Screen-Free Week is a national celebration where children and families spend seven days turning off entertainment screen media and turning ON life! It’s a time to unplug and play, read, daydream, create, explore, and spend time with family and friends….and the library! This year’s event is being held May 3-9th.

One of the best and easiest ways to unplug is to pick up a book! Children’s Book Week, the annual celebration of books and reading, is partnering with Screen-Free Week this year, encouraging children and families to enjoy classic favorites and perhaps discover new books while they take a break from screen entertainment.

Here are some ideas to get you started:
• Read aloud. Parents and kids can read their favorite books or try new books. Older children can read to younger children, act out events from books, or play dress-up games.
• Reclaim the family meal as a time for talking together and/or sharing stories. Plan meals ahead of time and include the entire family in the preparation and presentation of the meal. Get creative with napkin folding. How about a discussion about a book everyone in the family agreed to read?
• Include friends, relatives, and neighbors in your activities. Get together with other families at a park, play organized games, or just hang out!
• At the end of the week, talk about how you feel, what you accomplished, and what aspects of the week you might like to keep going. Is it worth it to make one night screen-free, with meals together and a game following dinner? Would it be a good idea to get together with extended family or friends one day/evening a week and do something different?

There’s so much to explore in St. Johns County this Screen-Free Week. We hope you get a chance to read, take in nature, and play.

Sincerely,