Put the Phones Away. Pick One Book. Try This Tonight.

This isn't a challenge, a detox or a new rule. It's one evening. Twenty minutes. You can try it tonight without buying anything or planning anything.

How it works

• After dinner, everyone's phone goes to one place. A basket, a drawer, a shelf. The grown-ups' too
• One book goes in the middle of the room. Any book. A picture book, a novel, a book of poems
• One person reads aloud. Then pass it on, or keep going, as you like
• Anyone can lie on the floor, draw, or hold the dog. Listening counts
• Stop after twenty minutes, or when the story wants you to, whichever comes first

What to expect the first time

Fidgeting. Complaints. A child asking how long is left. An adult reaching for a phone that isn't there. That's normal. The first evening is about getting through the strangeness. It usually gets easier by the third.

The point isn't the book. The point is that for twenty minutes, everyone is in the same story.

Why it matters

Most evenings, a family is home together and somewhere else at the same time. Each person on their own screen, in their own world. One book in the middle of the room is one of the simplest ways to bring everyone back into the same place.

The Night I Realized We Were All Home, but Not Really Together

Choosing the book

Pick something everyone can follow: a classic read-aloud, a funny story, a collection of short tales. For older children, a book of “would you rather” or riddles works too. You're not choosing literature. You're choosing an excuse to be together.

If it doesn't work

Try once more, a different evening, a different book. If it still doesn't, keep the phones-in-a-basket part and play a game instead. The book is just one way into the same thing.

We Don't Need Another Perfect Family Routine