Students can bring the learning home with these fun activities for classrooms and families.
#DeviceFreeDinner sends a simple but powerful message home to students and families: Part of being a good digital citizen is knowing when to take a break from media and technology to spend time with the people we love.
Everything from better grades to a healthier lifestyle have been credited to eating together as a family. But phones at the table can block those benefits. Though the majority of parents agree that devices aren't welcome at the dinner table, a 2016 Common Sense poll found that phones and other media are often present anyway.
The connection between classroom lessons and home life is essential when it comes to supporting students in learning how to have a healthy relationship with media. Whether families are reinforcing the skills, or students are teaching the adults in their lives how to have media balance themselves, #DeviceFreeDinner can be a fun way to engage your students' families in digital citizenship.
Check out this collection of tools and activities to get started with #DeviceFreeDinner in your classroom or school community. And kick things off with this sweet message from our furry friends at Sesame Street (great for students of any age)!
1. Use these fun, age-appropriate #DeviceFreeDinner handouts as a hook or an extension for your media balance lessons:
- Have your elementary schoolers create a meaningful dinner menu by filling out "three courses" of conversation.
- Ask your middle schoolers to craft step-by-step cooking instructions for delicious dinner conversation.
- Ask your high schoolers to design plans to host a device-free dinner of their own.
2. Share these resources with students' families to encourage #DeviceFreeDinners:
- #DeviceFreeDinner Family Tip Sheet
- #DeviceFreeDinner Family Starter Kit (in Spanish and English): includes device basket sign and fun questions and conversation starters!
3. Plan a #DeviceFreeDinner Day for your school community:
- Use these #DeviceFreeDinner Day school poster instructions to kick-start this community event.
- Hang the #DeviceFreeDinner Day school poster to advertise the event.
A Commitment to Balance: Pause for People
Help students, their families, and ourselves critically examine our relationship with technology.