Tag Archives: elementary

Screen time guidelines for elementary school aged children

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It’s an interesting time to have an elementary school aged child, isn’t it? You watch them grow and change so quickly, and it is sometimes difficult (for you and your child) to navigate all those changes. What’s the right diet? Are they getting enough exercise? How much sleep do they need?

One question that you may not have expected to have to answer is: What is the appropriate amount of screen time for my child?

Screens are everywhere, and they are not going away. Television, gaming devices, smart phones, tablets, computers. Sometimes there are even class sessions online, and if you’re a person who uses your computer for work, you may wonder what the harm is to let your kids hang out on the computer as much as you do. It’s a great question, and experts in the pediatric field are weighing in with helpful answers.

Too much screen time for children can impede social skills, cut down on physical exercise, and even harm sleep patterns. When children are on a device, they aren’t interacting in real space with adults or peers. Spending too much time watching television or gaming keeps children from important physical activity or from being outdoors in the fresh air. Watching a screen near bedtime has been shown to negatively affect sleep quality.

So, just what is the appropriate amount of time on a screen? How do you monitor use? The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry gives some guidelines, such as:

  • the whole family (including adults!) shutting off screens and phones during activities and at meals;
  • remove screens from bedrooms at least 30 minutes before bedtime;
  • learn how to use parental controls;
  • check phones and computers to see what your children are watching;
  • involve your child in other activities that don’t involve screens.

(You may find the entire article helpful and can read it here.)

How much time should your elementary aged child spend with screens?

Decide when is the right age for your child to receive a mobile device, and the right age for engaging in social media.

Pay attention and be involved in your children’s screen activity. Steer them away from violent images and content, and from sexual content or media that harms their self-image; steer them toward content that helps them connect with family, that is focused on learning, and that enables them to be creative.

Screens have made the modern world more accessible and more complicated for children. You can help them navigate devices and programs in healthy ways.

Back in School, Part 3: Teachers

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Every morning when you send your child to school, you are putting her into the educational, social, emotional and physical care of other adults.  This can be intimidating at times, but it doesn’t have to be.

The vast majority of teachers are in classrooms because they want to be, because they care about the students and love the material they teach, and because they want to make a difference.  They spend time in the classroom trying to instill in youngsters the love of learning.  And they spend time outside the classroom preparing lessons, grading work, and keeping the mountains of records and paperwork required by the school system.

Most of all, they want every child—your child—to be successful.  That success is far less likely without your support.

  • Speak positively about your child’s teachers.  If you hear complaints from your young student, listen with an objective mind. 
  • Establish a relationship with a teacher.  If you can volunteer at the school, wonderful.  Your schedule may not allow that, so find other ways to be in touch.
    • Stay connected.  Most teachers and classrooms have a website.  Send the teacher an e-mail when you appreciate something he’s done for your child or if you have a question.  If there’s ever a problem, you will have built a positive base for your relationship, and the problem will be easier to deal with.
    • Attend parent-teacher conferences.  These are important for everyone concerned:  student, teacher, family.  You will learn things about the classroom and how your child interacts with adults and classmates, and will come away with a much more rounded picture of the education process in that particular class.
    • Make appointments.  Don’t wait for a conference if you have questions or concerns.  Face-to-face meetings are helpful and teachers want to be available to you.  They will want to hear from you sooner rather than later.
    • Reinforce at home what’s happening in the classroom.  From spelling tests to chemistry homework, from learning how to talk out problems with fellow students to deciding what to eat for lunch, the teacher and you are on the same team.
    • Of course, if there is ever concern about inappropriate or illegal activity by a teacher or any other adult, notify the authorities immediately.

Teachers are on the front lines of helping your child develop in age-appropriate ways.  Support them, connect with them, and thank them.

© 2014, MBS Writing Services, all rights reserved

Back in School, Part 2: Homework

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If it seems that with the new school year your kids’ amount of homework has increased, that’s likely true.  Each year a new grade brings with it increasing amounts of responsibility, including homework.  Some homework can be started during the school day, but often it needs to be finished after hours.

Homework can sometimes seem overwhelming, both for your child and for the whole family.  Here are a few helpful tips.

  • Attitude.  If you treat homework as positively as possible, that will help your young student.  Doing schoolwork at home has many up sides, including letting you in on how things are going at school.  You’ll learn what your child is studying and how easy or difficult a particular subject is for him.
  • Assistance.  You shouldn’t do your child’s homework, but there are many things you can help her with.  Memorization is one of the biggest.  Make practicing for spelling and arithmetic tests fun.  Make flash cards together out of scrap paper cut into squares.  Use free online websites to get ideas or even create games around specific words or subjects.  Prepping for a social studies test about Mexico?  Make sure you understand what topics are being covered, and look at some web videos that show art, culture and travel.
  • Time.  This is the biggie, isn’t it?  You’ve been thrown from sleeping in and days by the pool, to waiting for the bus and trying to decide what to have for supper and how you’ll get everyone where they need to be when they need to be there.  Every day is crunch time.  How to schedule in homework?
    • These first few weeks are important in figuring out which subjects and days of the week will require more time.
    • Negotiate with the students in your house.  They may need a little down time to play a game and have a snack when they first get home, or they may prefer to get homework out of the way.
    • Do a back-off timetable from bedtime.  Figure out when they need to be in bed, about how much time homework will take, and work out with the students when and how they’ll get the work done.
    • If the time is overwhelming and your child is spending far too much time with homework, talk to the teacher.  This is important information for any teacher to know.
  • Space.  Find the right space where you can keep an eye on computer screens while also limiting distractions.
  • Support.  The Scott County Library has online help from 2 p.m. until midnight, a great local resource.  Many teachers and classrooms have their own website where homework assignments may be posted.  For middle and high school, get familiar with the Infinite Campus site, where you can follow grades and attendance.  There’s even an app in the Apple Store.
  • Involvement.  If you see problems developing, don’t wait.  Talk to your child’s teacher right away.  Usually they’ll have good ideas for helping your youngster’s academic progress at home.  If you worry that there may be a medical problem or learning disability, contact our office for an appointment.

Homework is an essential tool in learning, both now and in developing the right skills for a lifetime.  With your help and encouragement, the students in your family can do well.

 

© 2014, MBS Writing Services, all rights reserved