• I’m preparing you now – this is a long one, but with lots of good information, so if you don’t have the time (or attention span) to read the whole thing, then scan the headings for what is important to you or at least check out the activities at the bottom.
What are fine motor skills?
Fine motor skills are actions accomplished with the fingers and hands (such as cutting with scissors). They are more complicated and intricate than gross motor skills, which are large movements accomplished with larger muscle groups of parts of the body (such as kicking a ball) or even the whole body (such as running). The development of fine motor skills begins at birth when a baby grasps its parent’s finger - a reflex at first, but that movement eventually becomes controlled enough for them to open and close their hand to play with toys. The development of fine motor skills also follows a predictable sequence throughout infancy and the toddler years, each skill building upon itself to become more controlled and refined in order to accomplish more complex tasks as the child gets older. One of the major ‘building blocks’ of these fine motor skills is strength! The skills cannot be mastered correctly if there is a lack of strength in the muscles controlling the fingers and in the hands, arms, shoulders, and torso. If a certain fine motor skill in the sequence is not mastered correctly, it can have an impact on the future development of more complex fine motor skills and the activities that require the use of those skills. One very big and important example is handwriting!
The importance of fine motor skills
Yes, they really are important! Without the use of fine motor skills we wouldn’t be able to care for ourselves or others, engage in occupational activities or favorite hobbies, or even interact with our environment. Fine motor skills are required for almost every activity that we engage in on a daily basis from about the age of 6 months throughout the rest of our life. There are many activities that can be accomplished with fair to poor fine motor skills and some without hands at all, as you may have witnessed from people with amputations or injuries, but there are also many activities that require our fine motor skills to be well mastered and many school tasks and occupations that couldn’t be accomplished without them.
In the world of pediatric occupational therapy, my mother (an OT for 33 years and also co-owner of our OT clinic in Atlanta) has seen a decline in the handwriting and fine motor skills of school age children over the last decade. In most cases of poor fine motor skills (where there is not a birth defect or an obvious developmental explanation for poor fine motor skills) it is often due to a lack of strength in the upper body; the other explanation is a problem with motor planning, but that would usually also be evident in other areas of development, like gross motor skills. Ever since the AAP recommended that babies should be put to sleep on their backs and since a vast amount of contraptions to hold babies have become easily available, infants are missing out on the important developmental opportunities that sleeping on the stomach and playing on their tummies provides. A mere 10 minutes of “tummy time” a day just isn’t enough to build the necessary strength and endurance in the muscles needed for future fine motor and gross motor skills.
How does it all start in infancy?
Babies are born lacking strength in their muscles to support their own weight, which is why babies don’t particularly like tummy time at first (but they do like sleeping on their tummies because of the comfort and proximity to the thumb that it provides). Think back to when you’ve been out of shape and attempting to work out again – it’s hard right? You feel the burn almost immediately and begin to think of reasons why stopping would be a good idea. It’s the same for babies. Holding their heavy heads up against gravity with never before used little, tiny neck muscles and pushing up on their little forearms is difficult and uncomfortable and so they would prefer to stop and be cuddled. But, just like going to the gym a few times, with each session spent on the belly, every baby gains strength and over time builds enough strength to stay in and enjoy this position. (If a baby was born with low muscle tone it is even harder for them to be on their tummy and build strength – if you suspect your baby has low muscle tone, consider consulting with a pediatric occupational therapist to help your child overcome this limitation).
Being on the tummy not only builds strength in the neck, but also the back, chest, shoulders, arms, and hands (all parts of the body needed for fine motor skills). “Tummy time” is important for a great many things that affect development, which I won’t get into now, but as far as motor skills, it is the precursor to things like, rolling and crawling, and the strength built up in this position also improves a baby’s ability to bring her hands together to play with a toy, hold a bottle, clap, etc., not to mention building the strength to be able to sit up in order to bring the hands together to play. In the interest of time and space for typing, I won’t get into all the developmental details; all you have to know is that it is INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT for babies to spend LOTS OF TIME on their tummies from day 1, especially for those babies who sleep on their backs. And by this I mean, when a baby is not being held, asleep, or in the car/stroller, then he should be playing on a blanket on the floor, on a parent’s chest or lap, or even playing on his belly in the crib or pack n play. Parents can even hold their baby in their arms with the baby on her tummy (like an airplane or football hold).
The Development Continues
Providing lots of experiences to interact with toys, textures, and gross motor play as children develop is very important for the continued development of fine motor skills. Overall upper body and arm strength is the vital foundation for fine motor skills and crawling is a very important first step. If your child skipped crawling, then even more gross motor play that involves the arms and upper body is important, such as wheelbarrow walking and climbing. Strength: Having adequate upper body, arm strength, and hand strength are important for stability and proper posture when engaging in fine motor activities. With that strength and stability children are able to develop fine motor skills naturally and along a predictable sequence.
Grasp: Typically the progression of grasp goes from raking up small items with the whole hand into the palm to picking up small items with the finger tips and then to picking items up with a tripod grasp (two fingers and thumb; also the best pencil grasp) to then using a refined pincer grasp (thumb and index finger). Through normal every day play opportunities, such as those listed below, babies will go through this sequence naturally. Coloring with crayons comes before writing and for coloring children typically begin with a whole fist grasp, thumb side up and progress to a whole fist grasp that's rotated so the thumb is down. The best grasp for handwriting is with the crayon or pencil tip between the thumb and two or three fingers with the thumb on the writing utensil and not wrapped around the fingers. The space between the thumb and first finger should also be open and not closed. Children often need assistance with using the right grasp. To encourage a tripod pencil grasp try giving your young child crayons that are snapped in half to color with. If your child is close to 2 years old and still coloring with a whole fist grasp, then switch the crayon into a tripod grasp in their hands.
To continue to develop fine motor skills use the age appropriate activities listed below and more complex skills will develop naturally.
Activities to support the development of fine motor skills (skip to the section that corresponds with your child’s age):
Babies:
1. LOTS of time spent on the tummy!!! I really can’t stress this enough!
2. Even before a baby can reach for and pick up his own toy, he can hold something in his hand, so around 3 months of age, start placing small baby toys in your baby’s hand for him to explore (thin, cylindrical or thin plush toys are easiest for their little hands to grasp).
3. Play hand games. Even if your baby can’t bring her hands together yet, play clapping and peek a boo games with her by modeling it for her and then moving her hands. Over time she will gain the skills to do it on her own. Being able to bring the hands together to clap then opens up the ability to bring the hands together to hold a toy (this is also when thumb sucking becomes a lot easier for babies and easier for parents who get tired of dealing with the pacifier).
4. Encourage crawling on hands and knees!!! I know that some pediatricians don’t think that crawling on hands and knees (also known as creeping) is necessary for walking, and it’s not, but it is extremely important for a lot of other developmental skills – like building strength and endurance in the muscles of the neck, shoulders, torso and hands needed for fine motor skills (especially handwriting) and gross motor skills; it also plays an important role in brain development called ‘lateralization of the two hemispheres’ which is important for a great number of things (including reading and writing), but I’ll save that for another post. If you see your child not lifting their belly off the ground to crawl on hands and knees, combat crawling in a strange way, combat crawling past 9 or 10 months, or trying to skip crawling on hands and knees and go to walking – then intervening to get your child up on hands and knees would be really beneficial to their development. Consulting with a pediatric occupational therapist can be helpful if you have any concerns.
5. Encourage self feeding as soon as you introduce cheerios, Gerber Puffs, or other small finger foods. Babies will initially rake the food with the whole hand to pick it up, but over time and with plenty of practice, they refine this skill to using a tripod (thumb and first two fingers) and then a pincer grasp (the thumb and index finger) which are important for later skills like writing, tying shoes, etc.
Toddlers:
1. Playing in textures: finger paint, sand, water play (in the sink, bathtub, large bucket, kiddy pool- use squeezy toys and squirt bottles for finger and palm strength), dried beans (hide small objects in the beans for your child to pick out), play dough (roll snakes and balls, pinch of pieces, hide things in the dough, etc), and the list goes on. Get creative and please don’t shy away from these activities because they are messy – kids need to get messy. Lay down newspaper, beach towels, or a tarp; do activities in the bathtub; take it outside and hose down when done – whatever you have to do to let your kids partake in fun, messy, activities.
2. Crayons, stamps, and paint: most children will follow a typical grasp pattern when using writing tools (and please start with crayons instead of markers); they will go from grasping the whole thing in their hand, thumb side up to grasping with the whole hand and thumb down to (hopefully) a tripod or quadrupod (three or four finger) grasp with the thumb down and not wrapped around the fingers, which is the optimal grasp for writing. Anything deviating from a tripod or quadrupod grasp involves writing with the hand and/or arm instead of the fingers and will cause the writer more work and fatigue. Getting the grasp right early on is vital because changing a bad grasp on a school age child is difficult; having good upper body strength to begin with is key.
To encourage the development of a correct handwriting grasp, give toddlers fat crayons or regular crayons that have been broken in half or knob crayons to color with. Model how to color and draw for your child – they are not born knowing how to do this and need your help – plus it’s a fun thing to do together. Small knob stamps are fun to play with and get the fingers in a tripod position. Painting on an easel is also fun and requires big arm movements which help to build or maintain the strength in the arms and shoulders.
3. Puzzles: Start with knob puzzles and graduate to peg puzzles and cut out puzzles as your child is ready. Moving in this order follows the natural pattern of grasp development. Puzzles (and shape sorters) are also great for working on visual processing skills.
4. Piggy bank: This requires adult supervision as it involves a choking hazard, but picking up coins and putting them in a piggy bank is something that little kids love to do and is great for improving their pincer grasp, fine motor control, and visual processing skills.
5. Use an empty food container with a plastic lid (like cool-whip or oatmeal) to create a toy. Cut different size holes in the lid. Cut different size pieces of foam and have your child push the foam through the holes. Also use materials such as cotton balls, pom poms, washcloth, etc. to push through the holes.
Pre-school and School-age:
1. Play dough, modeling clay, silly putty and other types of play materials with some type of resistance. Use cookie cutters, rolling pins, scissors, and other objects to play with the materials; hide pennies, beans, buttons, etc in it and have your child pick them out with their finger tips. To strengthen muscles for handwriting and pencil grasp, have your child tuck the fourth and fifth fingers of their dominant hand into their palm and use only their first three fingers (including thumb) to form a ball of clay, play dough, or silly putty into a cube, continuing to turn it around and push on the sides until a perfect cube is formed.
2. Use a block of Styrofoam and push 10-20 golf tees into the styrofoam (push all the way to heads of the tees until they’re firmly in) for your child to pull out. This works on strengthening the fingers and palm for handwriting and proper pencil grasp.
3. Cooking: let your child assist with cooking tasks, such as stirring and mixing, opening packages or screw top containers, measuring and pouring. This works on fine motor skills and bilateral coordination.
4. Play with Legos. Legos are tiny and involve a lot of fine motor coordination and strength to pull apart and put together. Many you g children have difficulty playing with Legos on their own at first. The process of thinking of something to build and then planning out how to build it is difficult. Spend time with your child playing with Legos and teaching him or her how to build with them; plus it’s a great way to spend quality time together.
5. Look for games that involve small parts and pieces that need to be manipulated by fingers or hands. Examples: Connect 4, Checkers, Mancala, Tricky Fingers, Fishing game, Monkeys in a Barrel, etc.
6. Crafts: Use scissors, glue, glue sticks, folding paper, coloring, painting, and other materials to create fun art projects. Cut pictures and words out of magazines to create collages. Look up art projects on the internet to do with your child. Remember that children need to be taught how to color, cut, use glue, etc and it is important to teach them how to use them appropriately from the beginning. Color in coloring books and do color by number.
7. Mazes and connect the dots: You can buy books with age appropriate mazes for your child to do, or you can draw some. Mazes and connect the dot games are useful for developing more controlled line drawing, which is important for handwriting and drawing.
8. Gross motor games that work on fine motor strength: Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking, crawling, monkey bars, zip line, climbing on rock climbing walls, etc all help to build strength in the muscles that are also necessary for fine motor skills, arm strength, and upper body strength for handwriting and good desk posture. To make it fun, have wheelbarrow walking or crab walking races, wheelbarrow walk to pick up pieces of candy laid out in a trail or pick up and place scattered puzzle pieces. Play crab soccer. Play on the playground.
9. Puzzles and parquetry: Play with simple to complex age appropriate jigsaw puzzles and parquetry designs.
10. Switch things up during mealtimes and use toothpicks, chopsticks (they do make chopsticks for kids), or tongs to eat food. All of these utensils work on grasp, hand strength, coordination, and control.
This is just a start. Be creative and look for other games and activities to build strength and coordination. Have fun!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Homemade
Taking a back to basics approach to raising children, or life in general, can involve many different things. One of these things that I haven’t discussed on this blog yet is making things by hand at home: food, clothes, crafts, gardens, maybe even carpentry for the more skillful. Whatever it is, the basic premise behind it is taking care of basic needs by making the end product instead of buying it. As little as several decades ago in our own country (and currently in other cultures around the world) making things by hand was a necessity instead of a hobby. Today we have the luxury of stores and the internet to meet all of our material demands and so the passing down of skills to make products by hand has started to die out along with the value that homemade goods once had.
I feel like these days the word “homemade” sometimes gets a bad rap. It brings to mind art projects made by small children serving as Christmas gifts, ugly baby booties crocheted by an elderly relative, and gifted baked items that you think twice about before eating. There’s a sort of mentality attached that being homemade is somehow inferior to something that has been mass produced and store bought. For others, like me, the mention of the word ‘homemade’ conjures up a whole different set of images that are more associated with comfort, quality, and great care taken by those doing the making. I was raised by a mother who was (and still is) skilled at many crafts. When I was young she knit sweaters, hats, and mittens for my sister and me (which my children now have the benefit of wearing); she sewed clothes for us and smaller versions so that we could coordinate with our dolls; she was also known to weave baskets, stencil, and needle point back then. She also made many of our common food staples from scratch on a regular basis: bread, soups, jams and other canned items, snacks, desserts, and of course all of our meals. I have aunts and a great aunt who are also very talented at these and other skills. They are all wonderful role models of what homemade really means. And I am so jealous of the talents they possess and so I am in the process of slowly trying to increase my own abilities in these areas.
I know, taking a more ‘homemade’ approach sounds silly, right? Why would anyone in this modern era with malls and Amazon at their immediate disposal want to take the time to make something they didn’t have to? Well, it’s certainly not for everyone, but there are several reasons why being a little more ‘homemade’ has its benefits.
For one, as a modern industrialized society we are quickly losing the basic skills of survival and creativity that our culture was built on. How many women in their thirties and younger know how to knit and sew or bake from scratch? How many men in the same age group know how to do any type of carpentry or fix their own car? How many people know how to grow a vegetable garden? To the younger generations, these skills seem like a tradition lost to the ages and unnecessary since we can buy everything we need. But, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment, of being self-sufficient, that comes with being able to create something with one’s own two hands; a feeling that can’t be recreated by watching TV or playing a video game. Our kids and teens these days won’t develop an appreciation for making things by hand and they can’t learn these age old skills to do it themselves unless someone takes the time to teach them. The passing down of this knowledge now falls on the responsibility of family members as programs like home economics and shop class are being deleted from schools at a rapid rate. My mother took a lot of pride in the things she made for us and to this day I treasure the items I still have. My daughter is now benefitting from the adorable wool sweaters and doll clothes that I once used. Although my mother taught me many of these skills along the way, I didn’t have much use for them before and now I find myself with a renewed interest, not only so that I can make things for my family, but also so that I can pass these skills on to my own children some day. It also feels really good to create a finished product with my own two hands that can be enjoyed by others, whether that be homemade bread, soup from scratch, homegrown vegetables, or clothes for my kids.
