Twenty years ago, a typical summer schedule revolved around kids playing outside from sunup to sundown, with screens reserved for family movie nights or rainy days. Today, the digital world is just as formative to a child’s early development as the real world.
Surprised? Not Dr. Lauren Loquasto, senior vice president and chief academic officer at The Goddard School, a leading early childhood education provider serving nearly 100,000 children across more than 680 schools nationwide. She’s watched this developmental shift play out in real time. “Today’s children are not just passive consumers of media; they are interacting, creating, and navigating digital environments at increasingly younger ages,” she says. “Screens are now part of how children communicate, learn, and even regulate themselves.”
So no, a screen-free summer isn't the answer. Banning something kids already use daily only makes it more desirable. The realistic goal? Teaching them that not all screen time is created equal.
In The Goddard School classrooms, educators incorporate technology as a tool for interaction, not distraction. “Within our inquiry-based Wonder of Learning framework, digital experiences are used intentionally to extend curiosity, not replace hands-on discovery,” Dr. Loquasto says. The key difference between passive consumption and active engagement is a present adult — one who’s sitting with the child, asking them questions, and connecting what’s on the screen to the real world.
You can absolutely bring that same approach home this summer. “A high-quality, interactive digital experience, especially one that is language-rich and used alongside a responsive adult, can support learning and engagement in ways that mirror strong teaching practices,” Dr. Loquasto says. Below, she shares a few ways to set (and keep!) healthy screen time boundaries for your child and yourself.
1. Create A Summer Fun Menu — Screen Time Included
Forget the color-coded schedule (unless that's your thing). Instead, put together 10 to 15 activities that mix imaginative, independent play with healthy screen time. Think: fort building, bug hunting, and coloring on one end; researching how a favorite toy works or exploring a new place together on the other. "Children who move fluidly between rich experiences build autonomy and internal balance," Dr. Loquasto says.
2. Let Your Child Have A Say
Each morning, pull out the menu and ask your child what they want to tackle and in what order. Something as simple as "Do you want screen time before or after dinner?" gives them real agency over their day. "When children help choose the boundaries, they're more likely to follow them," she says. Bonus: this puts less pressure on you to monitor every hour.
3. Set Expectations From The Start
Tell your kids upfront when screen time begins and ends. It makes transitions way smoother and cuts down on meltdowns. If they push back anyway (they will), stay calm and hold the line. Dr. Loquasto recommends building a small, fun ritual right after screens go off, a little celebration they can look forward to that makes powering down feel less like a punishment. Simple options are things like reading a book together, playing a favorite song, or transitioning into a family walk.
4. Practice What You Preach
Kids absorb everything. If you're constantly reaching for your phone, they notice and file it away as the default way to move through the world. You can't ignore work emails all day, but you can draw a firm line: no phones during playtime, dinner, or the hour before bed. Small, consistent boundaries go further than an all-or-nothing approach.
5. Plan For Screen Time Emergencies
POV: You’re at the airport for the annual summer vacation. You packed the books. You printed the activity sheets. And then your flight gets delayed by four hours. Dr. Loquasto has been there. Her take: pull out the tablet, no guilt required — just be transparent with your kid about why. A quick "our plans changed, so we're making an exception today" teaches flexibility and honesty at the same time.
The bottom line: screens aren't the enemy, but intention matters. A summer full of rich, varied experiences — digital and otherwise — is what actually sets kids up for a healthy relationship with technology long after Labor Day rolls around.
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