Dear Dorchester Families
This week, our Year 5 classes had a Digital Literacy PSHE lesson centred around screen time. The children discussed what rules they had around screen time at home, and the teachers commented afterwards that they could have guessed the children that had stricter rules, as, generally speaking, they are the ones who are able to concentrate better in class, appear to be better rested, show diligence towards school life and are well engaged in their learning.
Of course, this is far from accurate scientific evidence, and there will be exceptions to the generalisations above, but it illustrates a really important point about the negative impact screen time, and particularly playing games online for extended periods of time, has on children. Research has shown that excessive screen time has a detrimental impact on children's concentration, sleep patterns and overall development.
Children need to be digitally literate and benefit from using technology to support their learning, and so we recognise the need to help our children find a healthy balance between digital and non-digital activities.
Practical Strategies for Managing Screen Time
If you don't already have strategies in place, you may want to consider the following strategies to help to manage your child's screen time. If your child is old enough, it is a good idea to involve them in setting up these strategies.
- Set clear screen time limits and boundaries, ensuring that children have lots of time for physical activity, reading, and other non-digital activities.
- Establish screen-free zones and times, such as during meals or before bedtime, to promote healthy habits and quality family time.
- Use of parental controls and content filters to ensure that children are only accessing age-appropriate and educational content.
- Model healthy screen time habits by limiting your own device use in front of your children and engaging in shared, screen-free activities.
- Incorporate regular breaks and "tech-free" activities into your child's daily routine to support their cognitive development and overall well-being. Some of our Year 5 children told us that they never play board games with their families!
By promoting good habits, we can help our children develop the skills and mindset necessary to navigate the digital world responsibly and maintain a balanced lifestyle.
If you are after some ideas to get children off their screens this half term, there are some free activities in London here and there are plenty of other ideas for screen free play online.
Thank you for all your support this half term. We wish you a happy, healthy (and partly screen-free) break. We look forward to seeing the children back in school on Monday 4th November.
Cathy Bell
Headteacher
.jpg)