I think that as a modern culture our country has lost its value for things made by hand because of the disconnect between the product and the creator. We want everything cheap and quickly and don’t think twice about where it is made or who makes it – I am guilty of this as well! Another benefit of teaching kids the skills to create on their own is that it provides children with an understanding of how things are made and where they come from. When they do it themselves or a part of the process they learn to value the product for the time and hard work that went into making it. This sense of value then projects to things that other’s have made by hand. It also translates the old adage of “a job worth doing is worth doing well” in real terms when the product being made is for oneself or a gift for someone else, and ultimately promotes a good work ethic.
Learning a new skill or craft is also good for the old attention span without the distraction of entertainment technology - something that kids today could do with a little more of. When the project being worked on has an end product with some meaning (food to eat, a gift, pride for one’s accomplishment, anything….) then there is motivation to complete the task. When there is motivation to stick with something to get the end product then the time spent focusing one’s attention is increased. Kids today have attention spans far shorter than those of their parents when they were kids, and this has a lot to do with the high-speed technology that kids today spend so much time engaged with. But turning the TV or the computer off and engaging in activities that sustain active brain power on one thing for a while helps to improve the attention span – but only if this happens on a regular basis! If the activity also involves physical action (like gardening or building) then it’s a great way to get the body moving; even baking bread and kneading dough involves more movement than lying on the couch watching TV (and actually is a good activity for young kids to do because it builds strength in the hands and arms, which is needed for handwriting, and gives them a good sensory experience).
Engaging in the process of making or fixing something also requires and promotes the development of creative problem solving – a skill that does not get the chance to develop when kids spend too much of their time involved with entertainment technology that does all the thinking for them. Creative problem solving is really a very important skill, not only for excelling in academics and occupations, but also for everyday life.
And another great thing about teaching your children how to make things by hand is that it gets the whole family involved in homemade projects and promotes time spent together, talking, laughing, and making memories without the TV on. It forces you to slow down and enjoy each other’s company. And in the end you have something to show for your efforts and to be proud of!
Well, there you have it – a few reasons to get creative at home and involve the kids.
I feel like these days the word “homemade” sometimes gets a bad rap. It brings to mind art projects made by small children serving as Christmas gifts, ugly baby booties crocheted by an elderly relative, and gifted baked items that you think twice about before eating. There’s a sort of mentality attached that being homemade is somehow inferior to something that has been mass produced and store bought. For others, like me, the mention of the word ‘homemade’ conjures up a whole different set of images that are more associated with comfort, quality, and great care taken by those doing the making. I was raised by a mother who was (and still is) skilled at many crafts. When I was young she knit sweaters, hats, and mittens for my sister and me (which my children now have the benefit of wearing); she sewed clothes for us and smaller versions so that we could coordinate with our dolls; she was also known to weave baskets, stencil, and needle point back then. She also made many of our common food staples from scratch on a regular basis: bread, soups, jams and other canned items, snacks, desserts, and of course all of our meals. I have aunts and a great aunt who are also very talented at these and other skills. They are all wonderful role models of what homemade really means. And I am so jealous of the talents they possess and so I am in the process of slowly trying to increase my own abilities in these areas.
I know, taking a more ‘homemade’ approach sounds silly, right? Why would anyone in this modern era with malls and Amazon at their immediate disposal want to take the time to make something they didn’t have to? Well, it’s certainly not for everyone, but there are several reasons why being a little more ‘homemade’ has its benefits.
For one, as a modern industrialized society we are quickly losing the basic skills of survival and creativity that our culture was built on. How many women in their thirties and younger know how to knit and sew or bake from scratch? How many men in the same age group know how to do any type of carpentry or fix their own car? How many people know how to grow a vegetable garden? To the younger generations, these skills seem like a tradition lost to the ages and unnecessary since we can buy everything we need. But, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment, of being self-sufficient, that comes with being able to create something with one’s own two hands; a feeling that can’t be recreated by watching TV or playing a video game. Our kids and teens these days won’t develop an appreciation for making things by hand and they can’t learn these age old skills to do it themselves unless someone takes the time to teach them. The passing down of this knowledge now falls on the responsibility of family members as programs like home economics and shop class are being deleted from schools at a rapid rate. My mother took a lot of pride in the things she made for us and to this day I treasure the items I still have. My daughter is now benefitting from the adorable wool sweaters and doll clothes that I once used. Although my mother taught me many of these skills along the way, I didn’t have much use for them before and now I find myself with a renewed interest, not only so that I can make things for my family, but also so that I can pass these skills on to my own children some day. It also feels really good to create a finished product with my own two hands that can be enjoyed by others, whether that be homemade bread, soup from scratch, homegrown vegetables, or clothes for my kids.
I think that as a modern culture our country has lost its value for things made by hand because of the disconnect between the product and the creator. We want everything cheap and quickly and don’t think twice about where it is made or who makes it – I am guilty of this as well! Another benefit of teaching kids the skills to create on their own is that it provides children with an understanding of how things are made and where they come from. When they do it themselves or a part of the process they learn to value the product for the time and hard work that went into making it. This sense of value then projects to things that other’s have made by hand. It also translates the old adage of “a job worth doing is worth doing well” in real terms when the product being made is for oneself or a gift for someone else, and ultimately promotes a good work ethic.
Learning a new skill or craft is also good for the old attention span without the distraction of entertainment technology - something that kids today could do with a little more of. When the project being worked on has an end product with some meaning (food to eat, a gift, pride for one’s accomplishment, anything….) then there is motivation to complete the task. When there is motivation to stick with something to get the end product then the time spent focusing one’s attention is increased. Kids today have attention spans far shorter than those of their parents when they were kids, and this has a lot to do with the high-speed technology that kids today spend so much time engaged with. But turning the TV or the computer off and engaging in activities that sustain active brain power on one thing for a while helps to improve the attention span – but only if this happens on a regular basis! If the activity also involves physical action (like gardening or building) then it’s a great way to get the body moving; even baking bread and kneading dough involves more movement than lying on the couch watching TV (and actually is a good activity for young kids to do because it builds strength in the hands and arms, which is needed for handwriting, and gives them a good sensory experience).
Engaging in the process of making or fixing something also requires and promotes the development of creative problem solving – a skill that does not get the chance to develop when kids spend too much of their time involved with entertainment technology that does all the thinking for them. Creative problem solving is really a very important skill, not only for excelling in academics and occupations, but also for everyday life.
And another great thing about teaching your children how to make things by hand is that it gets the whole family involved in homemade projects and promotes time spent together, talking, laughing, and making memories without the TV on. It forces you to slow down and enjoy each other’s company. And in the end you have something to show for your efforts and to be proud of!
Well, there you have it – a few reasons to get creative at home and involve the kids.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Reflections on my own attempts at balancing technology
Looking back, I think I have always approached raising my children in a low-tech manner, trying to re-create the comfort of how I was raised, even since the birth of my first born in 2007. It’s just that this past year I actually put a name to it when I realized that my philosophy isn’t exactly in sync with the rest of the modern culture. It wasn’t entirely obvious at first because many of my friends feel the same way and automatically raise their children based on this simple philosophy. But the more encounters I have with the rest of the population, the more daycare and educational programs I come across, and the more I read about the current state of our youth growing up addicted to high-speed technology, the more I see that the masses have given in to convenience, excess, and instant gratification and unfortunately it has become the rule, not the exception. Apparently my philosophies are the exception and I find myself giving explanations, excuses even, for why my children watch very little TV (in fact no TV at all up until recently, but more on that later) because it seems like such a shock to many parents.
Really, my main agenda, when it comes to how technology is used by my children, is creating a balance where it is used in moderation so as to give them experience without it ruling their lives. So far, I feel like I have found a good balance. Up until recently we had the TV off when the kids were awake, mostly because my son was too young to watch it and my daughter had shown some very undesirable behavior problems when the TV had been a regular habit. Having the TV off actually worked incredibly well for us and, after a brief transition, my children didn’t even miss it. We even downgraded our cable package because we weren’t using most channels. We added DVR, which has been very useful because my husband and I can watch our own programs when it’s convenient for us and we can now control what our daughter watches during her screen time and not just have to play what is on at that time. Which leads me to the recent changes we have made in our screen time policy.
This November my three year old daughter dropped her nap and ever since has been watching an hour of TV a day in the afternoon while my 21 month old son is napping (he only sneaks in a few minutes of TV if he wakes up and my daughter is just finishing her show). I have to admit that part of the decision to put the TV back on for my daughter was based on me being able to have some time to get things done without her underfoot all afternoon, but I also didn’t think it necessary to continue to completely deprive her of screen time. The routine, so far, is that for the first hour while her brother is sleeping we read for a little while and then she plays alone or hangs out with me while I do some things around the house. In the second hour she may watch an hour of sesame street (which I DVR – a piece of technology that certainly has come in handy) or something else I’ve deemed appropriate for her, but ONLY if she has had good behavior during the day. She has to EARN her one hour of screen time. But it is one hour only and then she may has her afternoon snack when the show is over. She is not allowed to eat while watching the show and my reasons for that have to do with the fact that she would want more food once the show was over anyway (the eating thing is a whole other story). There has been some behavior associated with bringing the TV back into her life. She has her moments where she whines for more, but as time goes on and I stick to this rule of only 1 hour of TV I get less and less of the whining. It’s only when I have allowed her to watch more (like when I thought I was giving her a special treat of watching short children’s Christmas movies back to back over the holidays) that she starts all over again with her attempts to keep the TV going. I can see how the addiction starts so easily! But this reorganization of TV use seems to be going fine for everyone, as long as I stick to the 1 hour rule, and it is actually a really great tool for motivating my daughter to have good behavior!
So, although the balance for my children is under control, my biggest problem in this technology tug of war is myself! I do not reject technology for everyone (mostly just for my kids at this point in their lives) and I even use many forms of technology everyday myself. The problem is that lately I have not been applying the same principles of moderation to myself when it comes to my phone and my computer. I have to find a way to ‘unplug’ more often; I think it will help me to feel more balanced in my own life and possibly give me more time in my day. My iphone is most frequently the culprit. It is just too easy to pick up and check my email, facebook, the weather report, a website…. Far too often I find myself telling my kids “just a minute, I have to finish this email first” when they are requesting my attention (which makes me feel horrible, yet I still finish the email). Does this sound familiar to anyone?
I try to do most of my computer work at night or when my daughter is watching her 1 hour of TV and my son is sleeping, but somehow I never get everything accomplished because EVERYTHING seems to require a computer these days: communication with friends and colleagues, shopping, paying bills, getting information/directions, organizing photos, and not to mention paperwork for my job. Many of these computer tasks are unavoidable, and like I said, can be accomplished when my kids are asleep. It’s the iphone dependency that is unnecessary and which I really need to break. I even find myself wanting to check it while sitting at stop lights (which, by the way, is now illegal in Georgia). It’s like my brain constantly needs entertainment. I can’t just be alone with my thoughts or enjoy the radio – I need multiple forms of stimuli feeding my brain in order to feel fulfilled. If I have evolved into an iphone addict so easily, then it worries me that my children could very easily get sucked into the obsessive world of technology too, before they’ve had a chance to fully develop all of their developmental and intellectual skills naturally. And, of course I am my children’s most influential role model at this point, so I know that I need to set a good example for them. If I don't teach them how to use technology in a responsible way and in moderation, then who will?
It’s not going to be easy, but I am officially going to try to break my iphone addiction by checking it less frequently, keeping it zipped up in my purse while driving, and keeping it out of close proximity so as not to be tempted to use it when I am engaged with my children – in fact, it will probably promote more quality interactions with my children because I won’t be so distracted. I’ll keep you posted on how this new transition progresses!
Really, my main agenda, when it comes to how technology is used by my children, is creating a balance where it is used in moderation so as to give them experience without it ruling their lives. So far, I feel like I have found a good balance. Up until recently we had the TV off when the kids were awake, mostly because my son was too young to watch it and my daughter had shown some very undesirable behavior problems when the TV had been a regular habit. Having the TV off actually worked incredibly well for us and, after a brief transition, my children didn’t even miss it. We even downgraded our cable package because we weren’t using most channels. We added DVR, which has been very useful because my husband and I can watch our own programs when it’s convenient for us and we can now control what our daughter watches during her screen time and not just have to play what is on at that time. Which leads me to the recent changes we have made in our screen time policy.
This November my three year old daughter dropped her nap and ever since has been watching an hour of TV a day in the afternoon while my 21 month old son is napping (he only sneaks in a few minutes of TV if he wakes up and my daughter is just finishing her show). I have to admit that part of the decision to put the TV back on for my daughter was based on me being able to have some time to get things done without her underfoot all afternoon, but I also didn’t think it necessary to continue to completely deprive her of screen time. The routine, so far, is that for the first hour while her brother is sleeping we read for a little while and then she plays alone or hangs out with me while I do some things around the house. In the second hour she may watch an hour of sesame street (which I DVR – a piece of technology that certainly has come in handy) or something else I’ve deemed appropriate for her, but ONLY if she has had good behavior during the day. She has to EARN her one hour of screen time. But it is one hour only and then she may has her afternoon snack when the show is over. She is not allowed to eat while watching the show and my reasons for that have to do with the fact that she would want more food once the show was over anyway (the eating thing is a whole other story). There has been some behavior associated with bringing the TV back into her life. She has her moments where she whines for more, but as time goes on and I stick to this rule of only 1 hour of TV I get less and less of the whining. It’s only when I have allowed her to watch more (like when I thought I was giving her a special treat of watching short children’s Christmas movies back to back over the holidays) that she starts all over again with her attempts to keep the TV going. I can see how the addiction starts so easily! But this reorganization of TV use seems to be going fine for everyone, as long as I stick to the 1 hour rule, and it is actually a really great tool for motivating my daughter to have good behavior!
So, although the balance for my children is under control, my biggest problem in this technology tug of war is myself! I do not reject technology for everyone (mostly just for my kids at this point in their lives) and I even use many forms of technology everyday myself. The problem is that lately I have not been applying the same principles of moderation to myself when it comes to my phone and my computer. I have to find a way to ‘unplug’ more often; I think it will help me to feel more balanced in my own life and possibly give me more time in my day. My iphone is most frequently the culprit. It is just too easy to pick up and check my email, facebook, the weather report, a website…. Far too often I find myself telling my kids “just a minute, I have to finish this email first” when they are requesting my attention (which makes me feel horrible, yet I still finish the email). Does this sound familiar to anyone?
I try to do most of my computer work at night or when my daughter is watching her 1 hour of TV and my son is sleeping, but somehow I never get everything accomplished because EVERYTHING seems to require a computer these days: communication with friends and colleagues, shopping, paying bills, getting information/directions, organizing photos, and not to mention paperwork for my job. Many of these computer tasks are unavoidable, and like I said, can be accomplished when my kids are asleep. It’s the iphone dependency that is unnecessary and which I really need to break. I even find myself wanting to check it while sitting at stop lights (which, by the way, is now illegal in Georgia). It’s like my brain constantly needs entertainment. I can’t just be alone with my thoughts or enjoy the radio – I need multiple forms of stimuli feeding my brain in order to feel fulfilled. If I have evolved into an iphone addict so easily, then it worries me that my children could very easily get sucked into the obsessive world of technology too, before they’ve had a chance to fully develop all of their developmental and intellectual skills naturally. And, of course I am my children’s most influential role model at this point, so I know that I need to set a good example for them. If I don't teach them how to use technology in a responsible way and in moderation, then who will?
