Dad Tip of The Day: Finding the right balance between screen time and time outside in the sun is key to having a happy and healthy child.
Perhaps one of the greatest parenting debates these days is what is the right amount of screen time for a child. By screen time, I mean time in front of the TV or on an iPad/iPhone. There are many sides to this debate – on one hand, learning is increasingly done on screens at school, so the technology adoption is inevitable, while on the other hand, many kids are not getting enough exercise or engaging people in interpersonal relationships if they are always on a device or in front of the TV.
I do believe that each kid is different, but in general, a limiting of screen/device time is important. Kids need to be active and engaged in their world, and passively being entertained is not always a good way to go for many kids. Time outside getting dirty and learning about life is also key to the overall well being of a child, in addition to a healthy lifestyle.
I personally feel like some screen time is OK, but should be done in an appropriate manner. For example, we let Jacob watch a 30 minute TV show (or he also likes YouTube for kids on the iPad) during morning and afternoon snack, assuming it is a day we are at home and not out and about. If we are traveling in the car, he might be allowed to watch something as well, but it is a rare day that he gets more than an hour of screen time. On the flip side, Jacob gets nearly as much outside time as he desires, which is quite a bit. It gets to be a pain always putting sunscreen on him and going outside, but the inconvenience is worth it to get fresh air and fun activity outdoors.
I know when I grew up I always wanted to be outside and playing with my friends. I do think there has been a detrimental decay of kids playing outside in general, and I think a lot of that is due to screen time and video games.
Just be sensible with the screen time, and more heavily weigh playtime and outside time!
Thank you for reading,
Brian