THINKING OUT OF THE BOX (PART 2) | Richmond, BC, RPC Childcare

In my last post I talked about how the increase of use with gaming toys maybe preventing our children from developing their ability to "THINK OUT SIDE OF THE BOX" in their own lives, and how this may affect them at school, at home and with friends.


Recently I came upon this little article on the internet that stated

"According to paper published in American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), computer or television screens during playing games can have negative effect on children’s brain to the level that it can lead to depression, anxiety and poor grades."


The research studied over 3000 elementary and middle-schoolers and how they played, for over a period of 2 years. From this study they found that only 9% of the children to be pathalogical gamers and used the criteria of 31hrs as the bench mark for excessive gaming.

Here were the results:

1. Children who were socially awkward and were highly impulsive appeared to have a high risk of developing an addiction to video games.
2. Such kids tended to like violent games more.
3. There seemed to be a direct correlation to childrens playing time to the severity of depression, and anxious behaviour.
4. Lots of gaming time also translated to poorer relationships with parents and declingin performance in school.

SUGGESTIONS:

1. Decrease the amount of gaming time and increase outdoor activity
2. Encourage more play times and dates with friends
3. Establish a consistent family time where TV's are not the focal point
4. Establish a set of "discovery questions" to talk with your kids and get to know them more.
5. And don't forget to HUG THEM MORE !

***if you would like a list of "discovery questions" for your kids, please email me directly at rpcdaycare@hotmail.com (attention: Rockie)