It’s not going to be easy, but I am officially going to try to break my iphone addiction by checking it less frequently, keeping it zipped up in my purse while driving, and keeping it out of close proximity so as not to be tempted to use it when I am engaged with my children – in fact, it will probably promote more quality interactions with my children because I won’t be so distracted. I’ll keep you posted on how this new transition progresses!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
It's a New Year - Back to the blog!
Happy New Year! If you’ve read my blog before, then welcome back and I apologize for the lack of posts over the last couple of months. Over the holidays updating the blog fell down to the lower part of my priority list right along with painting my toe nails (and I still haven’t had time to get to that). But I’m back with a renewed motivation for posting (and also a 4 hour car ride back to Atlanta). So I’m starting this year off with a couple of posts that are a little more personalized; more my thoughts and reflections than information sharing. If you are new to this blog (or need a refresher), then here’s a summary on what it’s about (or you can just read the first entry from 2010). The title of the blog says a lot, it’s about raising children with a back to basics philosophy: playing outside, getting dirty, using all of the body’s senses (not just the ones required for watching TV), cooking, helping with chores, making forts, having tea parties….. and all in the most authentic, organic sense, not in a virtual reality. This blog is for parents who have a vested interest in the type of quality experiences that their children have on a daily basis, knowing that these are formative years and what happens in childhood sets the tone for future skills, acquired intelligence, relationships, morals and values.
I do not claim to be an expert on anything; instead I am one of these parents who is holding fast to my cherished memories from my childhood spent playing in the woods and in tide pools, playing dolls and restaurant, riding bikes and making up games, and wanting so badly for my children to take pleasure in the same without whining for TV and video games instead. But I am also a professional in the field of child development and a former teacher, so it is important for me to make sure that not only are my children engaging in activities that enhance their development (not hinder it), but that I share the same beneficial knowledge of child development that I live and work by with the children and families I work with and other interested parents. This blog aims to help other parents balance the ever expanding selection of technology-based toys and entertainment with good, old fashioned creative play (no batteries or directions allowed) in order to provide our children with a well-rounded childhood that encourages the development of:
motor skills (for coordination, playing sports and instruments or basically just not ending up like Gumby)
cognitive skills (for learning to read, write, and acquiring the knowledge to succeed in school and oh, I don’t know, life I guess)
creative thinking skills (for, well let’s face it, being able to be an original person with original ideas, to problem solve, to create, to have an imagination, to be innovative, to “think outside the box” – a handy skill if one wants to excel at their chosen profession, no matter what the field)
social skills (for having successful and rewarding relationships with people – not computers or phones; for understanding social cues, problem solving, being able to feel empathy and sympathy, developing good character traits….the list goes on and cannot be taught by TV or the computer, but certainly can be negatively influenced by them)
language skills (for speaking, writing, and conversing without the use of abbreviations and acronyms – OMG lol)
and last, but not least attention span (for being able to keep one’s brain actively zoned into an activity long enough to complete it or get something out of it, oh like homework maybe)
However, in no way are these blog posts only limited to topics concerned with technology (or trying to avoid it). I’m interested in the bigger picture. Future posts will involve topics that relate to a variety of aspects of life that have an impact on child development and the development of the culture that we create called family (nutrition, teaching values, family traditions, etc).
The balancing act of blending modern culture with an old school philosophy is certainly a lifestyle choice that is far from all or nothing. My blog is meant to be a resource to help parents make some of these lifestyle choices that are right for their families; and in the process, hopefully finding an equilibrium they feel content with. I usually present research-based information in my posts that support this ideology of a back to basic approach to raising kids, offer some points for reflection, and end with ideas for ways to make it happen (ie. activities to do at home). I also try to use my life experiences to show the reality of this as I am in the throes of working parenthood with two toddlers, two dogs, and a husband all buckled in for this interesting ride (sorry for the car metaphor, but it’s what came to mind as I’m still in one, only about half way home now).
I appreciate comments because I like to learn from other parents too (and I don’t like being the only one doing all the talking), but if you’re just reading these posts, taking from them what you like and using that to help you, then I have done my job.
That’s about it. If you enjoy what I have to say, please share my blog with others!
I do not claim to be an expert on anything; instead I am one of these parents who is holding fast to my cherished memories from my childhood spent playing in the woods and in tide pools, playing dolls and restaurant, riding bikes and making up games, and wanting so badly for my children to take pleasure in the same without whining for TV and video games instead. But I am also a professional in the field of child development and a former teacher, so it is important for me to make sure that not only are my children engaging in activities that enhance their development (not hinder it), but that I share the same beneficial knowledge of child development that I live and work by with the children and families I work with and other interested parents. This blog aims to help other parents balance the ever expanding selection of technology-based toys and entertainment with good, old fashioned creative play (no batteries or directions allowed) in order to provide our children with a well-rounded childhood that encourages the development of:
motor skills (for coordination, playing sports and instruments or basically just not ending up like Gumby)
cognitive skills (for learning to read, write, and acquiring the knowledge to succeed in school and oh, I don’t know, life I guess)
creative thinking skills (for, well let’s face it, being able to be an original person with original ideas, to problem solve, to create, to have an imagination, to be innovative, to “think outside the box” – a handy skill if one wants to excel at their chosen profession, no matter what the field)
social skills (for having successful and rewarding relationships with people – not computers or phones; for understanding social cues, problem solving, being able to feel empathy and sympathy, developing good character traits….the list goes on and cannot be taught by TV or the computer, but certainly can be negatively influenced by them)
language skills (for speaking, writing, and conversing without the use of abbreviations and acronyms – OMG lol)
and last, but not least attention span (for being able to keep one’s brain actively zoned into an activity long enough to complete it or get something out of it, oh like homework maybe)
However, in no way are these blog posts only limited to topics concerned with technology (or trying to avoid it). I’m interested in the bigger picture. Future posts will involve topics that relate to a variety of aspects of life that have an impact on child development and the development of the culture that we create called family (nutrition, teaching values, family traditions, etc).
The balancing act of blending modern culture with an old school philosophy is certainly a lifestyle choice that is far from all or nothing. My blog is meant to be a resource to help parents make some of these lifestyle choices that are right for their families; and in the process, hopefully finding an equilibrium they feel content with. I usually present research-based information in my posts that support this ideology of a back to basic approach to raising kids, offer some points for reflection, and end with ideas for ways to make it happen (ie. activities to do at home). I also try to use my life experiences to show the reality of this as I am in the throes of working parenthood with two toddlers, two dogs, and a husband all buckled in for this interesting ride (sorry for the car metaphor, but it’s what came to mind as I’m still in one, only about half way home now).
I appreciate comments because I like to learn from other parents too (and I don’t like being the only one doing all the talking), but if you’re just reading these posts, taking from them what you like and using that to help you, then I have done my job.
That’s about it. If you enjoy what I have to say, please share my blog with others!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Active Play
"Throughout most of human history child engagement in rough and tumble outdoor play and imaginary games resulted in the achievement of adequate sensory, motor and attachment development required for attention and learning (Ayres J 1972, Pelligrini A 2005, Tannock M 2008)." ALL children (young children and adolescents) need 3 to 4 hours a day of active play and movement to achieve enough stimulation to the vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile sensory systems (National Association for Sport and Physical Education 2002) in order to develop their posture, bilateral coordination and optimal arousal states necessary for things such as, handwriting and reading literacy (Schaff R 2007, Braswell J 2006, Rine R, 2004), as well as motor skills, attention span, social skills, etc.
What Is Active Play?
Active play can look like many things, but basically it is any type of play activity where the body is moving and the mind is engaged in the activity. Playing on the playground, playing sports, running, jumping, gymnastics, music class, dance, taking a walk, playing an outside game with friends, playing make believe, etc. Active play can also include sensory activities, such as sand or water play, bath tub play, finger painting, art activities, play dough, etc.
Why Is Active Play Important?
Active play uses the whole body, the mind, and the senses together. "The most critical factors for optimal child development are movement, touch and connection to other humans (Insel R 2001, Korkman M 2001)." Moving the body through running, jumping, swinging, crawling, lifting, pushing, etc. builds strength and endurance in the muscles needed for engaging in playground and athletic activities with peers, maintaining good desk posture and pencil grasp for school work, developing good handwriting, and so on.
The repetition involved in doing these movements helps to enhance motor skill development. Children become more skilled at using playground equipment, playing sports, performing dance and gymnastics moves, playing instruments, etc, the more they do it. For younger children, engaging in age appropriate movement activities helps them to gain the motor skills such as, running, climbing, and jumping with 2 feet, which are building blocks for the more complex motor skills they will develop when they are older.
The movement involved in running, jumping, swinging, climbing, and heavy work (i.e. pushing/pulling objects or lifting one's own body weight) is important for regulating and organizing the body's nervous system, especially for children with sensory processing disorders or ADHD. Regulating and organizing the nervous system means getting the body to a normalized energy level where the brain and body can most efficiently process information and perform or behave at its best. Think of the body as a car; when the engine is going too fast it's hard to keep the car in control, the driver is going too fast and may miss important things or make mistakes. If the car engine is too slow, the car is sluggish and it takes a long time to get where it needs to go, making it difficult to get things accomplished. When the car engine is going at a just right speed it is performing at its best. Through activities that involve movement and strength we can get a child's body and nervous system to a "just right" speed, which will help them to have better behavior and attention to perform classwork and home activities and can also improve their performance in these activities because a brain working at a just right speed can process information more efficiently.
Getting appropriate amounts of active play plays an important role in attention and behavior. "For every 1 hour of TV watched each day between the ages of 0 and 7, the risk of attention problems by the age of 7 increases by 10% (Christakis, D., 2004)." Studies have shown that access to “green space” for 20 minutes per day significantly reduced ADHD symptoms, yet drug use continues to climb. Inner city children suffer from ADHD at three times the rate of children in rural areas (Kuo F 2004). Getting energy out during active play also helps to improve a child or adolescent's behavior and attention for other sedentary tasks (such as school and homework assignments). For children who are typically low energy, engaging in active play can, converesely, help to increase their energy levels to improve their attention span for classroom activities as well. Getting appropriate amounts of active play in at home or in organized sports programs is especially important now that schools have significantly reduced or eliminated outside recess time and PE from their daily schedules.
Active play is also important because the mind is engaged in the activity. When the brain is active it is learning things, improving its efficiency and improving motor skills/language skills/social skills/sensory processing skills. In other words, it is getting smarter, faster, and better.
Engaging the mind in activity also encourages creative thinking. Children playing together, whether inside or on the playground, often create a storyline to guide their play. This storyline is sometimes imaginary or some scenario from their own life that they want to practice or play out. Using the imagination in play is incredibly important for developing creativity, practicing roles and social skills, as well as developing the ability to play a "movie in the mind" for book reading, story telling or internal organization of information.
Children playing together, and boys especially, often create games and make up rules for their new games. This is an important creative skill that also involves practicing social skills.
Active play involves using the body's sensory systems. This is very important for learning because we process information from our environment though our senses to learn new things. Everyone processes sensory information differently, some better than others. Everyone knows someone who gags at the touch of slimy textures, refuses to wear shirts with tags, is a picky eater, is clumsy, or is easily overwhelmed in noisy or crowded situations. These are a few examples of problems with sensory processing and it is all due to the hard wiring of our brain and nervous system. But the good news is that it can be improved, especially in childhood when our brains are most easily "re-wired." And engaging in movement and sensory activities on a daily basis is one of the best ways to improve sensory processing skills. "In primitive times, human beings engaged in physical labor, and sensory stimulation was natural and simple. Rapid advances in technology and transportation have resulted in a physically sedentary society with high frequency, duration and intensity of sensory stimuli (Nelson M 2006)."
Creating Opportunities for Active Play for Your Child
Besides playing on the playground or letting your child run around the backyard, here are some other ways to engage your child in active play (starting with toddlers and progressing to adolescents):
* Make forts in your living room out of couch cushions, pillows, blankets, and other items, for your child to climb under, over, through or play inside - you can also buy tent and tunnel sets for around $30 and up
* Use pillows, cushions, stools and other houseold objects to create an obstacle course in your house for your child to go through; add in things like somersaulting, jumping, log rolling, etc and don't forget to demonstrate!
* Sand play, water play (in the sink, tub, or a bucket/baby pool outside), play dough, painting, etc. There are even recipes online for homemade play dough, slime, gak, moon sand, etc.
* Cooking: even toddlers can be involved in cooking by letting them pour/dump ingredients and stir; give them their own cooking bowls and utensils to immitate mom or dad. Older kids can also chop food with blunt knives (while supervised of course). Involve kids in making food for meals, which will build self esteem and for picky eaters it often motivates them to try what they have made.
* Classes and playgroups: music class, movement classes (like Gymboree and Little Gym), tumbling or gymnastics, ballet/tap/other dance classes, art class, open gym or playgroups at playcenters (Monkey Joe's Kangazoom, and Play are a few Atlanta-based play centers), and local playgroups with neighbors or through mom clubs.
* Sports/Games: pee wee sports for young kids and organized sport teams for older kids. Encourage kids to play sports at home too by having balls, bats, tricycles, jump rope, and other kid-sized equipment on hand and use them with your kids. Teach your kids fun outside games to play with friends: tag, Red Rover, Mother May I, Red Light/Green Light, etc. Look for inside games that involve movement: cherades for kids, twister, etc.
* Play clothes and objects for imaginative play: costumes, consignment items, or even your old clothes can be kept in a suitcase or drawer for your child to pretend play alone or with friends. It's not all princesses and dolls, even young boys enjoy dressing up and pretending; so include costumes and clothes that your son and his friends are interested in too. Child size kitchens are also fun for toddlers on up to pretend with.
* Outdoor fun: walks, hikes, bike rides with family and friends. Scavenger hunts while on these walks and hikes are fun for older kids.
This is just a sampling of ideas for active play activities. Be creative, but also let your child be your guide and then add in new challenges. If you have a mobile baby or toddler, then really any activity that gets your young child moving (climbing, rolling, lap games, walking, running, movement games, water play, carrying toys ,,,,,) count as active play. And it's easy with babies and toddlers - most will just engage in active play naturally.
What Is Active Play?
Active play can look like many things, but basically it is any type of play activity where the body is moving and the mind is engaged in the activity. Playing on the playground, playing sports, running, jumping, gymnastics, music class, dance, taking a walk, playing an outside game with friends, playing make believe, etc. Active play can also include sensory activities, such as sand or water play, bath tub play, finger painting, art activities, play dough, etc.
Why Is Active Play Important?
Active play uses the whole body, the mind, and the senses together. "The most critical factors for optimal child development are movement, touch and connection to other humans (Insel R 2001, Korkman M 2001)." Moving the body through running, jumping, swinging, crawling, lifting, pushing, etc. builds strength and endurance in the muscles needed for engaging in playground and athletic activities with peers, maintaining good desk posture and pencil grasp for school work, developing good handwriting, and so on.
The repetition involved in doing these movements helps to enhance motor skill development. Children become more skilled at using playground equipment, playing sports, performing dance and gymnastics moves, playing instruments, etc, the more they do it. For younger children, engaging in age appropriate movement activities helps them to gain the motor skills such as, running, climbing, and jumping with 2 feet, which are building blocks for the more complex motor skills they will develop when they are older.
