Screen-Free Summer: Why We Had to Go Cold Turkey

May 13

Honestly, they left me no choice—we had to go cold turkey.

The crazy part is that my children already had limited screen time, so the level of dependence that started showing up caught me by surprise. My toddler was throwing fits whenever it was time to turn the screen off. My infant became a little too comfortable and skilled at navigating my phone. And my older two children constantly wanted to play online whenever they felt like they had “nothing to do.”

My husband and I started noticing the shift happening right in front of us. Bedtimes were getting later. Mornings were groggy and cranky. The kids were suddenly asking for toys and products they saw in commercials. We could feel a screen dependency slowly creeping into our home, and deep down, we knew we didn’t want to continue down that path.

The hard part? We couldn’t really address it right away.

Our winter break was supposed to be a time to reset and regroup as a family, but instead, we spent most of it sick. And when survival mode kicks in, convenience usually wins. Screens became the default. They helped keep the peace while we rested, recovered, and tried to get through the days.

But after “sick season” passed, I realized something: even though we were feeling better physically, because we hadn’t addressed it sooner, our dependence on screens had grown stronger. What started as a temporary survival tool slowly became a daily habit, and I found myself relying on devices more than I wanted to just to help me function day to day. I found myself turning to screens to quiet the kids, entertain them, or buy myself a moment of peace when I felt overwhelmed or needed to catch up. And while I completely understand why so many families fall into this cycle—because honestly, sometimes it feels necessary—I also knew I didn’t want screens becoming the thing my children depended on whenever boredom, discomfort, or downtime showed up.

So we made a change.
We went cold turkey.

For the first two months, there was no screen time outside of educational purposes. It wasn’t easy at first. There were complaints, boredom, frustration, and moments where all of us had to relearn how to simply be without constantly reaching for a device.

But slowly, something beautiful started happening.

The kids began creating again. Imagining again. Playing again.
We started seeing less idleness and seeing more independent thinking, creativity, movement, and conversations.

After those first two months, we slowly reintroduced intentional family screen time—not because screens are inherently bad, but because we wanted to model balance and healthy habits. My husband and I wanted to show our children what appropriate screen use could actually look like.

And honestly? We’re still learning.

I’m not naturally a huge screen-time person to begin with, so as summer approaches, we may allow a little more independent screen time. But I feel much better allowing our children to use devices now because screens are no longer the center of their day—they’ve become just one small part of it.

Going through this experience opened my eyes in a deeper way. I realized how quickly screens can become the default when families are tired, overwhelmed, overstimulated, or simply trying to make it through the day. At the same time, I also saw how powerful it was when our children began reconnecting with creativity, movement, independent play, problem-solving, and simply learning how to exist without constantly needing entertainment. (I took tons of undercover pics to capture those awesome moments :)

That’s really where the inspiration for the Screen-Free Summer Challenge Workbook came from. If you’ve read my About Me section, then you know many of the resources I create are inspired by real-life moments and experiences within my own family. This workbook was created from one of those moments.

I created it because I know families are tired. Parents are overwhelmed. Kids are overstimulated. And many of us want support finding ways to reconnect our children to creativity, movement, critical thinking, real-life skills, and meaningful engagement beyond screens.

This workbook was designed to help families start summer strong with a mindset of not relying so heavily on devices for entertainment, stimulation, or peace.

At Prep Life Learning, my mission has always been about preparing students for life—not just school. And part of that preparation means helping kids learn how to:

handle boredom
think creatively
solve problems independently
explore the world around them
build real-life skills
engage with family and community
and develop healthy habits that support their growth

Because sometimes the best learning happens when the screens are off and life is happening right in front of them.

Ready to Try the Screen-Free Summer Challenge?

The Screen-Free Summer Challenge Workbook is filled with engaging, hands-on activities designed to help kids stay thinking, creating, exploring,—without depending heavily on screens.

Perfect for families, homeschoolers, educators, and caregivers looking to encourage: