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Published on
April 26, 2012
April 26, 2012
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Screen-Free Week!
April 30-May 6, 2012
By: Jennifer Hill with information from www.commercialfreechildhood.org
screenfreeweek.org
Did you know that the typical preschooler averages 32 hours of screen time each week and that number is even higher for older kids? Yikes! How about some more scary facts? 40% of 3 month old babies are regular viewers of screen media and 19% of babies 1 year and under have a TV in their bedroom!
www.commercialfreechildhood.org shares a few facts* about the impact of excessive screen time on children:
School-age children are also at risk from excessive screen time*:
Screen-Free Week isn't just about snubbing screens for seven days; it's a springboard for important lifestyle changes that will improve well-being and quality of life all year round.
Research shows the benefits of reduced screen time*:
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents create an electronic-media-free environment in children's bedrooms.
So what to do next week during Screen-Free Week 2012? Here are a few ideas:
This week can help us all realize that life without screens is not impossible and may actually be more fun. Hopefully this will help us reconsider the place of electronic entertainment media in our lives and help us all make long term changes for a healthier, more satisfying life.
Here are some printouts to help you and your family succeed in a Screen-Free Week:
Are you and your family going to take on this Screen-Free Week Challenge??
*Facts and details used with permission from Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood! www.commercialfreechildhood.org has lots more facts and details at their site! Thank you for allowing us to share this important information with our readers!
www.commercialfreechildhood.org shares a few facts* about the impact of excessive screen time on children:
- Screen time can be habit-forming: the more time they engage with screens, the harder time they have turning them off as older children.
- Screen time for children under 3 is linked to irregular sleep patterns and delayed language acquisition.
- The more time preschool children and babies spend with screens, the less time they spend interacting with their parents.
- Toddler screen time is also associated with problems in later childhood, including lower math and school achievement, reduced physical activity, victimization by classmates and increased BMI.
- Direct exposure to TV and overall household viewing are associated with increased early childhood aggression.
- The more time preschool children spend with screens, the less time they spend engaged in creative play - the foundation of learning, constructive problem solving and creativity.
- On average, preschool children see nearly 25,000 television commercials, a figure that does not include product placement!
School-age children are also at risk from excessive screen time*:
- Including multitasking, children ages 8-18 spend an average of 4 1/2 hours per day watching television, 1 1/2 hours using computers and more than an hour playing video games.
- Time spent with screens is associated with childhood obesity, sleep disturbances and attention span issues.
- Children with 2 or more hours of daily screen time are more likely to have increased psychological difficulties, including hyperactivity, emotional and conduct problems, as well as difficulties with peers.
- Adolescents who watch 3 or more hours of television daily are at especially high risk for poor homework completion, negative attitudes toward school, poor grades and long-term academic failure.
- Adolescents with a TV in their bedroom spend more time watching TV and report less physical activity, less healthy dietary habits, worse school performance and fewer family meals.
Screen-Free Week isn't just about snubbing screens for seven days; it's a springboard for important lifestyle changes that will improve well-being and quality of life all year round.
Research shows the benefits of reduced screen time*:
- Help prevent childhood obesity.
- Children who spend less time watching TV in early years tend to do better in school, have a healthier diet, be more physically active and are better able to engage in schoolwork in later elementary school.
- TV viewing at a young age is associated with later behavioral problems, but not if heavy viewing is discontinued before age six.
- Limited exposure to television during the first 4 years of life may decrease children's interest in it in later years.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents create an electronic-media-free environment in children's bedrooms.
So what to do next week during Screen-Free Week 2012? Here are a few ideas:
- Books!! Read lots of books, listen to the kids read, etc.!
- Visit the library.
- Eat meals together and talk.
- Play games.
- Tell stories.
- Draw pictures and tell stories about them or write about them.
- Encourage young children to dictation stories.
- Make up poems or rhymes.
- Make up songs.
- Dance.
- Build with blocks.
- Play with art supplies.
- Get outside! Walk, jog, play tag, play in the water, go to the park, etc.!
This week can help us all realize that life without screens is not impossible and may actually be more fun. Hopefully this will help us reconsider the place of electronic entertainment media in our lives and help us all make long term changes for a healthier, more satisfying life.
Here are some printouts to help you and your family succeed in a Screen-Free Week:
Are you and your family going to take on this Screen-Free Week Challenge??
*Facts and details used with permission from Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood! www.commercialfreechildhood.org has lots more facts and details at their site! Thank you for allowing us to share this important information with our readers!
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