6 reasons why children need some downtime

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – It’s Parenting Connection Tuesday and 6 News is here for you with tips, strategies, and helpful reminders from child development experts on how we can be better parents and guardians.

Today’s topic: 6 reasons why children need some downtime.

Kids of all ages are very busy this time of year. Not only is school back underway, but the number of extracurricular activities is also ramping up, and too much may be bad. Many parents think that signing up their kids to participate in numerous after-school activities is good for them, and to a certain extent, it is… but child development experts say, too much can backfire.

Research has shown that children who spend a lot of non-school time with structured activities have greater planning, creativity, and decision-making challenges. In addition, with a packed schedule, there’s limited personal or private time to play, read, or do whatever the child wants to do. So, here are 6 reasons why children need downtime:

• Downtime allows children to play and be creative
• Downtime helps children relax and recharge
• Downtime allows kids to pursue their interests, not just activities mom and dad want
• Doctors say when kids aren’t overbooked, they improve at school because it helps eliminate stress
• Downtime can improve sleep because they’re not attempting to finish homework late at night due to an overloaded schedule
• Not being overscheduled means, more time to spend with friends and family

Now, with all that being said — it’s about balance because too much downtime isn’t good either. Kids with nothing to do then gravitate to screens and doctors say, they may struggle with disorganization, procrastination, and difficulty adhering to deadlines.

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