I always feel a little panicked when I hear the announcement from the airline attendant, “Please turn off all personal electronic devices, anything that has an on and off switch.” For the next few minutes I have to be creative with my time, so I have learned to love reading magazines. I wonder if sometimes our personal electronics can actual distract us from more meaningful experiences.

This past week, I met with a well-known leader who makes a similar announcement every week in his home. He declares his home a no-personal-electronics zone. When he first announced the idea to his family, there was a threat of mutiny from his kids. The idea seems a little radical. From the time his kids get home until the work day starts the next day, phones, internet, TV, video games are all off. He claims that after a few weeks of withdrawals and the shakes, his family actually began to connect at a different level. So how did they use their extra time together? They had intense bible study! No, just kidding. They actually spent a lot of time playing board games.

Here’s an interesting idea. What if you got serious about having fun together as a family?  I’m not suggesting that you block satellites for the entire week, but what if you just start with a day or two?

Here’s a simple goal. Try to have more fun doing something together as a family than any of your kids could ever have on their own with their personal electronic devices. Create a no-personal-electronics zone as a family, even if it’s for a few hours, and try to learn how to play together.

Tell us some creative things you do as a family to play together.