Why should parents implement downtime in their child’s afternoon? Because research states they need it for their mental health and time to process new information.
Parents, looking for New Year’s resolutions for your child? Perhaps ask them to lay off the social media apps? Or suggest they get involved in an after school activity? How about they actually complete their chore after the first time you ask them to do it?! While all of these may lower your blood pressure and potentially be good for your child, may we suggest a simple resolution that is ironically difficult to pull off? Have them resolve to do nothing.
That’s right… have them arrive home from school and do nothing! There is power in downtime, and research backs this up.
Why children should have downtime
First, what exactly is downtime? It is defined as a period of time for a person to relax, decompress, and recharge. There is neither a goal nor adult directed supervision or direction.
Kids are under more pressure than ever. Between the rigorous requirements at school, managing the drama and intricacies of social life, and any extracurricular activities that they may participate in, the need for downtime is critical. Throw in shortened recess, increased homework (by well-meaning teachers), and schools still trying to make up for learning loss from the pandemic, and one can see the desire for a child to come home and just want to do nothing.
Because of all these assorted pressures, depression and anxiety continue to be concerns with children. According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 20% of children and young people ages 3-17 in the United States have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder. What is driving these sad statistics? Many things, including: academic pressures, social concerns, body image, family issues, and future plans.
How do parents combat this? One tool to place in your parental toolbox ought to be demanding nothing. Or rather requiring your child to do nothing, for a period of time after school.
Breaks from structured activities reduce stress and recharge cognitive abilities. Paradoxically, it can increase productivity. According to Henry Ford Health, downtime boosts learning by providing time to process, consolidate and store information. Kids are bombarded with new information every day. They need time to process and catalog all this data.
Additionally, unstructured play allows kids to develop their imaginations and creativity. “Studies show kids that have regular downtime are more creative, focused, energized, independent, can self-soothe and solve problems in innovative ways,” according to Dr. Hlavaty from Akron Children’s Hospital. What parent doesn’t want that for their child?
This does not mean there is no homework time or chores responsibility. It simply means built into your child’s after school routine is time for unwinding and decompression.
Suggestions for implementing downtime
Hopefully, you are convinced your child needs some downtime when they arrive home in the afternoon from school. What could that look like? Akron Children’s Hospital suggests 20 minutes of downtime for elementary age kids, 30 minutes for middle school, and up to an hour for high school students. Of course you know your child best and what they can reasonably handle, so treat these times as gentle suggestions.
Downtime suggestions include:
- Going outside and playing in the yard or nearby park
- Playing with blocks or Legos
- Creating with Play Dough
- Completing a jigsaw puzzle
- Coloring or drawing
- Journaling – Gratitude- The Life Blog has some great writing prompts
- Enjoying music
- Chatting with family members
Please notice none of these suggestions include doom-scrolling through social media apps. That is certainly not downtime! While the above list is not exhaustive, the idea is simply to disconnect and recharge. Remember: According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, kids ages 8-12 spend 4-6 hours per day on devices. Teens can spend up to 9 hours per day! Kids need time away from screens, even if they are just playing a fun video game.
Final thoughts
New Year’s resolutions are notoriously challenging to keep. So this year we suggest you challenge your child to resolve to do nothing when they arrive home from school. Research backs up the concept of allowing your child to simply sit for a period of time, with no goal other than to relax and recharge. This provides the time for new concepts to be reflected on and filed away in the correct drawer in their brain. Paradoxically it will make your child more productive!
If your child struggles with after school routines or you are having a difficult time implementing this critical concept of downtime in your child’s schedule, please contact Jennifer Disch at Engage the Brain to discover how an Executive Functions coach could help you and your child develop time management and prioritizing skills that will ensure downtime becomes a daily part of your child’s afternoon schedule.