As a mother myself having a toddler at home after a long school year my biggest concern for this summer is how to keep my son busy without having too much screen time. I understand that we as parents need some time to ourselves without distraction and it’s very easy to just give our kids any device, so they can provide us with some alone time. We don’t notice that 30 min of screen time turns into 1 or 2 hours. Just like that our children spent some time doing nothing productive when they could have been doing something better like an activity or instead maybe reading some books or participating in an outside
Some opportunities that I came across for this summer were some camps that will be available through our local YMCA. What made me choose the YMCA for my son is that they stated that “Activities may include sports and outdoor games, creative and performing arts, archery, engineering and nature exploration.” (https://ymcahouston.org/programs/childcare-and-camps/summer-camp)
He will be learning a little of everything while also having fun with other kids. In addition to this, I also have him enrolled in swimming classes. This is something fun for the summer, but it will also be good for him to learn this. Having these types of activities planned for him will keep him busy limit the use of any screen time and also benefit him to stay physically active.
I chose this topic because this is something currently that I had to experience myself. The few other mom friends that I have are not familiar with any ideas on how to keep their kids busy without screen time.
The UT Physicians (https://www.utphysicians.com/how-to-keep-kids-busy-during-summer)has really great ideas on how to keep kids busy this summer with free or low-cost activities. The importance of limiting screen time will help your children not just physically but also mentally.
