Devices Away, Time to Play: A new project supporting families in the Vale of Glamorgan swap screen time for more family time.

The Flying Start Speech and Language Therapy team in the Vale of Glamorgan are excited to share their brand-new project, Devices Away, Time to Play.

This project is all about helping families find balance in today’s busy, screen-filled world. The idea is simple but powerful: encourage households to create a device box—a place where phones, tablets, gaming controllers, and even TV remotes can be tucked away. By putting devices away, families can free up time and attention for what really matters: connection, play, and shared experiences.

Why Devices Away, Time to Play?

We know that screens play a big part in daily life. But too much screen time can sometimes get in the way of family moments, shared play, and the little conversations that mean so much to children.

This project encourages families to:

• Spend more one-to-one time with their children
• Get involved in everyday activities together—whether that’s walking the dog, cooking, baking, or tackling household chores as a team
• Enjoy device-free playtime that helps children develop communication, social, and problem-solving skills

Children’s brains are wired for connection, and making space for play and interaction, strengthens those bonds.

Launch of the Project at the Flying Start Family Funday

The project was officially launched at the Vale of Glamorgan Flying Start Family Funday, held at Pencoedtre Park in Barry on 23rd July 2025.

The annual event was full of fun, with stalls, games, and activities for the whole family. The Flying Start Speech and Language Therapy team, and other members of the Flying Start Health team hosted an activity tent where families could decorate their very own device boxes. The Early Years team hosted a ‘follow-on’ tent full of screen free activities for families to engage in and be inspired by.

Armed with craft supplies, stickers and colours, families got creative, decorating their boxes. Over 300 boxes were taken home on the day—each one a small but important step towards building healthier family habits.

During the fun day the Flying Start Health team shared conversations with families about the pros and cons of screen time. Here are some samples of their thoughts;

Pros	Cons
Brings her joy, she laughs and has fun	With my 2 year old it makes her grumpy when she needs to come off
Helping with learning new songs and singing them	Inappropriate things coming up
My 7 year old with ASD – it gives time for them to decompress from the day	Less engaged with me when it’s on, reduces her concentration and hard to pull her attention from the screen

While screens can offer joy, learning, and relaxation, it’s also important to remember that children love to share joy, relaxation, learning and time with us as their parents/carers/grand-parents/friends. As human beings, we can respond uniquely in real-time to children’s interaction and their attempts for connection.

A recurring theme was how difficult it can be for adults themselves to have screen-free time. One parent described how her child pointed out: “Well, you use your phone, mummy.” This simple but powerful reminder highlighted the importance of being aware of our own use of screens as adults—and how a device box could help the whole family join in together.

At the heart of it, a simple cardboard box!

Making a device box is simple, fun, and a great way to get the whole family involved. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

A Step Towards Balance

The Devices Away, Time to Play project isn’t about getting rid of screens altogether— it’s about creating balance, for example we would love for you to take a picture of your family’s device box and share it with us via our Facebook page @ValeFlyingStart.

Screen use can be designed to be addictive and therefore difficult to put down. By putting devices in the box, even just for a short while, is a mindful way to achieve physical distancing from your devices. Screens are part of modern life, but so are laughter, stories, shared meals, and adventures outdoors

The response from families has been overwhelmingly positive, and the Flying Start team are excited to see how the project continues to support connection, learning, and fun and will feature in future Flying Start sessions and groups across the Vale of Glamorgan.

So why not give it a try? Find a box, grab some craft supplies, and start your own Devices Away, Time to Play journey today.

Written by Lowrhi Thomas and Anna Pitcairn-Knowles, Flying Start Speech and Language Therapists, Vale of Glamorgan

For more information about balancing screen time, click here for the Summer of connections: a simple summer plan for healthier happier kids from Health Professionals for Safer Screens.

Further resources for supporting early language development can be found at:

• Talk With Me Talk with me | GOV.WALES