The movement involved in running, jumping, swinging, climbing, and heavy work (i.e. pushing/pulling objects or lifting one's own body weight) is important for regulating and organizing the body's nervous system, especially for children with sensory processing disorders or ADHD. Regulating and organizing the nervous system means getting the body to a normalized energy level where the brain and body can most efficiently process information and perform or behave at its best. Think of the body as a car; when the engine is going too fast it's hard to keep the car in control, the driver is going too fast and may miss important things or make mistakes. If the car engine is too slow, the car is sluggish and it takes a long time to get where it needs to go, making it difficult to get things accomplished. When the car engine is going at a just right speed it is performing at its best. Through activities that involve movement and strength we can get a child's body and nervous system to a "just right" speed, which will help them to have better behavior and attention to perform classwork and home activities and can also improve their performance in these activities because a brain working at a just right speed can process information more efficiently.
Getting appropriate amounts of active play plays an important role in attention and behavior. "For every 1 hour of TV watched each day between the ages of 0 and 7, the risk of attention problems by the age of 7 increases by 10% (Christakis, D., 2004)." Studies have shown that access to “green space” for 20 minutes per day significantly reduced ADHD symptoms, yet drug use continues to climb. Inner city children suffer from ADHD at three times the rate of children in rural areas (Kuo F 2004). Getting energy out during active play also helps to improve a child or adolescent's behavior and attention for other sedentary tasks (such as school and homework assignments). For children who are typically low energy, engaging in active play can, converesely, help to increase their energy levels to improve their attention span for classroom activities as well. Getting appropriate amounts of active play in at home or in organized sports programs is especially important now that schools have significantly reduced or eliminated outside recess time and PE from their daily schedules.
Active play is also important because the mind is engaged in the activity. When the brain is active it is learning things, improving its efficiency and improving motor skills/language skills/social skills/sensory processing skills. In other words, it is getting smarter, faster, and better.
Engaging the mind in activity also encourages creative thinking. Children playing together, whether inside or on the playground, often create a storyline to guide their play. This storyline is sometimes imaginary or some scenario from their own life that they want to practice or play out. Using the imagination in play is incredibly important for developing creativity, practicing roles and social skills, as well as developing the ability to play a "movie in the mind" for book reading, story telling or internal organization of information.
Children playing together, and boys especially, often create games and make up rules for their new games. This is an important creative skill that also involves practicing social skills.
Active play involves using the body's sensory systems. This is very important for learning because we process information from our environment though our senses to learn new things. Everyone processes sensory information differently, some better than others. Everyone knows someone who gags at the touch of slimy textures, refuses to wear shirts with tags, is a picky eater, is clumsy, or is easily overwhelmed in noisy or crowded situations. These are a few examples of problems with sensory processing and it is all due to the hard wiring of our brain and nervous system. But the good news is that it can be improved, especially in childhood when our brains are most easily "re-wired." And engaging in movement and sensory activities on a daily basis is one of the best ways to improve sensory processing skills. "In primitive times, human beings engaged in physical labor, and sensory stimulation was natural and simple. Rapid advances in technology and transportation have resulted in a physically sedentary society with high frequency, duration and intensity of sensory stimuli (Nelson M 2006)."
Creating Opportunities for Active Play for Your Child
Besides playing on the playground or letting your child run around the backyard, here are some other ways to engage your child in active play (starting with toddlers and progressing to adolescents):
* Make forts in your living room out of couch cushions, pillows, blankets, and other items, for your child to climb under, over, through or play inside - you can also buy tent and tunnel sets for around $30 and up
* Use pillows, cushions, stools and other houseold objects to create an obstacle course in your house for your child to go through; add in things like somersaulting, jumping, log rolling, etc and don't forget to demonstrate!
* Sand play, water play (in the sink, tub, or a bucket/baby pool outside), play dough, painting, etc. There are even recipes online for homemade play dough, slime, gak, moon sand, etc.
* Cooking: even toddlers can be involved in cooking by letting them pour/dump ingredients and stir; give them their own cooking bowls and utensils to immitate mom or dad. Older kids can also chop food with blunt knives (while supervised of course). Involve kids in making food for meals, which will build self esteem and for picky eaters it often motivates them to try what they have made.
* Classes and playgroups: music class, movement classes (like Gymboree and Little Gym), tumbling or gymnastics, ballet/tap/other dance classes, art class, open gym or playgroups at playcenters (Monkey Joe's Kangazoom, and Play are a few Atlanta-based play centers), and local playgroups with neighbors or through mom clubs.
* Sports/Games: pee wee sports for young kids and organized sport teams for older kids. Encourage kids to play sports at home too by having balls, bats, tricycles, jump rope, and other kid-sized equipment on hand and use them with your kids. Teach your kids fun outside games to play with friends: tag, Red Rover, Mother May I, Red Light/Green Light, etc. Look for inside games that involve movement: cherades for kids, twister, etc.
* Play clothes and objects for imaginative play: costumes, consignment items, or even your old clothes can be kept in a suitcase or drawer for your child to pretend play alone or with friends. It's not all princesses and dolls, even young boys enjoy dressing up and pretending; so include costumes and clothes that your son and his friends are interested in too. Child size kitchens are also fun for toddlers on up to pretend with.
* Outdoor fun: walks, hikes, bike rides with family and friends. Scavenger hunts while on these walks and hikes are fun for older kids.
This is just a sampling of ideas for active play activities. Be creative, but also let your child be your guide and then add in new challenges. If you have a mobile baby or toddler, then really any activity that gets your young child moving (climbing, rolling, lap games, walking, running, movement games, water play, carrying toys ,,,,,) count as active play. And it's easy with babies and toddlers - most will just engage in active play naturally.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Props to the Playground Parents
Taking your kids to the playground can be challenging. My children are 18 months apart in age and I have to admit that once my second child was born I didn't frequent the local playgrounds and parks too often, until recently. Now that my kids are 3 years old and 18 months I find it easier and more rewarding to visit the playgrounds because finally, they both can engage in the many motor challenges offered. We started going to the parks more because we don't have the necessary equipment in our backyard to continue challenging my kids' motor skills. I needed to give them new and more opportunities to build on the skills that they already have by climbing, swinging, jumping, sliding, twirling,and running in environments other than our backyard. Children need 3-4 hours a day of active play in order for proper development of their motor and sensory skills, not to mention building social skills and self confidence, and also getting their energy out. Venturing out to plagrounds is a great way to give kids variety in where and how they play, making it more fun and motivating for them.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, taking children to the playground can be challenging, but so rewarding once you make it a habit! My husband and I have started a new Saturday morning routine of running up to our local Great Harvest bakery, pushing the kids in the double jogging stroller, having breakfast, and then stopping off at a nearby playground for a while before running home. This gets us outside as a family, keeps us in shape, provides a weekend tradition that we now look forward to, and gets the kids over to a playground that they enjoy. Becoming a "regular" at the bakery and the park, has even brought its own benefits and a renewed connection to our community, which in today's society and especially living in a city, seems to be ocurring less and less.
Since starting this weekend ritual I have realized that we are seeing the same people at this park each weekend - other families, regulars, with their own, similar weekend rituals. I have also started to notice some of these same families at other parks in our area on different days. I never noticed this before because I never frequented the parks on a regular basis - but there are all these families who make it a regular habit of taking their kids to the parks and I have to give them huge props for making this consistent effort to get their kids out of the house, load them into the car or strollers, and get them over to the playgrounds to play so frequently. I know it can't be easy - it certainly isn't always easy for me to do it - but it is so important for children to get this regular opportunity to challenge their skills on playground equipment and to socialize with other children their age.
As parents, we don't take kids to the park for our own benefit (other than maybe to wear the kids out so they sleep well). Much of going to the park entails a lot of work on our end and then involves keeping an intense vigil to prevent injuries. But it is comforting to see familiar faces in the other regular families, fun to make connections with other parents, and exciting to watch your children excel at using their bodies in new and increasingly challenging ways and making their own new friends too. And it is so worth the effort when we can understand and recognize how this regular opportunity for active play is benefitting our children: Children who master motor skills, like climbing, jumping, swinging, skipping, riding a bike, etc, build confidence in themselves and use those skills to engage in other new and more challenging experiences; children who regularly interact and play with their peers develop better social skills and have an easier time making friends; and children who spend time engaged in active play each day exhibit fewer attention problems.
To recognize the effects of frequent playground time, watch your child as he/she makes new advances over time: building the confidence and skills to go from sliding on their stomach to on their bottom without any help, to cliding down the tall, twisty slide; being afraid to climb the rock wall, to trying just a few holds, to climbing all the way to the top with a huge smile and sense of accomplishment; from needing a push to swing to pumping their legs independently; from quietly watching other kids play to approaching other kids and playing with them. These developmental progressions won't occur by staying at home and watching TV; kids have to have repetetive experiences to build these skills and make these accomplishments and playing on the playground regulary is a fun and easy way for them to develop their skills naturally.
Do all of these regulars I see bring their kids to the park to play so frequently because they know the importance of it for the reasons listed above or because they just know their kids love it? Whatever the reason that they make the effort, I applaud these playground parents for putting their children's developmental needs and enjoyment first!
Like I said at the beginning of this post, taking children to the playground can be challenging, but so rewarding once you make it a habit! My husband and I have started a new Saturday morning routine of running up to our local Great Harvest bakery, pushing the kids in the double jogging stroller, having breakfast, and then stopping off at a nearby playground for a while before running home. This gets us outside as a family, keeps us in shape, provides a weekend tradition that we now look forward to, and gets the kids over to a playground that they enjoy. Becoming a "regular" at the bakery and the park, has even brought its own benefits and a renewed connection to our community, which in today's society and especially living in a city, seems to be ocurring less and less.
Since starting this weekend ritual I have realized that we are seeing the same people at this park each weekend - other families, regulars, with their own, similar weekend rituals. I have also started to notice some of these same families at other parks in our area on different days. I never noticed this before because I never frequented the parks on a regular basis - but there are all these families who make it a regular habit of taking their kids to the parks and I have to give them huge props for making this consistent effort to get their kids out of the house, load them into the car or strollers, and get them over to the playgrounds to play so frequently. I know it can't be easy - it certainly isn't always easy for me to do it - but it is so important for children to get this regular opportunity to challenge their skills on playground equipment and to socialize with other children their age.
As parents, we don't take kids to the park for our own benefit (other than maybe to wear the kids out so they sleep well). Much of going to the park entails a lot of work on our end and then involves keeping an intense vigil to prevent injuries. But it is comforting to see familiar faces in the other regular families, fun to make connections with other parents, and exciting to watch your children excel at using their bodies in new and increasingly challenging ways and making their own new friends too. And it is so worth the effort when we can understand and recognize how this regular opportunity for active play is benefitting our children: Children who master motor skills, like climbing, jumping, swinging, skipping, riding a bike, etc, build confidence in themselves and use those skills to engage in other new and more challenging experiences; children who regularly interact and play with their peers develop better social skills and have an easier time making friends; and children who spend time engaged in active play each day exhibit fewer attention problems.
To recognize the effects of frequent playground time, watch your child as he/she makes new advances over time: building the confidence and skills to go from sliding on their stomach to on their bottom without any help, to cliding down the tall, twisty slide; being afraid to climb the rock wall, to trying just a few holds, to climbing all the way to the top with a huge smile and sense of accomplishment; from needing a push to swing to pumping their legs independently; from quietly watching other kids play to approaching other kids and playing with them. These developmental progressions won't occur by staying at home and watching TV; kids have to have repetetive experiences to build these skills and make these accomplishments and playing on the playground regulary is a fun and easy way for them to develop their skills naturally.
Do all of these regulars I see bring their kids to the park to play so frequently because they know the importance of it for the reasons listed above or because they just know their kids love it? Whatever the reason that they make the effort, I applaud these playground parents for putting their children's developmental needs and enjoyment first!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Reading Early! Part 1: Infancy
Can you really read to an infant?
Some people think it somewhat ridiculous to read books to a small baby. This never occurred to me, as I’ve always thought of someone reading aloud to be so calming and intimate, and therefore most appropriate for children of all ages. I still remember reading a few books to my then 5 month old son. He sat in my lap and calmly listened to my voice as a flipped through some pages of board books. He was relaxed, but not really focusing on the books that I was reading--until we started the last one. This book was actually an accordian style book: a series of different photographs of baby faces, some in black and white. He was entranced. And amazingly, when we looked at the picture of a baby smiling, he started grinning himself. Could he understand my comments about the photos? Could he answer me when I asked him if the baby was sleeping? Of course not. But he was sharing a special moment with me, and the book was what linked us in that moment. Though young, infants can appreciate and enjoy being read to and exposed to books. And most importantly, the comfort and joy they are experiencing will continue to grow as they develop into life-long readers.
When to read to your baby!
By about 6 months, reading should be incorporated into your child’s daily schedule. Most parents enjoy sharing books before bedtime, when baby is just bathed, warm and snuggled in your lap. Naturally this is an ideal time to wind down their day. However, this is not the only time available for reading. Young babies especially (less than 4 months) should be read to during “quiet alert” times. This is that lovely time of day when your child is 1) awake 2) calm 3) interested. If baby is kicking up a storm or begins fussing, s/he might be overstimulated, bored, or getting tired. It is most important to pick times of the day that are relaxing and convenient, so you can really enjoy the experience, rather than having to glance at the clock, or stop halfway through because the kitchen timer just went off.
I say “times” plural because as your baby grows older and approaches toddlerhood, I think it is important to read multiple times a day. Reading can be a wonderful transition between times of the day, and frequent reading sessions sends an important message to your child: we read because we enjoy it, not just because it is bedtime. Busy families who work and have children in childcare need not shake their heads at this idea. Imagine, reading aloud a board book over cheerios in the morning or sharing a book during bath time. I loved reading a book to my son when I picked him up for childcare in the afternoons. Rather than whisking him away immediately, I sat down in his space with his friends and teachers, and read a book, usually gaining a large audience of his peers. Of course this isn’t done everyday, and it doesn’t need to be. But the more you show your child that reading is a part of your day, throughout the day, the sooner they will seek out books on their own, for quiet and independent time.
(Upcoming) Part 2: Book Selection for Infants and Toddlers
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
What's Wrong With Getting Messy?
My Kids Get Messy
As a parent I often feel like I am constantly trying to prevent my kids from creating one distaster after another. I hear myself saying "you can't do that because it will make a mess" to my kids all the time. But I often feel bad for stopping what is only their curious exploration and it got me thinking - why not let them get messy? What's so wrong with it? Why was I really stopping them? Well, when I thought about it, the answer was that I was usually stopping them because I didn't want to clean up a mess; but I realized that most of the time they weren't actually going to ruin anything by getting a little messy. So, I decided that I would ease up on them a little; let them make a mess when it was perfectly safe and they weren't in danger of getting hurt or ruining something permanently. Of course I still want to teach my children to be responsible with our belongings, but letting them splash around in the bathroom sink, roll around in the yard stuffing rocks and acorns into their pockets, smearing mashed potatoes on their arms, and cutting a piece of paper into a hundred tiny pieces isn't going to encourage destructive behavior. I figured that allowing them to engage in their natural, developmentally appropriate interest in sensory exploration was way more important than the extra few minutes I would have saved by not having to clean up after them - plus, that's what soap, laundry detergent, and Mr Clean Magic Erasers are for!
