School’s out, summer is in session, and it’s a time when parents should put screen time into the background.
Screen time jumps by 30 per cent after class is out, but the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends a maximum of two to three hours per day for kids over five, and only an hour for those five and under.
The Canadian Psychological Association reports that excessive use of digital technology is associated with problems: delayed reading skills, reduced emotional self regulation, social skills deficits, and poor motor development. Too much screen time at bedtime results in poor sleeps.
Of course, one of the biggest problems with screens is that they replace other activities that children need for healthy growth and development – like exercise, reading, socializing, and imaginative play.
There’s so much more that parents in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows can do.
You can sit down with your children and make a bucket list for the summer, and then finish it. Maybe you want to hit every water park in Maple Ridge – there are five parks and another six parks with water play features.
Go to Hammond Pool free of charge.
The updated Maple Ridge Park has its treehouse, zip lines, trampolines, and more. Nearby is WildPlay for a more challenging outdoor adventure. The dikes of Pitt Meadows are ideal for bike rides in a natural setting.
The libraries have a variety of board games, and they have a summer reading club for all ages.
The Greg Moore Youth Centre offers its Summer Fun Pass that gives kids access to a variety of drop-in activities throughout the summer, and they are available at the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre or Albion Community Centre.
The ACT Arts Centre offers a variety of arts programs, camps, live performances, and much more to discover.
The Malcolm Knapp UBC Research Forest is offering teen survival skills summer camp.
There are great community events coming up, like Country Fest on July 24, 25 and 26; the Rotary Duck Race on Aug. 9, Puppets in the Park on Aug. 15, and much more.
With screen time limits set, parents can use digital to motivate their kids to first complete their responsibilities – like household chores or even outdoor play.
Screens don’t have to be the enemy. There are apps that encourage creativity, offer early learning, explore coding or teach animation. They’re easy for parents to find and research.
But there’s so much more for children to do in the summertime.