There is no one right answer when it comes to managing screen time. Whatever you and your family can realistically manage will be enough to meet your child’s needs. It’s important to have structure at home, even if it is a list of activities your children can choose from.
As your child grows, you’ll need to decide how much media to let your child use each day and what’s appropriate.
Click the link below to make your own family media plan!
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx
Here at The Children’s Place, we are huge advocates of learning through play. Listed below are some of the school-aged children’s favorite socially distanced games!
- CARRY A TUNE:
Give one child headphones and a device that plays music. The child then listens to a song and hums along without saying any words. The louder they hum, the funnier it becomes. When the song is done or the performer gets tired, everyone has a chance to guess what song it was. Dancing is always encouraged!
- DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO:
All children stand in a circle 6ft apart. The first player to go will turn to the person on his or her left and say, “I am doing (a verb).” For example, “I am climbing a ladder.” However, the player will act out a different action, like brushing their teeth. The person on his or her left will then act out the action that was spoken out loud but say a different action while doing it, like “I am walking a dog.” Players must make it around the circle without making a mistake. If someone does make a mistake, then the whole circle must do the action that was said and run-in place for 10 seconds.
- ALIEN, TIGER, COW:
Players make a circle 6ft apart. On the count of three, players choose to be one of three characters.
- Alien: Players say, “bleep, bleep, bleep,” and put their fingers on their head like antennas.
- Tiger: Players say, “roar,” like a tiger and pretend their hands are claws.
- Cow: Players say, “moo,” like a cow and pretend their hands are cow utters on their belly.
The group with the least number of characters is out. For example, if there were 4 aliens, 7 tigers, and 3 cows, then the cows would be out. All cows do 5 jumping jacks and leave the circle. The game continues until only one or two players are left.
The key to healthy development is finding a balance between screen time and play time. The reality is, digital devices are a big part of our lives, this is true for both children and adults. Digital technology is here to stay and offers great benefits in many areas of our lives. What’s important is to stay in touch with the many other aspects of our lives and our children’s lives. As parents and caregivers, we have the important job of making sure to continue to include face to face interaction and hands on creative experiences with the world around us.