My kids seem to really enjoy themselves when I don't stop them from getting messy. They don't act like it's a big reward that they get to sit in the dirt or transfer cupfulls of dog food into dog bowls spilling it everywhere - they just act normal and happy, like they're supposed to be doing these things. It's when I stop them that they get upset and frustrated that they don't get to carry out this natural curiosity. But the best thing is that I've seen some growth in my children as they have developed new skills from all this messy play that I don't interupt. My son has gotten more accurate at pouring as he dumps dog food from the bin into bowls. My son doesn't try to play with his food as much now since I have let him explore putting it on himself. He is also independent with using a fork and spoon after just letting go and allowing him to get food everywhere while trying to use the utensils. Both of my kids are getting better at cleaning up after themselves (with my instruction of course); through making messes I am teaching them about being responsible for their actions. For example, one day I allowed the hand washing at the bathroom sink to evolve into some serious water play. I kindly told my daughter what would happen if she got wet. Of course she got wet after she and her brother splashed a little too exuberantly and she cried because her clothes were wet. But I followed through with what I had said: that she had to clean up the mess before she changed her clothes. I also told her that she was still allowed to play in the sink when she asked for permission, but in the future, if she splashed that much and got wet that she would have to stay in her wet clothes. Now I know that might sound mean, but since then she has played in the sink with her brother many times, but has not let the splashing get to the point of getting her clothes wet again.
Why Messy Play Is Important - A developmental perspective
Infants and young children are hard wired to use their bodies to explore their environment. Everything is new to them and they need to take in all sensory components (sight, sounds, touch, taste, smell) in order to learn about new things. Babies use their mouths to explore new objects. Anyone who has taken a psychology class may remember that this is what Freud refers to as the 'oral phase.' And as parents of babies we spend countless hours a day trying to take things out of our baby's mouth. Although there is a very real risk of babies choking on small objects, they aren't necessarily putting these objects in their mouths to eat them. It's important to allow babies to use their mouths to explore because this is the way they learn about their environment at this age, but we also need to make sure that we're only allowing them to put safe items in their mouths.
As babies age and turn into toddlers they use their hands more to explore. They are learning about all the sensory stimulation in their environment by actively putting their hands on things, learning cause and effect when they try to use objects in their environment in different ways, discovering their own limits of tolerance for certain textures and tastes, and most importantly, they are developing and strengthening their own sensory processing skills (which occur on a neurological level) so that they can interact with their ever changing environment in a successful way. For example, when a child plays with his oatmeal he is learning about the lumpy, sticky texture, to pull his hand away if it's too hot, that it makes a splat sound and sticks to the table if he throws it (which he also learns that his mother doesn't like), it feels good to rub around the table top, it tastes sweet and feels mushy in his mouth, that he does/does not like the feeling of it in his hair, etc. If a parent only spoon fed this child, not allowing him to use his hands or a spoon to feed himself and not allowing him to explore during the mealtime, then he would never really learn what oatmeal really is - he would only know the word. (He also would not become indpendent with a spoon if he was not allowed experiences to use it.) The same goes for thousands of other objects and situations in our environment. We have to interact with objects to learn all that we need to know about them and how to use them.
Getting messy and dirty is natural for children - they don't think about trying to get stains out of their clothes or keeping their hands clean. They also don't understand why adults tell them not to interact with objects in their environment just because they're not clean. They see something interesting and want to explore what it feels like, smells like, maybe even what it tastes like, they want to see what they can do with it, they want to collect more, and so on. Stifling that curiosity just because your afraid this new found dirty object of theirs will get your child's hands dirty is depriving them of learning. Playing in the dirt and even eating a little now and then will not harm your children; in fact, it helps to build a healthy immune system. This over-protection from dirt and germs can also inadvertantly cause some unnecessary anxieties in children about getting dirty.
Beyond just allowing your kids to engage in activities that might make a mess, you can also create opportunities for your children to participate in messy play. Play dough, sand box, cooking, water play, painting and other art projects, fort building, stick drawing, bubbles, gardening, etc are all activities that are messy but great opportunities for exploring different senses, working on gross motor and fine motor skills, building knowledge, and having fun. See below for links to websites for more ideas.
Bottom Line: Not all potential messes are appropriate situations to let your kids get into; if there is the chance that your child could get hurt, learn how to do something you don't want them to do, or damage property then you should step in and encourage your child to do something else. But if the mess they want to get into is harmless, then try taking a step back once in a while and letting them have some fun (you may even have fun too if you join in). It won't hurt you to clean up after them; or heck, include them in the clean up, which they might enjoy as well and it teaches your kids to be responsibile for their actions.
Websites with Ideas for Messy Play:
Sensory activities
Clever Toddler Activities: Preschool science
Recipes for messy play
Messy Outdoor Fun For Kids
As a parent I often feel like I am constantly trying to prevent my kids from creating one distaster after another. I hear myself saying "you can't do that because it will make a mess" to my kids all the time. But I often feel bad for stopping what is only their curious exploration and it got me thinking - why not let them get messy? What's so wrong with it? Why was I really stopping them? Well, when I thought about it, the answer was that I was usually stopping them because I didn't want to clean up a mess; but I realized that most of the time they weren't actually going to ruin anything by getting a little messy. So, I decided that I would ease up on them a little; let them make a mess when it was perfectly safe and they weren't in danger of getting hurt or ruining something permanently. Of course I still want to teach my children to be responsible with our belongings, but letting them splash around in the bathroom sink, roll around in the yard stuffing rocks and acorns into their pockets, smearing mashed potatoes on their arms, and cutting a piece of paper into a hundred tiny pieces isn't going to encourage destructive behavior. I figured that allowing them to engage in their natural, developmentally appropriate interest in sensory exploration was way more important than the extra few minutes I would have saved by not having to clean up after them - plus, that's what soap, laundry detergent, and Mr Clean Magic Erasers are for!
My kids seem to really enjoy themselves when I don't stop them from getting messy. They don't act like it's a big reward that they get to sit in the dirt or transfer cupfulls of dog food into dog bowls spilling it everywhere - they just act normal and happy, like they're supposed to be doing these things. It's when I stop them that they get upset and frustrated that they don't get to carry out this natural curiosity. But the best thing is that I've seen some growth in my children as they have developed new skills from all this messy play that I don't interupt. My son has gotten more accurate at pouring as he dumps dog food from the bin into bowls. My son doesn't try to play with his food as much now since I have let him explore putting it on himself. He is also independent with using a fork and spoon after just letting go and allowing him to get food everywhere while trying to use the utensils. Both of my kids are getting better at cleaning up after themselves (with my instruction of course); through making messes I am teaching them about being responsible for their actions. For example, one day I allowed the hand washing at the bathroom sink to evolve into some serious water play. I kindly told my daughter what would happen if she got wet. Of course she got wet after she and her brother splashed a little too exuberantly and she cried because her clothes were wet. But I followed through with what I had said: that she had to clean up the mess before she changed her clothes. I also told her that she was still allowed to play in the sink when she asked for permission, but in the future, if she splashed that much and got wet that she would have to stay in her wet clothes. Now I know that might sound mean, but since then she has played in the sink with her brother many times, but has not let the splashing get to the point of getting her clothes wet again.
Why Messy Play Is Important - A developmental perspective
Infants and young children are hard wired to use their bodies to explore their environment. Everything is new to them and they need to take in all sensory components (sight, sounds, touch, taste, smell) in order to learn about new things. Babies use their mouths to explore new objects. Anyone who has taken a psychology class may remember that this is what Freud refers to as the 'oral phase.' And as parents of babies we spend countless hours a day trying to take things out of our baby's mouth. Although there is a very real risk of babies choking on small objects, they aren't necessarily putting these objects in their mouths to eat them. It's important to allow babies to use their mouths to explore because this is the way they learn about their environment at this age, but we also need to make sure that we're only allowing them to put safe items in their mouths.
As babies age and turn into toddlers they use their hands more to explore. They are learning about all the sensory stimulation in their environment by actively putting their hands on things, learning cause and effect when they try to use objects in their environment in different ways, discovering their own limits of tolerance for certain textures and tastes, and most importantly, they are developing and strengthening their own sensory processing skills (which occur on a neurological level) so that they can interact with their ever changing environment in a successful way. For example, when a child plays with his oatmeal he is learning about the lumpy, sticky texture, to pull his hand away if it's too hot, that it makes a splat sound and sticks to the table if he throws it (which he also learns that his mother doesn't like), it feels good to rub around the table top, it tastes sweet and feels mushy in his mouth, that he does/does not like the feeling of it in his hair, etc. If a parent only spoon fed this child, not allowing him to use his hands or a spoon to feed himself and not allowing him to explore during the mealtime, then he would never really learn what oatmeal really is - he would only know the word. (He also would not become indpendent with a spoon if he was not allowed experiences to use it.) The same goes for thousands of other objects and situations in our environment. We have to interact with objects to learn all that we need to know about them and how to use them.
Getting messy and dirty is natural for children - they don't think about trying to get stains out of their clothes or keeping their hands clean. They also don't understand why adults tell them not to interact with objects in their environment just because they're not clean. They see something interesting and want to explore what it feels like, smells like, maybe even what it tastes like, they want to see what they can do with it, they want to collect more, and so on. Stifling that curiosity just because your afraid this new found dirty object of theirs will get your child's hands dirty is depriving them of learning. Playing in the dirt and even eating a little now and then will not harm your children; in fact, it helps to build a healthy immune system. This over-protection from dirt and germs can also inadvertantly cause some unnecessary anxieties in children about getting dirty.
Beyond just allowing your kids to engage in activities that might make a mess, you can also create opportunities for your children to participate in messy play. Play dough, sand box, cooking, water play, painting and other art projects, fort building, stick drawing, bubbles, gardening, etc are all activities that are messy but great opportunities for exploring different senses, working on gross motor and fine motor skills, building knowledge, and having fun. See below for links to websites for more ideas.
Bottom Line: Not all potential messes are appropriate situations to let your kids get into; if there is the chance that your child could get hurt, learn how to do something you don't want them to do, or damage property then you should step in and encourage your child to do something else. But if the mess they want to get into is harmless, then try taking a step back once in a while and letting them have some fun (you may even have fun too if you join in). It won't hurt you to clean up after them; or heck, include them in the clean up, which they might enjoy as well and it teaches your kids to be responsibile for their actions.
Websites with Ideas for Messy Play:
Sensory activities
Clever Toddler Activities: Preschool science
Recipes for messy play
Messy Outdoor Fun For Kids
Thursday, August 26, 2010
How Do You Make Fall Fun For Your Kids?
Summer is almost over and my favorite season is almost here.... Fall! I love all the fun seasonal activities that occuring during fall! I have really great memories of apple picking, pumpkin carving, making apple pies, raking the yard and jumping in leaf piles, trick or treating, playing soccer, and participating in holiday traditions as a kid. Fall is the perfect time to plan some fun indoor and outdoor activities for your family that encourage your kids to get away from the TV, use their bodies and their imagination, and make memories that your kids will cherish even as adults.
In the fall the weather starts to get cooler, and if you live in the south like me, that means more time to comfortably be outside. This is a good time to take advantage of the outdoors and do things like taking walks, hiking, camping, riding bikes, picking seasonal fruit, playing sports, picking and carving pumpkins, fishing, etc. Even on weekdays when it's a little more difficult to do some of those activities, try getting out in the yard or a nearby park and playing for a little while each day. Take walks around the neighborhood.
The holiday season also begins during the fall, and with that, lots of fun and creative activities and traditions. Creating traditions is exciting for children; it gives them fun activities or events that don't happen very often to expect and look forward to each year. Can you think of some traditions that your family had when you were a child and how much you enjoyed them? Children really get into holidays and enjoy the seasonal crafts that can be done during these times. If you're not naturally creative, there are tons of websites with free ideas and print outs for holiday crafts to do with children of all ages. Your older children may even enjoy helping you decorate the house or make food for holidays. The holidays are also a good opportunity to reinforce values in your children, such as being thankful, giving back to others, cherishing family time. Children learn best from parents who lead by example. My mom used to take my sister and me to buy and deliver toys to families in need around the holidays, which is something that was, and still is, very meaningful to me. But even something as simple as buying some canned goods and bringing them to a local food drive can teach children about giving.
My kids are still young (17 months and almost 3), so our fall activities may be a little more limited than families with older children, but I'm still very excited about all the things we will be able to do together this fall!
* Hiking - we live in the Atlanta metro area, but we're still able to get to local Chattahoochee parks or drive an hour or more to get to some mountain trails. At this point in our family we look for short, easy trails (that we can use our BOB stroller or kid pack on) with something fun for the kids, like a waterfall to hike to or a nature center to visit and learn about animals. Hopefully next year our kids will be old enough for us to get back to camping.
* Apple picking, pumpkin patches and visiting farms - there aren't as many local opportunities to pick apples down here in Georgia as there were in Maine, where I grew up, but after doing some internet searching I've found a number of family friendly orchards where we can pick or buy freshly picked apples. Many of these places also have hayrides, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches. We have also found some farms with livestock to look at and pet, as well as cow milking and farm tours.
* Playing outside - now that it's starting to get out of the 90s, we'll be able to spend more time in the yard playing with outside toys, in the sandbox, bubbles, chalk and paints, going on walks, and playing on the playground at local parks. My kids are fascinated by the rocks, leaves, and sticks they find in our yard - fall is a fun time to make leaf pressings or laminate leaves into bookmarks or other crafts; and sorting rocks can be a good cognitive skill for toddlers to practice. Invite your kids friends over to come play in the yard too - children often use their toys more or come up with creative games when they have peers to play with.
* Crafts and decorating - my daughter is really into arts and crafts already and this year she will have the fine motor skills to participate in some fun, simple holiday crafts. Like I said above, I use the internet to find ideas for crafts and I also shop at a local craft store for inexpensive projects. Last year she had fun putting holiday windwod stickers up, but this year she'll also be able to help me with decorating the house for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
* Reading - I love seasonal and holiday books and my daughter really got interested in them for the first last winter. We have a few of our own classic holiday books and will also be visiting the library frequently to check out new ones. We have also created some family traditions around holiday books, such as Elf on a Shelf and Twas The Night Before Christmas.
* Holiday videos - Pull out old family photos and videos from when your kids were younger or from when you were a child and share memories with your kids. My kids are still a little young for this, but for older children there are some great, classic holiday movies that are short, share good messages and don't have the violence and mature language that some modern movies do. Watch them together as a family! The Peanuts movies, the old animated Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Frosty's Winter Wonderland, Jim Henson's Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas, etc.
* The smells, tastes, and sounds of fall - I love the hearty foods associated with fall and really enjoy making them. My kids already help me make homemade applesauce (my son peels the stickers off the apples and my daughter washes and dries apples, then chops them with her kid's crinkle knife). My daughter helps me chop vegetables for soup too. As they get older I will involve them in making more of my favorite fall foods, like chili, breads, apple pies, and soup. Teaching your children about sensory experiences (smells, tastes, sounds) helps them expand their language, gain better awareness of their environment, and helps them enjoy experiences more. Take the time to talk about the smells and tastes (spiced apples, pumpkins, apple cider, pine trees, etc) and about sounds (crackling fires, animal sounds, the weather, etc) as your kids experience them.
* Music - Play and sing seasonal and holiday songs with your kids. If they're young, teach them the words to simple songs, like 5 Little Pumpkins; if your kids are older and musical, try learning to play some seasonal music on instruments. Also, it has nothing to do with fall, but we've enrolled in a local music class once a week that my kids love!
These are just a few examples of activities to do with children in the fall that are simple, wholesome, encourage movement and thinking, and involve doing things together as a family. What are some fun fall activities that you do with your kids or remember doing as a child? Please share them with us by posting a comment!
Memories are created when there are stong sensory and emotional components to experiences; your children will fondly remember these experiences from their childhood and not the TV shows they watched or the video games they played. Their minds and bodies will also benefit from getting outside, playing, being creative and sharing experiences as a family. And you will cherish these memories as well when your children are grown and living on their own. Take the time now to enjoy the fall season with your family!
