Educationists seek more creative ways to engage children

Educationists have encouraged parents to deploy physical activities as a creative way of engaging children to achieve good health and prevent sedentary lifestyle.

Dolapo Fatoki, head of school at Greensprings School, Ikoyi Campus, stated this against the backdrop of the long term negative impact of uncontrolled screen time on children.

Fatoki observes that screen time has become an inescapable reality of modern childhood, with children of every age spending long hours in front of screens, from televisions to computers, tablets and smartphones etc.

She further says that although spending time in front of screens can sometimes be for positive use, as children are able to access various educational apps that help stimulate their brains, she however, noted that if not controlled, it will impact negatively on children in the future.

According to her, “The period between birth and age three, in medical terms is called the critical period because the changes that happen in the brain during these tender years become the permanent foundation upon which all later brain function is built.

“The human brain within this period develops very quickly and is particularly sensitive to the environment around it”.

Research shows that children who consistently spend more than four hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight while those who view violent acts on TV are more likely to show aggressive behaviour.

Magdalene Okrikri, principal Greensprings Secondary School, who noted that it may be difficult to totally stop children from spending time on screens in this digital era, said that there must be some form of parental control on these devices and more importantly adult supervision.

To her, it is important for parents to keep tabs on their children’s screen time and set limits to ensure they are not spending too much time in front of a screen.

She opines that studies show children with extended exposure to electronic media suffer delayed cognitive development.

According to developmental psychopathology expert, Lynne Murray, of the University of Reading, “There are well-established literatures showing the adverse effects of prolonged screen time on the cognitive development of children under three years of age. This has therefore led to the recommendation by the US Pediatric Association that there should be no screen time for children before the age of three.