BEAVERTON Ore. (KPTV) – The Surgeon General’s Office has issued a new advisory calling too much screen time for kids and teens a public health concern as summer break approaches.
With no school, no homework and for most no strict schedules during summer break, the lack of structure can also be harmful for a child’s mental health.
Beaverton mom Courtnee Gish approaches her days with her daughter like a puzzle, making sure each activity fits with the overall plan.
“The day starts out with a lot of free play in the morning, spending time outside, lunch, naps,” Gish said.
With a background in early childhood education, Gish has pivoted to stay home and work as a nanny to help care for other people’s kids through nanny sharing.
“I have been a toddler teacher for the last 10 years,” Gish said.
Along with saving families money on childcare, Gish said nanny shares provide kids with another benefit during the summer months.
“I think that the main benefit is for both family’s children to get socialization without being in a large classroom setting,” Gish said.
Along with socializing, Gish said parents should make sure to keep structure in place this summer.
“It makes children feel safe with routine, you want to make sure they know what to expect, it’s easier to deal with behavioral issues,” Gish said.
Roger Tunks, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at ValueCore Mental Health, said kids can struggle going from a summertime free-for-all to structure when school starts again in the fall.
“It’s a really bumpy transition for the kids and adults and teachers,” Tunks said.
Tunks said the solution involves a healthy balance.
“Parents try to do one of two things — try to continue the exact same structure as the summer goes on, the other one is completely get rid of structure,” Tunks said.
Five tips for summer structure
Tunks offered five tips to help keep kids on track, starting first thing in the morning.
Establish a sleep schedule
“Starting with waking up. You’ll want to wake up roughly within an hour of your wakeup during the school year,” Tunks said.
The same goes for bedtime. Sleep can affect mood and hormones for growing kids.
Establish a summertime morning routine
Tunks said depending on the child, some might need more structure to their day.
“The neurodivergent, ADHD kids, those with anxiety or depression,” Tunks said.
Embrace boredom
“Boredom is great. It teaches them creativity and have imagination, have new experiences,” Tunks said.
Tunks suggested building free time into the day’s structure and establishing expectations at the beginning of summer break.
Include your child in the planning
“Let’s sit down and make a structure. And let them have some input in there,” Tunks said.
Tunks suggested letting kids socialize as much as possible and setting clear limits with screen time.
“We see a sharp increase of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues that start to stem at about more than two hours,” Tunks said.
Prioritize chores
“One of the best predictors of success for children is did they have chores as a child. It gives them structure and shows them things need to get done before they can move forward,” Tunks said.
Tunks said parents should not be afraid to ask for help, especially if a child is showing signs of depression.
“If we get to the big irritability, the yelling, those are the types of red flags, when something seems off, especially if they make comments about not wanting to be here or harming themselves,” Tunks said.
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