In the fall the weather starts to get cooler, and if you live in the south like me, that means more time to comfortably be outside. This is a good time to take advantage of the outdoors and do things like taking walks, hiking, camping, riding bikes, picking seasonal fruit, playing sports, picking and carving pumpkins, fishing, etc. Even on weekdays when it's a little more difficult to do some of those activities, try getting out in the yard or a nearby park and playing for a little while each day. Take walks around the neighborhood.
The holiday season also begins during the fall, and with that, lots of fun and creative activities and traditions. Creating traditions is exciting for children; it gives them fun activities or events that don't happen very often to expect and look forward to each year. Can you think of some traditions that your family had when you were a child and how much you enjoyed them? Children really get into holidays and enjoy the seasonal crafts that can be done during these times. If you're not naturally creative, there are tons of websites with free ideas and print outs for holiday crafts to do with children of all ages. Your older children may even enjoy helping you decorate the house or make food for holidays. The holidays are also a good opportunity to reinforce values in your children, such as being thankful, giving back to others, cherishing family time. Children learn best from parents who lead by example. My mom used to take my sister and me to buy and deliver toys to families in need around the holidays, which is something that was, and still is, very meaningful to me. But even something as simple as buying some canned goods and bringing them to a local food drive can teach children about giving.
My kids are still young (17 months and almost 3), so our fall activities may be a little more limited than families with older children, but I'm still very excited about all the things we will be able to do together this fall!
* Hiking - we live in the Atlanta metro area, but we're still able to get to local Chattahoochee parks or drive an hour or more to get to some mountain trails. At this point in our family we look for short, easy trails (that we can use our BOB stroller or kid pack on) with something fun for the kids, like a waterfall to hike to or a nature center to visit and learn about animals. Hopefully next year our kids will be old enough for us to get back to camping.
* Apple picking, pumpkin patches and visiting farms - there aren't as many local opportunities to pick apples down here in Georgia as there were in Maine, where I grew up, but after doing some internet searching I've found a number of family friendly orchards where we can pick or buy freshly picked apples. Many of these places also have hayrides, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches. We have also found some farms with livestock to look at and pet, as well as cow milking and farm tours.
* Playing outside - now that it's starting to get out of the 90s, we'll be able to spend more time in the yard playing with outside toys, in the sandbox, bubbles, chalk and paints, going on walks, and playing on the playground at local parks. My kids are fascinated by the rocks, leaves, and sticks they find in our yard - fall is a fun time to make leaf pressings or laminate leaves into bookmarks or other crafts; and sorting rocks can be a good cognitive skill for toddlers to practice. Invite your kids friends over to come play in the yard too - children often use their toys more or come up with creative games when they have peers to play with.
* Crafts and decorating - my daughter is really into arts and crafts already and this year she will have the fine motor skills to participate in some fun, simple holiday crafts. Like I said above, I use the internet to find ideas for crafts and I also shop at a local craft store for inexpensive projects. Last year she had fun putting holiday windwod stickers up, but this year she'll also be able to help me with decorating the house for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
* Reading - I love seasonal and holiday books and my daughter really got interested in them for the first last winter. We have a few of our own classic holiday books and will also be visiting the library frequently to check out new ones. We have also created some family traditions around holiday books, such as Elf on a Shelf and Twas The Night Before Christmas.
* Holiday videos - Pull out old family photos and videos from when your kids were younger or from when you were a child and share memories with your kids. My kids are still a little young for this, but for older children there are some great, classic holiday movies that are short, share good messages and don't have the violence and mature language that some modern movies do. Watch them together as a family! The Peanuts movies, the old animated Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Frosty's Winter Wonderland, Jim Henson's Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas, etc.
* The smells, tastes, and sounds of fall - I love the hearty foods associated with fall and really enjoy making them. My kids already help me make homemade applesauce (my son peels the stickers off the apples and my daughter washes and dries apples, then chops them with her kid's crinkle knife). My daughter helps me chop vegetables for soup too. As they get older I will involve them in making more of my favorite fall foods, like chili, breads, apple pies, and soup. Teaching your children about sensory experiences (smells, tastes, sounds) helps them expand their language, gain better awareness of their environment, and helps them enjoy experiences more. Take the time to talk about the smells and tastes (spiced apples, pumpkins, apple cider, pine trees, etc) and about sounds (crackling fires, animal sounds, the weather, etc) as your kids experience them.
* Music - Play and sing seasonal and holiday songs with your kids. If they're young, teach them the words to simple songs, like 5 Little Pumpkins; if your kids are older and musical, try learning to play some seasonal music on instruments. Also, it has nothing to do with fall, but we've enrolled in a local music class once a week that my kids love!
These are just a few examples of activities to do with children in the fall that are simple, wholesome, encourage movement and thinking, and involve doing things together as a family. What are some fun fall activities that you do with your kids or remember doing as a child? Please share them with us by posting a comment!
Memories are created when there are stong sensory and emotional components to experiences; your children will fondly remember these experiences from their childhood and not the TV shows they watched or the video games they played. Their minds and bodies will also benefit from getting outside, playing, being creative and sharing experiences as a family. And you will cherish these memories as well when your children are grown and living on their own. Take the time now to enjoy the fall season with your family!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Too Much Technology?
"In primitive times, human beings engaged in physical labor, and sensory stimulation was natural and simple. Rapid advances in technology and transportation have resulted in a physically sedentary society with high frequency, duration and intensity of sensory stimuli" (Nelson M 2006) - from the Zone'In Fact Sheet, Rowan, 2010.
It is apparent that technology now plays a major role in the daily lives of adults, adolescents, and young children. But how much is too much? Basically any technology entertainment below the age of 2 is too much, and even beyond that the TV and video games do nothing to improve a child's intellectual or physical development. Below are some statistics, taken from the Zone'In Fact Sheet by Cris Rowan, on the current overuse of technology concerning children and then below that are some facts on what children actually need for their developmental growth.
The current state of technology use by children:
* On average, children ages 0-2 years are watching 2.2 hours of TV per day, children ages 3-5 are watching 4.5 hours a day, and elementary aged kids are watching 6.5 hours a day (Christakis, D., 2007)
* Elementary aged kids are using a combination of technologies (TV, cell phone, internet, video games, ipod) for an average of 8 hours a day (Kaiser Foundation Report, 2010)
* Over 60% of children report their parents do not restrict their access to technology; 75% of these children have TV’s in their bedrooms (Kaiser Foundation Report, 2010).
* For every 1 hour of TV watched each day between the ages of 0 and 7, the risk of attention problems by the age of 7 increases by 10% (Christakis, D., 2004)
* A large body of research over the past 3 decades has linked the content and hours of technology use to the following: obesity, attention deficit disorders, drug and alcohol use, sexual behavior, and low academic achievement (Nunez-Smith M 2004, Zimmerman F 2007, Hancox R 2005, Murray J 2006), as well as violent behaviors, developmental delays, and attachment disorders
* 30 % of children entering kindergarten are developmentally delayed (Petersen, 2006)
* The incidence of obesity in children is on the rise and as of 2001 5% of boys ages and 10.8% of girls age 2-5 were considered obese (Harvey-Berino J 2001); the percentage today has most likely increased
* "These environmental changes are faster than human being’s ability to adapt and evolve. Children who immerse themselves in virtual reality may exhibit signs of sensory deprivation, as they become disconnected from the world of physical play and meaningful interactions" (Tannock M 2008).
What children need for development:
•The most critical factors for optimal child development are movement, touch and connection to other humans (Insel R 2001, Korkman M 2001)
* Children need 3-4 hours per day of active play and movement to achieve enough stimulation to the vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile sensory systems (National Association for Sport and Physical Education 2002) in order to develop their posture, bilateral coordination and optimal arousal states necessary for handwriting and reading literacy (Schaff R 2007, Braswell J 2006, Rine R, 2004)
* The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 should not watch any TV and that all children over the age of 2 should be limited to no more than 1-2 hours of TV a day (Children, adolescents and television. Committee on Public Education, AAP 2001)
These statistics are from the Zone'In wbesite and I recommend that you look at the Fact Sheet page for more shocking facts on how overly-obsessed our children (and parents) have become with technology and entertainment and the impact that it's having on the development of our children's intelligence, literacy, motor skills, social skills, behavior, emotion/psychological healtth and physical health.
After reading those facts, you might be starting to worry that your children are watching too much TV or playing too many video games. Listen, it can happen to parents with the best of intentions. I'm an occupational therapist, therefore specializing in child development, and I should have known better, but TV managed to become a habit in our household and I had never really intended it to. After the birth of my son, my daughter (who was 18 months at the time) was introduced to TV and in a span of a few months went from watching an occasional PBS show to probably watching 1-2 hours of TV a day. By the age of 2 she was obsessed and was constantly asking for the TV at home and in the car. That's when I realized what a problem I had on my hands. My issue is that I was juggling a toddler and a new baby with working part time and all the other household duties. I'm no different from any other mom - my struggles are not unique - and my fix in a situation where I needed to have my child entertained so that I could get something done was to turn the TV on for a little while; something, I know, that many other moms do. But after listening to a webinar by, occupational therapist, Cris Rowan (Zone'In Inc) on The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child, I recognized the terrible path of technology over-dependence my family was starting to go down and I became instantly invested in this topic both for the sake of my family and the families that I serve in my OT practice.
After already having cut back on TV when my toddler became a TV-fiend, I then cut out the TV altogether after listening to the Webinar. My son had just turned 1 and he didn't need to have it on around him anyway. For the first few days after the switch to no TV my 2 1/2 year old daughter begged for her shows constantly. Every time we were in the car she whined to watch something and every time I heard her desperate requests I calmly reminded her that we didn't watch TV anymore and she could earn it as part of her good behavior incentives (along with books and games). I would also follow up with a quick explanation of why we weren't watching TV (i.e. it wasn't good for our brains) and would offer her an alternative activity. If we were in the car I kept books and travel games handy as well as books on CD. But here's the best part..... after a few days she stopped asking for TV! She stopped telling me she was bored and she started playing with her toys independently, reading her books, playing with her brother, and asking to go outside. She's always been a creative child, but I really saw her creativity expand once we turned the TV off for good. She can turn any object (toy or non-toy) into something to play with now all on her own. I feel good knowing that she is happily engaging in activities that are good for her development and not craving TV anymore.
Now, in our house TV is something to be earned on special occasions; my daughter watches about 1 show (or children's movie) a week, sometimes none. My 1 year old son does not watch any TV. My husband and I have made the decision to keep limiting the TV in this way, even though our daughter is of the age when the AAP says it is ok for her to watch an hour of TV a day. We feel that it's much better for her if she doesn't. When she's not watching TV she's using her brain and body to do other things and interacting with the rest of the family more and that's what we like to see. Plus, when she knows that TV is only a reward and for special occasions, she doesn't ask for it and I don't have to constantly deal with the negative behavior backlash that always occur with turning the TV off. This is a choice that I'm sure we'll stick with for a while and implement with our son when he gets older. It has also affected us in a positive way by naturally decreasing the amount of TV that my husband and I watch. In fact, we even downgraded our rediculous cable package and save about $50 a month now.
As adults and unresitricted TV watchers, we don't usually stop and think about the effect the TV or video games are having on our children's developing minds and bodies and therefore, may not think it is harmful. Or, we do know, but keep telling ourselves, "I just have to get through this busy day or busy week and then we'll cut back on TV/video games/computer when school starts" (or insert any number of justifications for continuing to watch TV). The problem is, that time never comes because we keep thinking of new reasons why it's too hard to make such a big transition in our lives. We know our kids will fight this change and it's hard to muster up the energy to deal with that, knowing that on the other end WE'RE going to be the ones to have to entertain the kids now. But guess what, it's only hard in the beginning and your kids will be SO MUCH better off because you restrict their TV, video game, and computer use!
When these forms of technology are no longer passively entertaining them, kids have to use their brains, their bodies, their social skills, their imagination. Here's what happens when kids aren't watching TV: they get creative; they learn new things through exploration and discovery (therefore, making them smarter); their reading comprehension improves; their athletic ability improves as they engage in physical activities more; their interests in new activities and topics expands to make them more well rounded and iteresting people; their social skills improve as they play more with other kids, which in turn makes them more successful with making friends and interacting with peers; the list goes on and on. The possibilities are limitless to what children can do when they get involved with activities that use their mind and bodies.
What happens when children watch TV: their brains shut down as they are passively entertained; they are not interacting with anything or anyone as they sit and watch TV; there are no opportunities to be creative, explore, discover, or use analytical thinking; their weight and body mass index are increasing as they eat while they sit and watch TV, thus contributing to obesity; their motor skills do not have a chance to improve; they are fine tuning their brains to use only certain parts when they spend so many hours playing video or computer games or watch TV -which means other important areas of the brain do not get the chance to develop and in neuroscience there is a saying about the brain, "Use It or Lose It!"
Bottom line: Everything in moderation - limit your children's use of technology as entertainment and replace most of that time with activities that get them moving and thinking. TV, video games, and the computer should be treated as a reward, much like sweets. They are not necessary activities for children and adolescents to grow and develop. In fact, there is a large amount of research out there linking time spent watching TV, video gaming, internet surfing, and using other forms of technology to a number of negative childhood problems that can have lasting effects. Research has not found that this type of technology benefits children in any way - in fact, Disney has even recalled all of their Baby Einstein DVDs and France has banned the broadcasting of all TV shows aimed at kids under 3.
Parents should take an active role in controlling and limiting their children's exposure to these technologies and encourage more developmentally appropriate activities instead. TV is not going to teach your child to talk, to engage socially, to move, to read, to think critically. Video games and the computer will not teach your child to be compassionate, athletic, explore and discover, and much as some might think, playing video games will not improve overall fine motor skills. It is the job of parents to take the time to engage with their children, teach them these things, and create opportunities for children to learn and experience more. Being a parent is a huge responsibility and an amazing gift, but we only get one chance to mold and shape our children into the best people they can possibly be. Children only get one childhood and it is our job to make it a wonderful experience for them. The best way to do this is to limit the technology and play with your kids, read to them, cook with them, take them places...... turn every day, ordinary moments into wonderful teaching opportunities and chances to grow closer as a family. You will never regret taking the time to do these things, but in the future you may regret not doing it.
For tips on cutting out TV and activities to do instead, read the next post: Simple Steps for Turning the TV Off (and what to do instead).
It is apparent that technology now plays a major role in the daily lives of adults, adolescents, and young children. But how much is too much? Basically any technology entertainment below the age of 2 is too much, and even beyond that the TV and video games do nothing to improve a child's intellectual or physical development. Below are some statistics, taken from the Zone'In Fact Sheet by Cris Rowan, on the current overuse of technology concerning children and then below that are some facts on what children actually need for their developmental growth.
The current state of technology use by children:
* On average, children ages 0-2 years are watching 2.2 hours of TV per day, children ages 3-5 are watching 4.5 hours a day, and elementary aged kids are watching 6.5 hours a day (Christakis, D., 2007)
* Elementary aged kids are using a combination of technologies (TV, cell phone, internet, video games, ipod) for an average of 8 hours a day (Kaiser Foundation Report, 2010)
* Over 60% of children report their parents do not restrict their access to technology; 75% of these children have TV’s in their bedrooms (Kaiser Foundation Report, 2010).
