Student learning · Grades K–2 · 30 minutes
Screen Time, Green Time
Children sort everyday activities, notice how their bodies and feelings respond to sitting still and to moving, and make a family balance plan, learning that screens aren't bad and choices matter.
Children hear a lot of grown-up worry about screens. This lesson gives them something more useful than worry: noticing and choosing. Children sort activity cards into Screen time, Green time (no screen), and Both, and discover that screens can help us learn, create, and connect with people we love. Then they do a short Body Check-In: sit still staring at a paper "screen," then move, and notice what changes in their eyes, bodies, and feelings. They finish by drawing a balance plan they take home to make with their family. The message is honest: screens aren't bad or good by themselves; how we use them and what else we make time for is what matters.
In this packet
- Handout A: Screen or Green? (card sort)
- Handout B: My Body Check-In (organizer)
- Handout C: Our Family Balance Plan (worksheet)
- Facilitator key (last page)
TCEA ELE indicators
- S4.3 I am aware of my learning strengths and areas for improvement.
- S4.1 I know how to take responsibility for my own learning.
- S4.2 I can set achievable goals and monitor my progress.
- S3.2 I can communicate my ideas clearly to others.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/screen-time-green-time.html
Handout A for Screen Time, Green Time
Screen or Green?
Read each card aloud. Is it screen time, green time (no screen), or both? Some cards can have more than one good answer. Tell why!
Screen time
Green time
Both
Handout A for Screen Time, Green Time
Screen or Green?: cards to sort
Cut apart the strips. Sort each one onto the mat and be ready to explain why.
Playing tag outside at recess
Watching a cartoon on a tablet
Video-calling Grandma to show her your new tooth
Dancing along with a music video
Building a block tower with a friend
Drawing a picture with crayons
Playing a counting game on a tablet
Looking up a picture of a real frog with a grown-up, then going outside to find one
Reading a paper book at bedtime
Taking a photo of a flower on a walk with your family
Helping cook dinner
Following a video to learn how to fold a paper airplane, then flying it
Handout B for Screen Time, Green Time
My Body Check-In
After each minute, draw a face or write a word in each box. There are no wrong answers. Just notice!
| After… | My eyes feel | My neck and back feel | My wiggles feel | My feelings are |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute sitting still with my pretend screen | ||||
| 1 minute moving my body | ||||
| What changed? |
Handout C for Screen Time, Green Time
Our Family Balance Plan
Start this at school. Finish it at home with your family. Family note: screens aren't bad; we're practicing choosing, noticing, and balancing. Please talk about the plan together and help your child fill in the last box.
Draw one screen choice I love that helps me learn, make things, or talk to people I love.
Draw two green-time choices (no screen) I want to do this week.
My stop signal: I know it's time for a break when…
When it's time to stop, I can say: "One more minute, then I'll ___."
At home with my family: one screen-free time or place we choose together (like dinner or bedtime):
Facilitator only for Screen Time, Green Time
Answer key and notes
Handout A: Screen or Green?
| Item | Sort | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Playing tag outside at recess | Green time | No screen, and your whole body moves. |
| Watching a cartoon on a tablet | Screen time | A screen and a still body. Fun, and a good one to balance. |
| Video-calling Grandma to show her your new tooth | Screen time | A screen that helps us connect with people we love. |
| Dancing along with a music video | Both | You use a screen, and your body is moving. |
| Building a block tower with a friend | Green time | No screen; hands and ideas working together. |
| Drawing a picture with crayons | Green time | No screen; you are making something. |
| Playing a counting game on a tablet | Screen time | A screen that helps you learn. |
| Looking up a picture of a real frog with a grown-up, then going outside to find one | Both | A screen helped you learn, then you went exploring. |
| Reading a paper book at bedtime | Green time | No screen; a calm way to get ready for sleep. |
| Taking a photo of a flower on a walk with your family | Both | A screen helps you remember something you saw while outside. |
| Helping cook dinner | Green time | No screen; you're helping your family. |
| Following a video to learn how to fold a paper airplane, then flying it | Both | A screen taught you, then you made and played. |