Screen time recommendations for kids are a hot topic for parents. Parents face ridicule, guilt and pressure from family members all related to the role that screen time plays in their child’s development. Let’s face it–there are many demands on our time and our children’s time. For us, it’s work, chores, and daily care of our kids. For our children, it’s school, playtime, sports, and screen time all vying for their attention.
With all these competing demands, it’s difficult to manage sleep, movement and screen time guidelines for our kids. The screen time chart based on guidelines from the World Health Organization helps parents get a full picture of how all these guidelines fit together. As parents know, how children spend their time sleeping, moving, and using screens are all related. A tired kid is more likely to gravitate toward a screen than go outside to play. Similarly, an active child is more likely to sleep better.
Related reading: Self-Regulation in Toddlers: Why Language Matters More for Boys
Finally, an organization has combined all the guidelines together into one comprehensive guide for parents. This screen time recommendations chart offers recommendations for what a healthy screen usage looks like for a child under the age of 5.
Related reading: Research Reveals the Real Reason You Lost Your Temper with Your Toddler
Personally, I was excited to see such a comprehensive guide. Before this, all the guidelines were separate and not related to one another. Now, with one look, parents can see how all these recommendations relate.
How a Screen Time Chart Helps Parents
This type of guide is not meant to make parents feel guilty, but rather to help us all understand the needs of our kids. Most of us instinctively know when our kids get too little sleep, just based on their grumpy behavior, but keeping these guidelines in mind can still help. There are always days when these plans go array, but understanding what type of routine help meets kids’ needs best is always helpful. One of the authors described it this way,
“There’s no need to fret over these exceptions, Tremblay says. But what we do need to do is think more fully and clearly about everything in our children’s lives that make up a healthy day. That’s what the new guidelines are there for.”
I was so excited about this that I made a helpful PRINTABLE screen time chart that parents can post on their fridge to remind ourselves of these guidelines. It might even help our kids to see it too!
Grab your helpful guide by clicking below:
More resources for limiting screen time and keeping kids active:
Hands-On Activities for Toddlers
Perfect for Pinning:
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