Blue Umbrella Official Blue Umbrella Summer Issue | Página 19

In Liraz Margalit?s article, What Screen Time Can Really Do to Kids? Brains, she quotes Dr. Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of Britain?s Royal Society of Medicine. According to Sigman, ?Screen time is the very thing impeding the development of the abilities that parents are so eager to foster through the tablet. The ability to focus, to concentrate, to lend attention, to sense other people?s attitudes and communicate with them, to build a large vocabulary---all those abilities are harmed.? According to Liraz Margalit, kids in America spend seven hours a day on electronics! How much time do you spend on electronics each day? A great substitute for that time you would usually be spending on electronics is reading. Some great series are TJ and the Time Stumblers by Bill Myers, Robot Wars by Sigmund Brouwer, along with The Knights of Arrethrae and The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black. * 4. Encourage ot her people t hrough random act s of kindness Doing something that you do not get paid for or even given something as a payment for is a great way to make someone smile. You can rake someone?s yard, make fun gifts and anonymously give them to people, or simply volunteer at a local center or at your church. The best part of it all is making someone smile! Earn the smile and that will be the greatest payment ever! 5. Spend t ime wit h family Spending time with family by playing games and just being silly will make your summer even better. You can play any game that is enjoyed by the entire family and simply laugh! Goofing off and laughing with family is my favorite of all these ways to have a better summer. You can play board games, card games, outdoor games, or anything that brings laughter to your family! With the first letter of each sentence, these five ideas for a better summer spell the word BLUES. So, beat the summer blues with BLUES! No more sitting on the couch driving your parents nuts saying, ?I?m bored!? Have a great summer and remember the BLUES!