Summer is Here - So is Screen-time Excess
Now that school is out for most primary grade students, parents face their summer challenge - keeping kids occupied without it devolving into hours and hours of video watching, videogames and social media. And with little guidance from health professionals, parents are challenged to even know what is a reasonable limit for screen-time. How can this be done. We have some tips.
1. Start with the Right Mindset - Summer should be a time for enrichment.
The hustle and bustle of the school week is over for now and your kids need a break BUT they also need to continue to learn, grow and mature. Just like you might plan a summer vacation, you must also plan for your children to continue on their journey and end the summer in a better place, ready and prepared for another school year. Think about summer camp, outdoor activities, sports and travel. More about enrichment later.
2. Prioritize outdoor and out of the home activities.
Get your kids out of the house with both independent (age appropriate) and structured play time WITHOUT screen devices! Lots of great resources for this come from Outside Play (https://www.outsideplay.org/), Care.com maintains a directory of activities based on you zip code and interests.
3. Give children choices between two or more enrichment / outdoor activities but doing nothing is not an option!
This approach helps children feel they have a choice and encourages participation.
4. Don’t overcommit yourself or your child. This time should be fun with low stress.
Schedule the week and map out their activities. Write down their schedule on a calendar, color code the types of activities and look at the resulting schedule. Is this too much for them? Is this too much for me?
5. Reward your child for participation with limited media entertainment towards the end of the day.
Reward participation with entertainment time - videos, videogame play, social media in the early evening after dinner.
6. Don’t allow periods of media bingeing by your child.
Stick with recommended screen time limits for your child. Click here for our recommendations. Spoiler Alert - Sorry but it probably a lot less than your child is accustomed to. Note that limited media time will make you accountable for keeping your child active during the day.
The LaunchPad can Help
The Sentinel LaunchPad Exploration Modes should not be a replacement for outside enrichment activities but can be used to supplement outside enrichment, especially when weather, illness or other conditions prevent participation, Guided Exploration allows a child to safely explore the age informed curated content and up to 8 parent selected sites.
Guided Exploration Mode Main screen for online exploration.
Other Potential Enrichment Ideas
You may already have some ideas. Your child may have abandoned previously enjoyed enriching activities and reintroducing them to these activities may give them the opportunity to reconnect with the pleasure they once enjoyed. Here are just a small number of ideas:
Visual Arts, Drawing/Illustration, Painting, Sculpture, Photography & Graphics Design
Culinary Arts, Home and Interior Design, Woodworking, Automobile maintenance
Music Education/Performing/Production, Acting, Theatre & Video/Film Production
Travel, History, Religion, Humanities, Literature & Creative Writing
Science, Medicine, Technology, Engineering & Math
Programming, Coding, Information Technology & Website Design
Business, Finance, Leadership & Entrepreneurship
Life Skills, Careers, Self-Exploration & Personal Wellbeing
Camping, Backpacking, Hiking, Fishing, Boating, Snowboarding, Skiing & Scouting
Extracurricular Sports, Gym, Rock Wall Climbing, Dancing, Walking & Home Exercise
Volunteering and Employment Opportunities – Serving and Helping Others & Internships
For some enrichment opportunities, local availability may be limited or too expensive. Fortunately, on-line enrichment programs in the arts, music, science, computers, programming and business have emerged. We recommend you seek out local in-person opportunities before on-line. This is because these will afford another enrichment opportunity for your child to meet like-minded children in your local vicinity.
In order to identify opportunities in your area we can offer the following suggestions.
1. Community based organizations – your city, town or community might sponsor activities for children and teens at low cost. A Google search or a visit to the City Web page might lead to sports, art and various activities for Summer and after school.
2. Community service and volunteer opportunities – searching the web or from sites like Volunteermatch.com can help you identify volunteer opportunities for both short term and longer term internships. One interesting development over the pasts few years is that many of these opportunities are highly sought after and this results in a highly competitive application process. Your local church or synagogue may have opportunities to serve.
3. Computer Programming, Robotics and STEM Classes and Groups – there are a number of computer coding, robotics and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math children and teen classes forming throughout the country. A web search can help you locate these programs.
4. Sports Activities – besides school based sports, there are a great number of programs available nationwide. There are nationwide programs such as Little League baseball and Pop Warner football but there are many local programs started by school coaches. These programs vary in their goals for their students. Some a teams and leagues are oriented towards high achieving athletes and others for more casual play. Cost of participation can be significant for parents and some programs have scholarships for low income families.
5. Music and Theatre Arts – besides school based programs, many communities have music teachers that either have a teaching studio or will come to your home to teach music and how to play a music instruments. Today, learning to play the piano does not require you to purchase or rent a piano. Inexpensive 88 key, full weighted electronic keyboards are readily available. Likewise, many communities offer children’s theatre programs. You child can be involved as a cast member or a crew member depending on their interests and goals.
6. Art Programs – most communities have some type of low cost or free art classes for young children. For older children and teens, you will need to look a bit harder. Some schools, colleges and cities sponsor weekend and summer classes at fairly low cost. If you live near a community with art studios, some of these will have in-studio instruction classes.
7. Adventure Activities – there are a number of activities that you child can participate in to gain physical fitness, instill values and build self-esteem. These range from family activities like camping and hiking to organized activities such as scouting or wilderness programs. One consideration is that all outdoor or wilderness activities carry certain safety risks. If you are experienced in backpacking and wilderness camping, doing this as a family event might be a great idea. If not, perhaps camping at a local park or campground might make more sense. Other adventure ideas include water activities such as boating, water skiing and fishing. Again all of these activities involve risk.
Scouting
Boy Scouts (https://www.scouting.org/) and Girl Scouts (https://www.girlscouts.org/) are the best known and largest youth organizations United States. Despite the declining membership, scandals and financial struggles (https://youtu.be/iv_clxpFs_8), these organizations have offered enrichment and skill-building opportunities for over 100 years. Boy Scouts of America has also worked to increase inclusivity in recent years, expanding the acceptance of gay, transsexual and female members as well as allowing openly gay scout leaders and volunteers.
Scouting can be a meaningful experience, but it comes with time and financial commitments for both parents and kids. Uniforms, camping gear, dues, and weekly meetings add up, and older kids may resist participating due to social stigma. Still, for families aligned with its values and goals, it can be a rewarding path. For those seeking alternatives, consider programs like Navigators USA (http://navigatorsusa.org), Campfire (http://www.campfire.org), Outdoor Service Guides (https://outdoorserviceguides.org/), or SpiralScouts International (http://www.spiralscouts.org).