There’s been loads in the news about screen time lately – with other countries taking a lead on laws and guidelines. How much is too much. What it’s doing to attention spans. I find it can all be a bit overwhelming (with a 4 year old daughter ready to take on the world of primary school!!).
We’re not anti-screen. That would be unrealistic. Screens are part of life. They help with homework. They keep families connected. And if we’re honest, sometimes they buy you ten quiet minutes when you really need them.
But what we see every afternoon at wrap-around care is actually pretty reassuring.
When children have space, other children around them and a bit of freedom, they don’t ask for screens. They just get on with things.
They build random creations out of whatever’s nearby. They invent games with rules that change every five minutes. They sit and draw without being told to. They organise football matches that feel very serious. They talk properly. About school, about friendships, about completely random things.
No one’s making a point about it. No one’s standing there saying “look how screen free we are.” It just happens because the environment allows it to.
After a full day of being directed at school, most children don’t need more input. They need to move. To chat. To feel a bit of ownership over their time. That’s what we try to give them.
By the time they head home they’re usually a bit flushed, occasionally covered in glue or mud, and almost always with something to tell you about.
Nothing dramatic. Just children being children : )
