Studies say kids should have a maximum screen time (not including school) of one hour a day. When kids are on social media, video games, tablets, movies, phones, etc. for more than one hour a day, our brain starts to change. Below are the effects of technology on the brain along with ways to encourage your children to reduce screen time.
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Studies show that excessive screen time (more than 1 hour for kids) increases anxiety, depression, anger, moodiness, irritability, focus, creativity, healthy relationships, and our natural melatonin levels in our body (for sleep). Here are 101 activities you can fill your time to help you reduce some screen time.
Sleep stories and meditations are a great way to help get a better sleep. Here are some apps and different links to try if you or your child is struggling to get to sleep, waking up often, having nightmares, or struggling with sleep in any way:
Anxiety is a feeling that we feel when our amygdala (safety brain) takes control of our prefrontal cortex (smart brain) making us feel like we are in danger. When this happens, our body can have a physical response. This can result in a stomachache, feeling like you might throw up, a headache, feeling shaky or nauseous, a faster heartbeat, crying, being irritated, etc. As a school counselor, I see many children dealing with anxiety, and often they get confused thinking they are sick. Here are some tips to help your child manage their anxiety, and understand it better:
We can teach children to use healthy coping tools to use when they are feeling angry, worried, sad, or upset in any way. It is good to practice these coping tools, even when we aren’t feeling upset, so they can be reinforced in our brains. There are many other coping tools in the mindfulness section of this blog, but here are a few that I have taught the kids in school:
Here is a 30 minute video explaining some tips to manage emotions for you and your child. This is the same class that I gave during parent teacher conferences. It explains what's happening in the brain when we have strong emotions, tips for parents, and techniques to manage emotions. I hope this can be helpful for you and your families!
https://uetn-org.zoom.us/rec/share/rCotpSv0sfte_zBkpQ--jN1lFMA6At3hjMMzUp3vJeRnvgFI4z5Id064GG_9w_a2.9bRdo-vdQJQUiKRd?startTime=1604675884000 Passcode: c5.vGnbd Everyone feels anxiety. Here is a 15 minute video explaining what anxiety is, what is happening in our brain and body when we feel anxiety, and some simple tips to help conquer it, whether you're a kid or an adult. This video can also be applied to other emotions like anger or sadness. When you talk with kids about anxiety, or any other unwanted emotion you can use the same language and names as the video. Ex: "Is your safety brain or your smart brain in control right now?," "What is something you can do right now to get your smart brain back in control?" Let's work to get our smart brains in control and conquer anxiety!
Mindfulness can help with depression, anxiety, anger, building relationships, and more! This Mindfulness Toolkit comes from the free app Smiling Mind. You can use the toolkit and the app with your families or in your classrooms! For more help and resources, visit the Smiling Mind website: https://www.smilingmind.com.au/at-home.
Here are some fun mindfulness exercises for kids to help with stress, anxiety, depression, anger, and any other emotions!
I often use these workbooks in the office with kids, but they are also great tool for parents! They have many tips to help with specific topics. There are a wide variety of subjects to choose from. There are many workbooks out there, and you can find others that you like, but these are the ones I prefer the most:
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