Although it might seem that screen time is a convenient way to keep young children occupied when they get home from school/daycare, when they are sick, or just at home, what their body needs is quiet. This is the best way for them to regulate emotions that have built up during the day.

When noticing a child who’s watching a screen, outwardly they are not moving, their body is usually still and even their eyes are not moving much. However, internally their body is restless because stress hormones – like cortisol – are being released and the effects can make a young child feel dysregulated and agitated after the screen has been turned off. The transition can be really challenging for them.

Try to avoid making screen time a “treat” when your child gets home from a full day away from home or is not feeling well, there are other ways to make time at home special without electronics or screen time.

Check out these tips:

– Have a special “after school/daycare” or “get well” bins that comes out during this time. Fill it with toys and other items that are different and new. Change it up or add new items periodically so it continues to feels special.

– Connect with your child when they get home – even just 15 minutes makes a difference. Sit and have a snack together, talk about the day, or read a book together.

– When your child is on the mend, have a special tray to serve snacks and meals that you take to them. Write notes or draw pictures and pass them back and forth to each other.

10 Screen free ideas:

• Cut out magazine pictures to make a story book/ or journal with paper and glue
• Listen to an audio book/short stories
• Play animal memory game with cards
• Felt board with felt shapes and animals to stick and restick
• String beads to make necklaces and bracelets
• Use stickers to create pictures
• Make and play with finger puppets or sock puppets
• Design your own puzzle by creating and cutting a picture into shapes to put back together
• Color by numbers art
• Seek and find books

Sometimes it can be challenging to keep a child occupied without using screens, but research shows that when we rest our body and mind, we are more regulated, and the result is that our sensory system is calmed and nourished.