Get Off the Screen! Why Limit Screen Time This Summer + Free Guide

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How many times have you been at a public place like a restaurant or an event of some kind where all you see are people completely oblivious to what is going on around them because they’ve got their faces buried in a screen of some kind? Maybe you’ve had your kids with a friend over, and rather than actually talking to one another face to face, they are communicating on their screens. Screen time: it’s simply part of the world we live in these days. Wondering more about how to limit screen time?

With summer generally comes more free time for kids, which can be both good and bad. If you are a parent, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that some of that free time (maybe a lot of it) will be spent on screens if left unchecked.

While I am all about setting limitations on screen time for our kids, it can’t all be about the limit. It can’t be all about the limitations just for the sake of limiting the time spent on screens. There are plenty of other benefits in addition to less time looking at your kids with their noses buried in screens.

Side note: I have created a pretty awesome summertime screen time rules guide for you. Grab it below.

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Anyhow.

It can’t be all about the limits we set for our kids when it comes to screen time. It’s time to focus on the benefits of limiting screen time…and they are pretty sweet.

When you know what they are, as a parent you can feel so good about the limitations you place on the amount of time your kids spend on screens. You can set them and know that you are doing so much more than limiting them…you are helping them learn to make choices, build character, and learn time management skills that are vital to have for the rest of their lives.

When you know these benefits, you can say, “Get off the screens” with confidence.

Here are the important reasons why you want to limit screen time for your kids this summer.

(this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you)

Kids will learn to be selective

Your kids will learn to become selective in how they spend their screen time if it’s on a limited basis only. If they don’t spend so much time on the phones going back and forth between things that they really don’t want to do, just because they can, they will learn to do only what they want or feel they need to do in the time they are allowed.

It’s all about picking and choosing, and this is something even young kids can learn to do.

Kids will learn to prioritize

When there are limits, they will learn to prioritize what they want to do. As adults we are always doing this, aren’t we? We are forever having to balance the things we need to do with the things we want to do. And from there we prioritize these things even further. Limits on screen time will teach your kids to do the same using real life situations.

Kids will learn self-control

I suggest setting the screen time limits and leaving it up to your kids to obey those limits. When they do, great. When they don’t, in my home there are consequences to that. Usually, this means less time on screens going forward.

When they have to stay within the guidelines you’ve set up, your kids learn self-control when they are forced to get off the screens even when they don’t want to.

As an adult, we all have plenty of times where we are doing things even when we don’t want to. This is a great way for your kids to learn this valuable lesson.

“Special” holds more meaning

When kids don’t have unlimited access to the things they enjoy, it makes these things more special when they do get to do them. This holds true for anything, but especially electronics.  will treat the electronics as though they are special because they don’t get to spend all the time in the world on them. This ties into the point about learning to be selective as your kids come to realize what they really miss about the electronics, they are more likely to do those things rather than mindless games.

When screen time is limited, your kids will treat the electronics as though they are special because they don’t get to spend all the time in the world on them. This ties into the point about learning to be selective.

When your kids are limited in how much they can use their screens, they come to realize what they really miss about the electronics when they aren’t using their screens. This makes them look forward to what they want to do when they get their screens back. It builds anticipation. And, it also makes them be more selective as they plan for what they will be doing on their next screen time.

As they plan, they most likely won’t be planning on wasting their time wandering around their games or the internet aimlessly. They will be intentional in what they do.

Limiting screen time during the summer is so much more than just saying, “Get off those screens!” It is an awesome way for your kids to start learning to discern, prioritize, and build their self-control muscles. These are all things your kids will need as an adult.

Why not start learning these things now?