Obviously we all want the best for our children and as a school community our focus is very much about what can we do to support and nurture our children.
A recent study published by The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health confirmed what many of suspect but what was surprising was just how conclusive the results where.
According to the guidelines, children in the 8-11 years age group should not spend more than two hours in front of a screen, should get somewhere between 9 to 11 hours of sleep and should get at least an hour of physical activity a day.
Does your child get 9 to 11 hours sleep?
Does your child spend less than 2 hours a day on a device?
Does your child get at least an hour of physical activity a day?
If you answered yes to all of the above questions you (more to the point, your child) is meeting the recommended guidelines. Guidelines, when met, ensure your child continues to improve their memory, attention and language skills.
If you answered no to 1 or more of the questions above, you (more to the point, your child) are significantly reducing your their ability to learn.
The study focused on 4500 children, within this age group, and found that only 5% answered yes to all the above questions. That is 95% who said no to at least one of the above questions. I suspect, as a school community, we would have a much higher response of “yes”. However I do fear the amount of “no’s”, if we were truly being honest, is higher than it should be.
The data is clear, if our children do not get enough sleep, spend too much time in front of a device, and don’t exercise for at least an hour a day, they will not function cognitively anywhere near their potential. Their ability to learn is severely compromised.
This is more than just about learning too, it is about leading a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
There is a culture in Hong Kong of children being involved in so many after school events such as tutoring, extra curricular activities etc but the clearest data we have, on supporting our children to develop and grow, could be as simple as ensuring we can answer yes to the above questions.