The Parents' Survival Guide to Summer and Screens

After months of early alarms, homework marathons, and packed schedules, your kids have earned a real break—and so have you. Summer is supposed to feel different. More relaxed, like pool days, popsicles, and outdoor adventures. It also likely means more screen time.

But "loosening up" doesn't have to mean tossing all boundaries out the window. This summer, the goal is finding a balance that lets kids recharge while keeping them engaged, curious, and ready to hit the ground running when school's back in session. Here's how to make it work.

Relax — But Keep It Meaningful

First, give yourself permission to let go a little. Summer screen time goes up, that's just reality. Without the structure of a school day, kids will gravitate toward their devices. Tech is how many kids stay entertained, creative, and—importantly—connected to friends they might not see all summer. What matters more than the clock is what they're doing with that time. A group video call with a best friend who's away at camp is a very different kind of screen time than three hours of mindless scrolling. A nature documentary, a coding tutorial, or even a well-chosen video game can all offer real value. Remember: Not all screen time is created equal.

So yes, relax the rules a bit. But replace rigid limits with intentional ones.

Learning Without Making It Feel Like School

Here's the good news: kids don't need worksheets to keep their brains sharp. The best summer learning often doesn't look like learning at all.

Some easy ideas to try:

Explore local resources. Rec centers and summer camps offer STEM, arts, and sports programming that keeps brains active without feeling like a chore. Visit the library for summer reading programs that are free, low-pressure, and genuinely fun. For older teens, a first job is its own kind of curriculum: financial literacy, responsibility, and real-world problem-solving all rolled into one.

Family movie or game night—how about both! Match screen time with family time. Board games, video game tournaments, and movie nights can be fun and educational. Pick a book series to work through together, like our Movies Based on Books list: read first, then watch them together. Exploring the apps, games, and platforms they like with them is a great way to spark conversation and get a better understanding of their digital lives.

Cook together. Working through a few new recipes is a low-key way to practice fractions, ratios, and time management. Issue a family challenge: pick five recipes to cook before Labor Day. Bonus points for trying something completely new.

Embrace boredom. It can be tempting to fill every quiet moment with a screen or activity, but boredom is actually where creativity starts. Give kids unstructured time—real, phone-free stretches—and see what they come up with. And if extra screen time happens, match it with extra time outside. An extra hour outdoors for every extra hour gaming or scrolling. It's not a punishment, it's just balance.

Make Tech Work with Your Values, Not Against Them

One of the most effective summer strategies? Involve your kids in the planning. Sit down together and revisit your family's media and tech expectations for the season. Use a family tech planner to let kids have a say — they're much more likely to follow a plan they helped create. If you have already one for the school year, think about updating it for the time your kids will spend out of school.

A quick 10-minute check-in each week goes a long way. It keeps everyone accountable and aligned with what's most important to your family, and gives kids a voice when something needs adjusting.

Extended family is part of the strategy too. Kids spending more time with babysitters, other family members and friends this summer? Include your village or support network and share your device rules so everyone's on the same page.

The Bottom Line: Chill and Skills

The fear of "summer slide"—kids losing months of academic progress over the break—is real, but it's most pronounced when kids are left without guidance. A little reading, a little curiosity, a little time outside: that's usually enough to keep things in check. What kids need most this summer is time to breathe. The grind has been real, and rest isn't laziness—it's recovery. A summer that mixes genuine downtime with laid-back learning and intentional tech use isn't a compromise. It's the goal.

So go ahead and loosen up. Just bring the family along for the ride.