We started this at our kitchen table. Not as a business plan, but as a tired parent’s experiment.
How This Actually Started
There was no “aha moment.” Just a lot of evenings that ended the same way: my daughter on her tablet, me on my phone, both of us in the same room but completely separate. We’d say goodnight, she’d go to bed, and I’d feel like I’d missed something. Again.
One night, I dug out some old puzzle books from a drawer. Not because I had a plan—I was just tired of the screens. I asked her if she wanted to try one together before bed. She shrugged (the enthusiastic response of all 8-year-olds) and said okay.
That first night was awkward. We finished in about seven minutes and sat there wondering what to do next. But we kept trying. After a week, something shifted. She started asking for “puzzle time.” I started looking forward to it too.
That was three years ago. We haven’t missed a night since.
Why This Matters to Me
I’m not an expert in child development. I don’t have credentials in education or psychology. I’m just a parent who noticed that something was missing in our evenings and found a small way to fix it.
What I can tell you is what I observed: I have two daughters. When we started doing puzzles together, conversations happened. Not forced “how was your day” conversations, but real ones. About school. About friends. About things she was worried about. It turns out, when you’re looking at a puzzle instead of each other, it’s easier to talk.
I started Screen Free Together because I wanted other families to try this. Not because it’s revolutionary or backed by research papers, but because it worked for us. And it’s so simple that it seems like it shouldn’t work—which is maybe why it does.
What We Believe
Connection over productivity
The goal isn’t to make kids smarter. It’s to spend time together.
Small moments matter
You don’t need hours of quality time. Fifteen minutes, consistently, adds up.
Parents as partners
This works because parents participate, not supervise.
Simplicity is strength
Paper and pencils. No apps, no subscriptions, no complexity.
Want to try it yourself?
Start with our puzzle kit and see if it works for your family too.