And sometimes, we don’t give their impact much thought.  TV, the Internet, videogames, music…all play significant roles in how we spend our time.  To set kids up for school success, make sure this media time is well spent.  Create smart media rules for your kids, so they can use digital tools for creativity, connecting with friends and family, to learn about their world, and yes, to have fun and relax.

Smart media rules keep your child in control and keep media use in balance.  As school ramps up, our busy lives just get busier.  Without smart media rules, our kids may not be getting the benefits of media they need.  Our Back to School Tune Up Guide will help you, the parent, make sure that your child is ready to learn and jumps off to a successful start at school.

What are your top 3 smart media rules?

-Dr. Dave

National Institute on Media and the Family

How much sleep do children need? There are individual differences, but here are the recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation:

1. Toddlers: 12-14 hours
2. Preschoolers: 11-13 hours
3. School-age (1st through 5th grades): 10-11 hours
4. Preteens: a little over 9 hours
5. Teenagers: 8 to 9.5 hours of sleep

Not getting enough sleep can actually interfere with the brain’s ability to understand what’s being said. Like a series of dominoes, a child’s capacity to learn and cope decreases. How a child is able to participate and perform in a classroom is directly dependent on how much sleep he or she got the night before. Even an hour less of optimal sleep has a negative impact.

What is a major sleep thief for kids? Besides caffeinated drinks, it turns out that electronics in the bedroom, from cell phones to computers and TVs are major sleep robbers. A child who is hyped up with an increase of adrenaline from a video game or TV program will have a hard time calming down and falling asleep. Talking on a cell phone actually increases alpha waves in the brain which are not conducive to going to sleep.

What’s the ticket to a good night’s sleep? Establish a consistent bedtime routine. Make bedtime relaxing. Avoid hard exercise, caffeinated drinks and a big meal right before bedtime. And most of all keep electronics out of the bedroom. What bedtime routines work for your child?

See our Back to School Guide for more tips to get into the school spirit!

-Dr. Dave

National Institute on Media and the Family

“My 12-year-old REALLY wanted to go school shopping last night, new shoes, sweatpants and school supplies. I REALLY did not want to go shopping after a long day at work, finally coming home, etc. So we were sitting on the couch and he showed me on the laptop the shoes he was interested in … then he called a shoe store and they didn’t carry those, even though their online store did. So it turned out that we ordered his shoes online, searched and found a 20% off coupon which more than covered the shipping. Then we went to staples.com and bought his school supplies. I missed touching all the paper products, for sure, but it was so simple and sane. We could compare prices, we didn’t impulse buy because we weren’t tempted like we are in a store — we got just what we planned on getting and had a nice time together doing it.

• We saved money. I taught him how to look for coupons and price compare.
• We didn’t run around, stress out.
• We still kept it a “sharing” thing — I didn’t just do it, he was checking things off his list, choosing colors.
• We didn’t buy things we didn’t need.

Another colleague added a further “sanity saver.”  Along this line is a website called shopittome.com and the technology from RSSCheck. You tell them the things you are looking for, i.e. deals,  and that is what pops up.”

These moms know how to use technology to teach their kids “smart shopping” as well as save their sanity in these busy days.

-Dr. Dave

National Institute on Media and the Family