* For every 1 hour of TV watched each day between the ages of 0 and 7, the risk of attention problems by the age of 7 increases by 10% (Christakis, D., 2004)
* A large body of research over the past 3 decades has linked the content and hours of technology use to the following: obesity, attention deficit disorders, drug and alcohol use, sexual behavior, and low academic achievement (Nunez-Smith M 2004, Zimmerman F 2007, Hancox R 2005, Murray J 2006), as well as violent behaviors, developmental delays, and attachment disorders
* 30 % of children entering kindergarten are developmentally delayed (Petersen, 2006)
* The incidence of obesity in children is on the rise and as of 2001 5% of boys ages and 10.8% of girls age 2-5 were considered obese (Harvey-Berino J 2001); the percentage today has most likely increased
* "These environmental changes are faster than human being’s ability to adapt and evolve. Children who immerse themselves in virtual reality may exhibit signs of sensory deprivation, as they become disconnected from the world of physical play and meaningful interactions" (Tannock M 2008).
What children need for development:
•The most critical factors for optimal child development are movement, touch and connection to other humans (Insel R 2001, Korkman M 2001)
* Children need 3-4 hours per day of active play and movement to achieve enough stimulation to the vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile sensory systems (National Association for Sport and Physical Education 2002) in order to develop their posture, bilateral coordination and optimal arousal states necessary for handwriting and reading literacy (Schaff R 2007, Braswell J 2006, Rine R, 2004)
* The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 should not watch any TV and that all children over the age of 2 should be limited to no more than 1-2 hours of TV a day (Children, adolescents and television. Committee on Public Education, AAP 2001)
These statistics are from the Zone'In wbesite and I recommend that you look at the Fact Sheet page for more shocking facts on how overly-obsessed our children (and parents) have become with technology and entertainment and the impact that it's having on the development of our children's intelligence, literacy, motor skills, social skills, behavior, emotion/psychological healtth and physical health.
After reading those facts, you might be starting to worry that your children are watching too much TV or playing too many video games. Listen, it can happen to parents with the best of intentions. I'm an occupational therapist, therefore specializing in child development, and I should have known better, but TV managed to become a habit in our household and I had never really intended it to. After the birth of my son, my daughter (who was 18 months at the time) was introduced to TV and in a span of a few months went from watching an occasional PBS show to probably watching 1-2 hours of TV a day. By the age of 2 she was obsessed and was constantly asking for the TV at home and in the car. That's when I realized what a problem I had on my hands. My issue is that I was juggling a toddler and a new baby with working part time and all the other household duties. I'm no different from any other mom - my struggles are not unique - and my fix in a situation where I needed to have my child entertained so that I could get something done was to turn the TV on for a little while; something, I know, that many other moms do. But after listening to a webinar by, occupational therapist, Cris Rowan (Zone'In Inc) on The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child, I recognized the terrible path of technology over-dependence my family was starting to go down and I became instantly invested in this topic both for the sake of my family and the families that I serve in my OT practice.
After already having cut back on TV when my toddler became a TV-fiend, I then cut out the TV altogether after listening to the Webinar. My son had just turned 1 and he didn't need to have it on around him anyway. For the first few days after the switch to no TV my 2 1/2 year old daughter begged for her shows constantly. Every time we were in the car she whined to watch something and every time I heard her desperate requests I calmly reminded her that we didn't watch TV anymore and she could earn it as part of her good behavior incentives (along with books and games). I would also follow up with a quick explanation of why we weren't watching TV (i.e. it wasn't good for our brains) and would offer her an alternative activity. If we were in the car I kept books and travel games handy as well as books on CD. But here's the best part..... after a few days she stopped asking for TV! She stopped telling me she was bored and she started playing with her toys independently, reading her books, playing with her brother, and asking to go outside. She's always been a creative child, but I really saw her creativity expand once we turned the TV off for good. She can turn any object (toy or non-toy) into something to play with now all on her own. I feel good knowing that she is happily engaging in activities that are good for her development and not craving TV anymore.
Now, in our house TV is something to be earned on special occasions; my daughter watches about 1 show (or children's movie) a week, sometimes none. My 1 year old son does not watch any TV. My husband and I have made the decision to keep limiting the TV in this way, even though our daughter is of the age when the AAP says it is ok for her to watch an hour of TV a day. We feel that it's much better for her if she doesn't. When she's not watching TV she's using her brain and body to do other things and interacting with the rest of the family more and that's what we like to see. Plus, when she knows that TV is only a reward and for special occasions, she doesn't ask for it and I don't have to constantly deal with the negative behavior backlash that always occur with turning the TV off. This is a choice that I'm sure we'll stick with for a while and implement with our son when he gets older. It has also affected us in a positive way by naturally decreasing the amount of TV that my husband and I watch. In fact, we even downgraded our rediculous cable package and save about $50 a month now.
As adults and unresitricted TV watchers, we don't usually stop and think about the effect the TV or video games are having on our children's developing minds and bodies and therefore, may not think it is harmful. Or, we do know, but keep telling ourselves, "I just have to get through this busy day or busy week and then we'll cut back on TV/video games/computer when school starts" (or insert any number of justifications for continuing to watch TV). The problem is, that time never comes because we keep thinking of new reasons why it's too hard to make such a big transition in our lives. We know our kids will fight this change and it's hard to muster up the energy to deal with that, knowing that on the other end WE'RE going to be the ones to have to entertain the kids now. But guess what, it's only hard in the beginning and your kids will be SO MUCH better off because you restrict their TV, video game, and computer use!
When these forms of technology are no longer passively entertaining them, kids have to use their brains, their bodies, their social skills, their imagination. Here's what happens when kids aren't watching TV: they get creative; they learn new things through exploration and discovery (therefore, making them smarter); their reading comprehension improves; their athletic ability improves as they engage in physical activities more; their interests in new activities and topics expands to make them more well rounded and iteresting people; their social skills improve as they play more with other kids, which in turn makes them more successful with making friends and interacting with peers; the list goes on and on. The possibilities are limitless to what children can do when they get involved with activities that use their mind and bodies.
What happens when children watch TV: their brains shut down as they are passively entertained; they are not interacting with anything or anyone as they sit and watch TV; there are no opportunities to be creative, explore, discover, or use analytical thinking; their weight and body mass index are increasing as they eat while they sit and watch TV, thus contributing to obesity; their motor skills do not have a chance to improve; they are fine tuning their brains to use only certain parts when they spend so many hours playing video or computer games or watch TV -which means other important areas of the brain do not get the chance to develop and in neuroscience there is a saying about the brain, "Use It or Lose It!"
Bottom line: Everything in moderation - limit your children's use of technology as entertainment and replace most of that time with activities that get them moving and thinking. TV, video games, and the computer should be treated as a reward, much like sweets. They are not necessary activities for children and adolescents to grow and develop. In fact, there is a large amount of research out there linking time spent watching TV, video gaming, internet surfing, and using other forms of technology to a number of negative childhood problems that can have lasting effects. Research has not found that this type of technology benefits children in any way - in fact, Disney has even recalled all of their Baby Einstein DVDs and France has banned the broadcasting of all TV shows aimed at kids under 3.
Parents should take an active role in controlling and limiting their children's exposure to these technologies and encourage more developmentally appropriate activities instead. TV is not going to teach your child to talk, to engage socially, to move, to read, to think critically. Video games and the computer will not teach your child to be compassionate, athletic, explore and discover, and much as some might think, playing video games will not improve overall fine motor skills. It is the job of parents to take the time to engage with their children, teach them these things, and create opportunities for children to learn and experience more. Being a parent is a huge responsibility and an amazing gift, but we only get one chance to mold and shape our children into the best people they can possibly be. Children only get one childhood and it is our job to make it a wonderful experience for them. The best way to do this is to limit the technology and play with your kids, read to them, cook with them, take them places...... turn every day, ordinary moments into wonderful teaching opportunities and chances to grow closer as a family. You will never regret taking the time to do these things, but in the future you may regret not doing it.
For tips on cutting out TV and activities to do instead, read the next post: Simple Steps for Turning the TV Off (and what to do instead).
Simple Steps for Turning the TV Off (and what to do instead)
Here are some easy steps to help you find a balance between the use of technology in your childrens' lives and creating opportunities for simple, natural, active, childhood play that they need for optimal development.
If your child is a baby: Just don't even start with the TV habit. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until the age of at least 2 before introducing TV (and this includes baby videos) because it can have a detrimental impact on the developing brains of babies. Your child won't crave what never becomes a part of their daily routine and you will be saving yourself a lot of trouble by waiting until he or she is 2 or 3 (or even later) to introduce TV - and even then, do it in moderation.
If your child is over the age of 2: If your child still doesn't watch TV and you like it this way, then keep holding off on it - why not? Children don't need TV anyway. But when you do decide to introduce it, think about how you want to manage the situation first so you can avoid letting it get out of hand in the future. I have found that the best way to control the TV situation is by treating TV as a reward or something used for special occasions. Or, if the TV becomes a daily habit in your house, then it is easier to manage your child's exposure by creating a TV routine, such as the TV is only on for 30 minutes after naptime. Pick a time of day and a length of time that the TV will be on and then make sure you stick to this routine. Also, let your children know why it's important to limit TV and do other things instead.
If TV has already become an out of control issue with your child/children (at any age): There are things you can do to get the situation back under control and reduce the use of TV (or other technologies, like video games, the computer, or phone). I suggest going cold turkey as opposed to trying to slowly cut back. Like ripping a band-aid off, just get it over with so everyone can go through the adjustment period and move on. The initial transition period will be rough, and the amount of difficulty probably correlates with the age of your children, the amount of time they were spending each day using these technologies, and how unrestricted the kids had been in their use. Before you initiate this transition, decide how you want to manage the use of TV, video games, the computer, and even texting on cell phones by your children first and then STICK TO IT! If you don't, your children will pick up on your inconcistencies like pirahnas at a pool party and totally take advantage! As I mentioned above, I recommend managing the use of technologies as entertainment by using them as rewards or in the context of a predetermined and consistent routine. Here are some examples:
As a reward:
Earn a 30 minutes TV show or a full length movie on Fridays for good behavior 4 out of 5 days (Mon-Fri). The standards for behavior or conditions for getting the reward can vary in any number of ways.
Earn 30 minutes of video games, a TV show, or computer time each day after all homework is done and child has had an hour of active play.
As a routine:
Younger child: 30 minutes of TV each day from 4:00-4:30. Can be taken away for bad behaviors.
Older child: 30 or 60 minutes of TV, video games, computer, or phone time each day (or 30 min of TV and 30 min of computer/video games) after all homework is finished and after child has had 1 hour of active play/non-technology time
So figure out a routine or game plan for controlling when and how much TV is watched or video games are played, communicate it to your children repeatedly, and stick to it. I promise that they will eventually figure out that you're serious, when you don't give in, and they will adjust to this new way of life. Plus, you will be substituting their TV/video game entertainment with new, fun activities that they will eventually come to enjoy and engage in automatically. See below for suggestions. Also, TV and video games are expensive when you add up the cable bill, cost of the gaming console, games, movies, etc. A number of the activities below are free or inexpensive; they are a good way to cut back in these economically challenging times and a good way to really connect with your kids.
Click here for more information from Cris Rowan on strategies for "Unplugging" your child from technology.
What to do instead of watching TV or playing video games:
Many of these activities are things that children can do independently once they are old enough or have had the activity modeled for them once or twice. This will allow you to get some things done around the house while they play, instead of setting them in front of the TV. But remember that your children really love playing with you - so make efforts to spend time doing some of these activities with your children, even as they get older.
* Read with/to your child; allow them access to their books at home
* Visit the local library to check out new books (instead of buying new ones) and books on CD, play with puzzles and games, listen to story time, and participate in other child programs the library may offer
* Play in your backyard or at local parks - meet friends there for a playdate
* Paint, or make a craft or art project - there are hundreds of websites with free information and printables for kid crafts
* Allow your children access to toys that they can play with safely and independently and put away all toys that they need supervision with - this gives them the opportunity to learn to play on their own for short periods of time
* Create forts, kitchens, club houses, etc. with household furniture, large boxes, empty (and clean) food containers and pots and pans
* Put on music for a dance party (my kids do this almost every day)
* Plan outings to local museums, children's play centers, nature centers, the zoo or animal reserve; do outings with friends who have children too
* Start a regular playgroup with friends/neighbors or join a local playgroup - there are local mother's groups all over the country and most can be searched for on the internet
* Enroll your children in enrichment programs: music class, art class, sports programs, dance, gymnastics, etc
* Go for walks; exercise together
* Ride bikes
* Play with play-doh
* Put on puppet shows, plays, and other performances; help your children act out their favorite books
* Include your children in everyday activities like, cooking meals, doing laundry, cleaning, yard work, taking care of pets, etc - most little children love to help mom and dad and for older children, these are good ways to earn an allowance or (gasp) TV time
* Teach your kids how to play with their toys - if they've been watching TV all this time or are still very young, then they may not have the creativity or understanding of how to play with their toys and may need you to model how to play; then they'll start doing it on their own without you, thus allowing you to do get stuff done (except this time their not watching TV while you're trying to get things done). Kids will become frustrated with or ignore toys that they do not know how to play with - it doesn't mean they won't ever like the toy, it just means they need a little help to get started
- teach them how to play with: dolls, dressup clothes, trucks, kitchen, tea party, puzzles, blocks, Legos, trains, cars, water toys, sand toys, bubbles, bikes, sports equipment, games, etc
- kids also typically need help with learning how to play with new toys or games
* Buy or make musical instruments for your kids to play with - there are ideas for making musical instruments out of things like, paper towel rolls
* Search the internet for ideas - there are hundreds of websites with the free information on activities, crafts, and projects to do with your children at any age
* Search the internet for a list of free and cheap places to take children around where you live - Macaroni Kid is a great website and has local websites for cities all over the country
* There are endless posibilities of things to do with your kids instead of watching TV, playing video games, or playing on the computer - be creative and talk to other moms to get more ideas
What to do instead of TV/video games when you need your child to behave:
First of all, teaching your child to behave in certain, especially public, situations without the use of technology to entertain them is important. It's an important social skill that they do need to learn and parents are the ones who are responsible for teaching it. There are plenty of alternatives for helping your child behave in public and with consistency and good modeling from parents, children will learn to have good manners and to behave appropriately. Try using interactive activities that keep them engaged longer:
* Books: books with flaps, music, pop-ups, textures for younger children; age appropriate books for children who can read; coloring books, sticker books, work books, puzzle/maze/word game books for kids old enough to use them
* Magna-doodle, paper and crayons
* Magnetic games (travel-size/car game), so that you don't lose pieces
* Play with stuffed animals, dolls, cars, plastic animals, and other small toys (when kids learn how to use their imagination, they can play for long periods of time with these types of toys)
* Puzzle type games for older kids to solve - either word games or manipulative games (like rubix cube)
* Use behavior incentive strategies to help your children earn rewards for good behavior and remind them of this when they are out in public - teach them how to practice good behavior by modeling it for them first!
* Paper and crayons
* Give them jobs to do to keep them busy (i.e. carry the bag, help you get groceries, reorganize your wallet (a good job for an older girl), pass out napkins at dinner, etc. - be creative
What to do instead of TV/video games in the car:
* Listen to music: kids music, classical music, introduce them to your favorite (appropriate) music
* Listen to kids books on CD (books on CD can be bought for cheap on Amazon or you can also download audio books from itunes)
* Play I Spy or Car Bingo
* Have a stash of toys, coloring books, books, magna-doodles, etc. in the car for the kids to play with
* Talk to your kids or sing songs
* For older kids, make sure they bring along the current book they're reading; have puzzle books, workbooks, and car games in the car to keep them busy
* Check out Walmart and Target for magnetic travel size games and puzzles to play in the car
* Go online and search "games to play in the car" to find lots of other ideas
What to do instead of watching TV at meal times:
Turn the TV off when you're eating!!! There is research to support that eating meals as a family, without the TV on, can have huge benefits! It brings family members closer and nurtures positive relationships; it's a time to talk to each other and show your children you care about them; it's a good time to model manners and problem solve with your children; it can expand your children's food likes; it can decrease negative behaviors in children (drug use, smoking, and sexual behavior); it can improve your children's academic success; it saves money.
