Have a meeting with your family and decide together on the best way to manage all the screens in your home. Some families say that children can use their devices for up to one hour a day, and only when they have done their homework, had dinner together as a family, had family worship, done at least one chore, and spent 10 minutes tidying their bedroom. Other families put all their devices “to bed” overnight, on a tray in the kitchen or locked away in a cupboard, so that everyone has a healthy night’s sleep. What rules would help your family to stay in control of your screen time?
Here are lots of fun things to do FOR REAL—in the REAL WORLD, with REAL PEOPLE—because that’s so much better than experiencing life through a small screen!
TREASURE HUNT
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-11. Hunt through your house and gather up all the loose coins. Ask the adults in your home to add their loose coins. Count them up and see if you have enough to pay for an ADRA gift at https://giftcatalog.adra. org. When you have enough money, ask an adult to pay for
the gift. Then pray for the people who will receive your gift.
GRATITUDE RAINBOW
Read Psalm 100 or 107. Ask each person in your home to find six things they are grateful for. Each object must be a different solid color from the spectrum of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Lay all the items out in rows of color to make a rainbow. Not enough? Go and hunt for more! Then take a photograph.
HEAVENLY HOMES
Read John 14:1-3. What do you think your home will look like in heaven? What do you have in your home on earth that you will still need in heaven? And what won’t you need? Work together as a family to create an imaginary heavenly home in an old shoebox. Use your best glittery scraps and craft materials to decorate it.
GROWN UP SKILLS
Ask an adult in your home to teach you a useful life skill—something you need to know to be a safe and successful grown up. Make a list of important skills together and see if you can learn a new one every month.
KINDNESS WAS HERE!
Read Ephesians 4:32. Cut a stack of paper hearts, about 4 inches (or 10 cm) wide. Write on each heart “Kindness was here!” Give each person in your home 4-5 hearts. Whenever you do a secret act of kindness for someone, leave a heart to let them know. You could make a bed, clean
shoes, tidy up, set the table, take out trash, etc.
FAMILY TREE
Ask your parents to help you make a family tree. Visit or call your relatives who are still alive. Ask them to tell you their favorite memories. Make a book of all their stories.
SLING SEVEN!
Read Hebrews 13:16. Find 7 good pieces of clothing or toys that you have outgrown or no longer need. Ask the adults in your home if you can give them to your younger siblings or donate them to a thrift store.
THANK YOU!
Write a thank you note or handmade card for each person in your family. Thank them for something they did that made you really happy. Tuck the card into their pajamas to surprise them at bedtime!
BIBLE OBJECT GAME
Find a small cloth bag or pillowcase. Hunt through your home for small objects that are mentioned in Bible stories (such as stone, seed, small piece of cloth, small coin, toy fish and bird, piece of net, toy sheep and cow, small candle, piece of wood, fake flower, small baby toy, toy tree, gold star, toy boat). Put all the small objects into the bag. Take turns pulling an object out of the bag without looking. Name a story that contains the object, put it back in the bag, and pass the bag to the next person. If objects are pulled out more than once, then a new story or Bible verse
must be mentioned each time.
MAILBOX
It is more fun to get a real letter in your mailbox than a quick email. Write a proper, handwritten letter, in your best handwriting, to an elderly relative. Include a picture you have drawn, a bookmark, a poem or story, or a collage of pressed flowers and leaves. You will make their day!
Writing letters to people can be a fun hobby, and maybe they will write back.
LOVE HUNT
Read Psalm 103. Search in your home for five things that remind you of God’s love. Then show the items to your family and tell why you chose each one.
BUILD A HUT
Build a hut together. Many Jewish families build outdoor huts and live in them when they are celebrating the harvest. Try building a hut with
your family, outside or in your home. Make it big and strong enough for everyone to sleep in for at least one night, and try cooking out there too.
SAY IT ON THE SIDEWALK!
Use sidewalk chalk to write an encouraging message or Bible verse on the sidewalk near your home. Decorate it so people will notice and
read it. Maybe you could write a different message each week so that people look forward to seeing your happy messages.
HELP!
Do something kind. Talk with your family about a simple project you can do together to help others. You are being God’s hands and heart
in the world! This is much more exciting than anything you can do on a small screen.
ACTION STATIONS!
Doing screen stuff stops us from moving our bodies in healthy ways. Make sure you move and stretch whenever you can. Play your favorite praise music and create your own lively actions to illustrate the song.
CREATIVE REFLECTIONS
When you read a Bible story or a verse you especially like, create something to express your ideas. Making something, or writing down your ideas, will help you think about the Bible story in a fresh way. It doesn’t have to be perfect, because this is just between you and God. Make a collection of craft and recycled materials to use for your projects.
EXPLORE OUTDOORS
Use wax crayons and copier paper to make rubbings of tree bark. Lay the paper over the bark. Hold it still and rub the side of the wax crayon over the paper. It will reveal the pattern of the bark. Do this on several different trees to compare their textures. Or turn over a rotting tree trunk and look for all the creepy crawlies underneath. Mark off a small square of ground and see how many different plants, creatures, and stones you can find in the space. Look at the stars at night and see how many constellations you can find and name. Praise God for all the amazing REAL
stuff He’s made.
BIBLE SCENE
Use your construction toy sets to make a scene from a Bible story. See if you can guess each other’s stories. No bricks? Use whatever you can find, or bits and pieces from nature. BIBLE SCENE Please email us (or write us a real letter!). Tell us your family’s favorite ways to manage screen time. And what are your favorite FOR REAL activities?