From guest blogger Jeremy Olson, the Strib's new children and family reporter...
Today's story on the association between video gaming and attention problems must have been interesting, because even my 9-year-old son read it start to finish.
His first reaction was instinctually defensive. "But dad, I read every day this week!"
After assuring that the story wasn't about him, we discussed how screen time can pile up when including TV and gaming and computer. We even came up with a new system, based on the examples offered by two parents in the article. For every minute he reads, he can have another minute of screen time (up to a limit).
Reader comments on the online article do reflect some of the "duh" factor to the story – that most people have already heard this warning before. But science is all about little pieces of research contributing to the bigger picture.
And I did like the timing of the study – right in midsummer when kids are in need of fresh ideas for fun. Speaking of fresh ideas, author Silvana Clark has offered a few as part of a new book, Fun-Filled Parenting: A Guide to Laughing More and Yelling Less.
Here they are. (Note: some of the book author's ideas contain Christian references, but the majority are non-religious.)
Outdoor Activities:
1. Surprise children with a morning trip to the park as soon as they wake up. After playing on the playground equipment, eat a simple breakfast at a picnic table while having devotions or reading together.
2. Invite neighborhood kids over for an old-fashioned game of Hide and Seek. (You might be surprised at how some children have never played this game.)
3. Check the paper for listings of summer concerts or activities. Attend an event new to the family.
4. Take an evening walk together. Often children open up with serious questions when there's no direct eye contact with a parent.
5. Use chalk to outline childrens' shadows on the sidewalk in the morning, noon and afternoon. Why are the shadows a different length?
6. Take an ordinary sprinkler and attach it securely to a tree or swing set so the water sprays down. A whole new way of enjoying water fun!
7. If friends come over, play an adapted version of Duck, Duck, Goose. The person who is "It" walks around the outside of the circle, saying, "Dry, dry, dry, dry….WET!!" and dumps a cup of water on the selected person.
