following documents available for download:

Downloadable Documents:

• TV Alternatives Grid (English) – helps you to figure out how to manage screen-free time during the day
• Cuadrícula de Actividades Alternativas (Español) – ¿Cuáles horas del día son más difíciles?
• 101 Screen Free Activities (English)
• 101 Actividades Sin Pantalla (Español)
• Parent/Child Screen Time Contract (English)
• Contrato Entre Padre e Hijo Sobre el Tiempo Enfrente de la Televisión (Español)
• Healthy Kids in a Digital World (English)
• Niños Saludables En Un Mundo Digital (Español)
• Facing the Screen Dilemma: Highlights for Families with Infants and Young Children
• Facing the Screen Dilemma: A Summary for Early Childhood Professionals

Research tells us that too much TV results in obesity; inadequate brain development; out-of-control behavior; short attention span; and, when children get older, low grades and a tendency to misuse alcohol and drugs. Our goal is to make sure that fewer local children suffer these consequences.

For more information, visit:

If parents, caregivers or grandparents would like to have an app in their hands to check out ratings for various books, video games, and movies, try the Common Sense Media App. Download it from the “App Store” for Apple products or for Android systems use “Google Play”.