Also, there is a correlation between eating with the TV on and childhood obesity. Kids (and adults for that matter) tend to eat more while they are watching TV. If you have a child who is a picky eater or has other feeding problems, do not use the TV as a way to distract the child to get him or her to eat - contact your child's pediatrician and get a referral to an occupational therapist or speech therapist for a feeding consultation. It is better to have the help of a professional to work out these feeding issues as early as possible.
If you must....
If you're reluctant to totally get rid of the video games, hand held video games, and television that's fine - just make good decisions about it.
* Remember that the AAP recommends no more than 2 hours a day of combined technologies - that means the TOTAL hours of all TV, movies, video games, and computer time combined - for children over the age of 2. So set your time limits accordingly to stay within 2 hours. The brain actually shuts down and goes from an active mode to a passive mode after 20 minutes of watching TV, so it's a good idea to limit technology exposure to only 20 minutes at a time.
* Choose wisely.
- If you're going to have a video game console at home, then buy a Wii and buy Wii Fit accessories and games or buy other games that involve a lot of movement. Stay away from games with violence or sedentary games.
- Pay attention to age level recommendations and warnings for games.
- If you're going to give your children hand held video game devices, then look for educational ones, like Leap Frog or Leapster, and continue to impose your limits on using them.
- When deciding which TV programs and movies your children are going to watch, check out the programs first. Watch an episode or two without the kids, look up information and reviews on the internet, talk to other parents, check out the recommended age for viewing or warnings, etc. It is important to make sure that the content of the programs they are viewing are consistent with the morals, values, and information that you feel are important for them to learn. Sesame Street is one of the only children shows that actually does research to ensure that its content is actually making an educational impact on children.
Avoid shows and movies with violence and sexual content, even for older children, especially until they are of an age where they have the cognitive skills to distinguish fiction from reality and right from wrong. It is ok to restrict your children and adolescents from watching TV programs and movies that you feel are unsuitable, even if your kids' friends are watching them; really, it is! My sister and I were not allowed to watch The Simpsons or MTV when we were growing up and we survived; we were not shunned by friends because we didn't watch these shows and I don't remember feeling an emptiness in my childhood because I missed out on Simpson episodes. As an adult I can appreciate why my parents chose to impose those restrictions and am thankful that they cared that much about protecting our innocense.
* If you're going to give your children your iphone to play apps on, choose age appropriate, educational games or childrens books on itunes and continue to limit the amount of time they spend playing on it to around 10 minutes. However, unless you have an insurance plan on your phone that covers accidents and damages, I wouldn't recommend letting a child play with your iphone.
* If you have a DVD player in the car, you don't have to use it every time you ride in the car. Try reserving it only for long car trips, so then it becomes a special treat. Even then, play only 1 show or 1 movie. The more movies you show in the car, the more the kids will come to depend on it and will kick and scream to get a movie put on. If you limit it, stay consistent with the limits, and provide the kids with other things to do in the car (besides hand held video games), then they will get used to this and not put up such a fight for the movies. I promise it can be done - we managed to drive with our 2 year old and 1 year old for 7 hours without ever putting on a movie (and we have a DVD player in our car).
* Don't expose your kids to the shows that you watch. Wait until your kids are sleeping to turn on the TV for your own entertainment. Better yet, if you have TiVo or a VCR, then record shows you usually watch during the day and wait to watch them when your children are asleep.
** I really encourage other parents (with kids of all ages) to post comments with your own ideas and experiences with cutting out technology and activities that you do with your children instead; especially parents of adolescents and teenagers!**
If your child is a baby: Just don't even start with the TV habit. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until the age of at least 2 before introducing TV (and this includes baby videos) because it can have a detrimental impact on the developing brains of babies. Your child won't crave what never becomes a part of their daily routine and you will be saving yourself a lot of trouble by waiting until he or she is 2 or 3 (or even later) to introduce TV - and even then, do it in moderation.
If your child is over the age of 2: If your child still doesn't watch TV and you like it this way, then keep holding off on it - why not? Children don't need TV anyway. But when you do decide to introduce it, think about how you want to manage the situation first so you can avoid letting it get out of hand in the future. I have found that the best way to control the TV situation is by treating TV as a reward or something used for special occasions. Or, if the TV becomes a daily habit in your house, then it is easier to manage your child's exposure by creating a TV routine, such as the TV is only on for 30 minutes after naptime. Pick a time of day and a length of time that the TV will be on and then make sure you stick to this routine. Also, let your children know why it's important to limit TV and do other things instead.
If TV has already become an out of control issue with your child/children (at any age): There are things you can do to get the situation back under control and reduce the use of TV (or other technologies, like video games, the computer, or phone). I suggest going cold turkey as opposed to trying to slowly cut back. Like ripping a band-aid off, just get it over with so everyone can go through the adjustment period and move on. The initial transition period will be rough, and the amount of difficulty probably correlates with the age of your children, the amount of time they were spending each day using these technologies, and how unrestricted the kids had been in their use. Before you initiate this transition, decide how you want to manage the use of TV, video games, the computer, and even texting on cell phones by your children first and then STICK TO IT! If you don't, your children will pick up on your inconcistencies like pirahnas at a pool party and totally take advantage! As I mentioned above, I recommend managing the use of technologies as entertainment by using them as rewards or in the context of a predetermined and consistent routine. Here are some examples:
As a reward:
Earn a 30 minutes TV show or a full length movie on Fridays for good behavior 4 out of 5 days (Mon-Fri). The standards for behavior or conditions for getting the reward can vary in any number of ways.
Earn 30 minutes of video games, a TV show, or computer time each day after all homework is done and child has had an hour of active play.
As a routine:
Younger child: 30 minutes of TV each day from 4:00-4:30. Can be taken away for bad behaviors.
Older child: 30 or 60 minutes of TV, video games, computer, or phone time each day (or 30 min of TV and 30 min of computer/video games) after all homework is finished and after child has had 1 hour of active play/non-technology time
So figure out a routine or game plan for controlling when and how much TV is watched or video games are played, communicate it to your children repeatedly, and stick to it. I promise that they will eventually figure out that you're serious, when you don't give in, and they will adjust to this new way of life. Plus, you will be substituting their TV/video game entertainment with new, fun activities that they will eventually come to enjoy and engage in automatically. See below for suggestions. Also, TV and video games are expensive when you add up the cable bill, cost of the gaming console, games, movies, etc. A number of the activities below are free or inexpensive; they are a good way to cut back in these economically challenging times and a good way to really connect with your kids.
Click here for more information from Cris Rowan on strategies for "Unplugging" your child from technology.
What to do instead of watching TV or playing video games:
Many of these activities are things that children can do independently once they are old enough or have had the activity modeled for them once or twice. This will allow you to get some things done around the house while they play, instead of setting them in front of the TV. But remember that your children really love playing with you - so make efforts to spend time doing some of these activities with your children, even as they get older.
* Read with/to your child; allow them access to their books at home
* Visit the local library to check out new books (instead of buying new ones) and books on CD, play with puzzles and games, listen to story time, and participate in other child programs the library may offer
* Play in your backyard or at local parks - meet friends there for a playdate
* Paint, or make a craft or art project - there are hundreds of websites with free information and printables for kid crafts
* Allow your children access to toys that they can play with safely and independently and put away all toys that they need supervision with - this gives them the opportunity to learn to play on their own for short periods of time
* Create forts, kitchens, club houses, etc. with household furniture, large boxes, empty (and clean) food containers and pots and pans
* Put on music for a dance party (my kids do this almost every day)
* Plan outings to local museums, children's play centers, nature centers, the zoo or animal reserve; do outings with friends who have children too
* Start a regular playgroup with friends/neighbors or join a local playgroup - there are local mother's groups all over the country and most can be searched for on the internet
* Enroll your children in enrichment programs: music class, art class, sports programs, dance, gymnastics, etc
* Go for walks; exercise together
* Ride bikes
* Play with play-doh
* Put on puppet shows, plays, and other performances; help your children act out their favorite books
* Include your children in everyday activities like, cooking meals, doing laundry, cleaning, yard work, taking care of pets, etc - most little children love to help mom and dad and for older children, these are good ways to earn an allowance or (gasp) TV time
* Teach your kids how to play with their toys - if they've been watching TV all this time or are still very young, then they may not have the creativity or understanding of how to play with their toys and may need you to model how to play; then they'll start doing it on their own without you, thus allowing you to do get stuff done (except this time their not watching TV while you're trying to get things done). Kids will become frustrated with or ignore toys that they do not know how to play with - it doesn't mean they won't ever like the toy, it just means they need a little help to get started
- teach them how to play with: dolls, dressup clothes, trucks, kitchen, tea party, puzzles, blocks, Legos, trains, cars, water toys, sand toys, bubbles, bikes, sports equipment, games, etc
- kids also typically need help with learning how to play with new toys or games
* Buy or make musical instruments for your kids to play with - there are ideas for making musical instruments out of things like, paper towel rolls
* Search the internet for ideas - there are hundreds of websites with the free information on activities, crafts, and projects to do with your children at any age
* Search the internet for a list of free and cheap places to take children around where you live - Macaroni Kid is a great website and has local websites for cities all over the country
* There are endless posibilities of things to do with your kids instead of watching TV, playing video games, or playing on the computer - be creative and talk to other moms to get more ideas
What to do instead of TV/video games when you need your child to behave:
First of all, teaching your child to behave in certain, especially public, situations without the use of technology to entertain them is important. It's an important social skill that they do need to learn and parents are the ones who are responsible for teaching it. There are plenty of alternatives for helping your child behave in public and with consistency and good modeling from parents, children will learn to have good manners and to behave appropriately. Try using interactive activities that keep them engaged longer:
* Books: books with flaps, music, pop-ups, textures for younger children; age appropriate books for children who can read; coloring books, sticker books, work books, puzzle/maze/word game books for kids old enough to use them
* Magna-doodle, paper and crayons
* Magnetic games (travel-size/car game), so that you don't lose pieces
* Play with stuffed animals, dolls, cars, plastic animals, and other small toys (when kids learn how to use their imagination, they can play for long periods of time with these types of toys)
* Puzzle type games for older kids to solve - either word games or manipulative games (like rubix cube)
* Use behavior incentive strategies to help your children earn rewards for good behavior and remind them of this when they are out in public - teach them how to practice good behavior by modeling it for them first!
* Paper and crayons
* Give them jobs to do to keep them busy (i.e. carry the bag, help you get groceries, reorganize your wallet (a good job for an older girl), pass out napkins at dinner, etc. - be creative
What to do instead of TV/video games in the car:
* Listen to music: kids music, classical music, introduce them to your favorite (appropriate) music
* Listen to kids books on CD (books on CD can be bought for cheap on Amazon or you can also download audio books from itunes)
* Play I Spy or Car Bingo
* Have a stash of toys, coloring books, books, magna-doodles, etc. in the car for the kids to play with
* Talk to your kids or sing songs
* For older kids, make sure they bring along the current book they're reading; have puzzle books, workbooks, and car games in the car to keep them busy
* Check out Walmart and Target for magnetic travel size games and puzzles to play in the car
* Go online and search "games to play in the car" to find lots of other ideas
What to do instead of watching TV at meal times:
Turn the TV off when you're eating!!! There is research to support that eating meals as a family, without the TV on, can have huge benefits! It brings family members closer and nurtures positive relationships; it's a time to talk to each other and show your children you care about them; it's a good time to model manners and problem solve with your children; it can expand your children's food likes; it can decrease negative behaviors in children (drug use, smoking, and sexual behavior); it can improve your children's academic success; it saves money.
Also, there is a correlation between eating with the TV on and childhood obesity. Kids (and adults for that matter) tend to eat more while they are watching TV. If you have a child who is a picky eater or has other feeding problems, do not use the TV as a way to distract the child to get him or her to eat - contact your child's pediatrician and get a referral to an occupational therapist or speech therapist for a feeding consultation. It is better to have the help of a professional to work out these feeding issues as early as possible.
If you must....
If you're reluctant to totally get rid of the video games, hand held video games, and television that's fine - just make good decisions about it.
* Remember that the AAP recommends no more than 2 hours a day of combined technologies - that means the TOTAL hours of all TV, movies, video games, and computer time combined - for children over the age of 2. So set your time limits accordingly to stay within 2 hours. The brain actually shuts down and goes from an active mode to a passive mode after 20 minutes of watching TV, so it's a good idea to limit technology exposure to only 20 minutes at a time.
* Choose wisely.
- If you're going to have a video game console at home, then buy a Wii and buy Wii Fit accessories and games or buy other games that involve a lot of movement. Stay away from games with violence or sedentary games.
- Pay attention to age level recommendations and warnings for games.
- If you're going to give your children hand held video game devices, then look for educational ones, like Leap Frog or Leapster, and continue to impose your limits on using them.
- When deciding which TV programs and movies your children are going to watch, check out the programs first. Watch an episode or two without the kids, look up information and reviews on the internet, talk to other parents, check out the recommended age for viewing or warnings, etc. It is important to make sure that the content of the programs they are viewing are consistent with the morals, values, and information that you feel are important for them to learn. Sesame Street is one of the only children shows that actually does research to ensure that its content is actually making an educational impact on children.
Avoid shows and movies with violence and sexual content, even for older children, especially until they are of an age where they have the cognitive skills to distinguish fiction from reality and right from wrong. It is ok to restrict your children and adolescents from watching TV programs and movies that you feel are unsuitable, even if your kids' friends are watching them; really, it is! My sister and I were not allowed to watch The Simpsons or MTV when we were growing up and we survived; we were not shunned by friends because we didn't watch these shows and I don't remember feeling an emptiness in my childhood because I missed out on Simpson episodes. As an adult I can appreciate why my parents chose to impose those restrictions and am thankful that they cared that much about protecting our innocense.
* If you're going to give your children your iphone to play apps on, choose age appropriate, educational games or childrens books on itunes and continue to limit the amount of time they spend playing on it to around 10 minutes. However, unless you have an insurance plan on your phone that covers accidents and damages, I wouldn't recommend letting a child play with your iphone.
* If you have a DVD player in the car, you don't have to use it every time you ride in the car. Try reserving it only for long car trips, so then it becomes a special treat. Even then, play only 1 show or 1 movie. The more movies you show in the car, the more the kids will come to depend on it and will kick and scream to get a movie put on. If you limit it, stay consistent with the limits, and provide the kids with other things to do in the car (besides hand held video games), then they will get used to this and not put up such a fight for the movies. I promise it can be done - we managed to drive with our 2 year old and 1 year old for 7 hours without ever putting on a movie (and we have a DVD player in our car).
* Don't expose your kids to the shows that you watch. Wait until your kids are sleeping to turn on the TV for your own entertainment. Better yet, if you have TiVo or a VCR, then record shows you usually watch during the day and wait to watch them when your children are asleep.
** I really encourage other parents (with kids of all ages) to post comments with your own ideas and experiences with cutting out technology and activities that you do with your children instead; especially parents of adolescents and teenagers!**
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