Real Screen-Free Activities Tested by a Real-Life Dad

A New Weekly Rhythm for The Screen-Free Dad

I’ve been thinking a lot about the direction of The Screen-Free Dad lately. Not because I’m changing what this project is about, but because I want it to be more focused, more useful, and more consistent for you and for me.

At its core, this space has always been about real-time parenting without screens. It’s about the messy, meaningful, and magical experiences that happen when we put our phones away and pay attention. I’ve written about the big picture stuff—the hidden cost of screen time, the value of boredom, and the way everyday tasks shape our kids’ minds.

But I want to take things a step further. I want to give you something you can rely on. Something that makes trying screen-free activities feel less overwhelming and more doable. Something that isn’t just a list of ideas, but a weekly rhythm you can follow.

So here’s what I’m doing.

Starting now, I’m introducing a new format to The Screen-Free Dad. Every week, I’ll share two posts:

1. At the beginning of the week, I’ll introduce a screen-free idea I plan to try with my kids. This post will explain why it’s worth trying, what research says about it, and how I’m planning to do it.
   

2. At the end of the week, I’ll follow up with a recap of how it went. I’ll share what worked, what didn’t, and how I might adjust things next time. I’ll also include tips for trying it with different ages, different personalities, or different family dynamics.

Why This Format?

I don’t want to just talk about screen-free parenting. I want to model it.

There are already a thousand blog posts out there offering 27 screen-free activities for toddlers or the top 10 educational games that don’t involve a screen. And don’t get me wrong, those can be helpful. But what’s missing from most of them is the follow-through. The part where someone actually tries it, reflects on it, and shows you what it looks like in real life.

That’s what I want to offer here.

I want you to see what happens when a real dad tries to make a cardboard box into a spaceship, or when he sets out to spend an hour at the park and ends up with mud on his jeans and a toddler meltdown halfway through. I want you to hear about the activities that actually created connection, and the ones that fell completely flat.

Because screen-free parenting isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. And presence takes practice.

What You Can Expect

Here’s how the new weekly rhythm will work:

Early Week Post: The Plan

Each Monday, I’ll publish a post introducing the activity I’m planning to try. These posts will be practical, research-backed, and clear. In each post, I’ll break down:

• What the activity is

• Why I’m choosing it

• What benefits it offers (backed by child development research when possible)

• What supplies I (or you) will need

• How I plan to set it up or explain it to my kids

• Any concerns I have going in (because let’s be honest, not everything sounds like a good idea on paper)

I’ll also include a simple checklist or breakdown, and whenever it makes sense, I’ll add a free downloadable to make it even easier to try it with your own kids.

End of Week Post: The Recap

Each Friday, I’ll follow up with a post about how it went. These will be honest, reflective, and probably a little messy. Just like parenting.

I’ll talk about:

• What actually happened

• What worked and what didn’t

• How my kids responded

• What I’d change next time

• How to adapt it for younger or older kids

• Any unexpected benefits or lessons I learned along the way

Sometimes it’ll be a win. Sometimes it’ll be a total bust. But every time, it’ll be real.

Why This Matters

The more I talk to other dads, the more I realize most of us aren’t looking for more information.

We’re looking for clarity.

We’re not short on parenting tips, Instagram posts, or viral TikToks about what we should be doing. What we’re short on is confidence.

Confidence that what we’re doing makes sense.
Confidence that we’re doing it the right way.
Confidence that our kids are getting the most out of the activity.
And confidence that we are showing up enough for our kids.

This format is my way of trying to close these gaps.

It’s not about creating a perfect plan and expecting it to go perfectly. It’s about trying something new, seeing what happens, and learning from it.

It’s about showing up on a Tuesday afternoon and deciding to build a giant pillow fort because you read about it here on Monday and thought, “Why not?”

It’s about reading the recap on Friday night and realizing that someone else’s chaos looks a lot like your own, and that maybe, just maybe, you’re doing better than you think.

Because trust me, you are.

How You Can Get Involved

If you want to follow along each week, subscribe to the newsletter. You’ll get both posts delivered right to your inbox.

If you try the activity with your own kids, I’d love to hear how it went. Leave a comment, send an email, or share your story in The Screen-Free Dad group chat (coming soon).

Eventually, I’d love to turn this into more than just me sharing my story. I want this to become a community of dads who together are all trying things, learning, and figuring out how to be more present.

But for now, it starts with this new rhythm.

One Idea. One Week. One Honest Story.

So that’s the plan.

I’ll still share the occasional longer essay or reflection and post about things like fatherhood mindset shifts, working from home, and what it means to raise kids in a digital world. But this new format will be the heart of The Screen-Free Dad moving forward.

Because I believe in the power of showing up. I believe in learning by doing. And I believe that some of the best parenting breakthroughs don’t come from expert advice.

They come from trying something new, failing a little, laughing a lot, and trying again next week.

Let’s do that. Together.

Thanks for being here.