Did the summer months involve more free time, unstructured routines and a lot more screen time than normal? According to the Harris Interactive Poll, half of all parents witness their children watching more television, playing more video games, and surfing the web over the summer months. Bringing back the rules after summer is something every family starts to think about as students return back to school. Common Sense Media offers ideas and advice which can help make the back to school routine much simpler after the summer holidays.
- Involve all family members in establishing new back to school home routines
- Ensure there is a balance of exercise, reading, social and family time, school work and entertainment in each weekly routine
- Turn off all electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime. The stimulation to media makes it difficult to help kids settle down and impedes healthy sleep patterns
- Use the school library
- Be the media role model for your children by modeling healthy habits that you would like your kids to follow