Celebrate Screen-Free Week for your family's health -- and for a fun prize!

[Cafe Kristin]

Do your kids spend more time in front of screens -- TV, computers, iPads, etc. -- than you’d like them to? Here’s your chance to change that! April 30th through May 6th is Screen-Free Week!

Can you get YOUR kids to turn off the screens for one full week? Try it and you could win!

Starting April 30th, keep the screens off, and come back here every day to tell us what your kids are doing instead. There are lots of great activities to substitute for screen time, from puzzles, to library visits, to writing letters, to participating in a community clean-up, and much more.

5 moms who participate in the challenge all week will each win a CafeMom frisbee! The more times you update us on your kids’ screen-free activities, the better your chances of winning! Check in often to tell us how your family is handling the challenge!

Not sure if this challenge is for you? Check out some interesting statistics from CommericalFreeChildhood.org:

• Children ages 8 -18 spend average of 4 ½ hours per day watching television, 1 ½ hours using computers, and more than an hour playing video games.
• Children with 2 or more hours of daily screen time are more likely to have increased psychological difficulties, including hyperactivity, emotional and conduct problems, as well as difficulties with peers.
• Direct exposure to TV and overall household viewing are associated with increased early childhood aggression.
  

And good news:

• Television viewing at a young age is associated with later behavioral problems, but not if heavy viewing is discontinued before age 6.
• Limiting exposure to television during the first 4 years of life may decrease children’s interest in it in later years.

Have fun and enjoy the quality time with your kiddos!

Official Rules

The "Screen-Free Week" Sweepstakes starts on April 27, 2012 at 12:37 pm (ET) and ends on May 6, 2012 at 11:59pm (ET) (the "Sweepstakes Period").

Enter by replying to this post with the screen-free things your kids are doing during the Sweepstakes Period. Multiple entries are permitted and encouraged, as it increases your chances of winning.

Five (5) winners will be selected in a random drawing of all eligible entries to receive a CafeMom frisbee. The random drawing shall occur on or about May 8, 2012.

*No Purchase Necessary. Open to US residents 16 years and older. Void where prohibited. Click here for the rest of the Official Rules.

[JBbean]

We are a TV free family. We stream tv epsiodes and movies when we have the time to relax and watch them!

[randomosityblog]

We don't watch TV, ever, so can I still play? lol

[italianblueyes]

Right now my kids are sleeping and weve pretty much mastered no tv .....and video games are only two times a month or if that.they enjoy outside, friends ,parks ,the child area at my gym ,reading ,toys ,now they love excercising ,an they help me w /chores ,do homework..

[2KIDSnAmom28]

i dont think we could make it this time., were on a vacation at a relative's place..

[GentleGoddess]

Sure. No problem. My kids don't watch tv. None at all. The have no screen gadgets and no x box or anything like that. They get the occasional movie on special holidays. So we won't have any problem. My children are media free. :)

[baquick]

Let's see how my 2 yo does lol. He loves his Mickey mouse dVD!

[Wepping_Rose]

My kids like a few minits in the morning and when they get home to watch tv this may be hard for them and the computer well that is a me mainly

[divababy3]

My dd loves being outside during the day but at night it's hard so I will take this challenge

[Jerichos_Mommy]

They can give it a try

[alexis_06]

 hahaha i cant see my daughter lasting more than a day! i dont even think *I* could last a day....tv is my me time!