Children today experience a very different environment to the one their parents grew up in. Back in the day, Mr. Rogers knew what he was doing when he built a time into his program simply for thinking. We need to spend time every day just thinking. Just imagining.
As a parent, remember to carve out time for your child to have a quiet, slower time to stop, look, and listen. A time to be outside and observe.
For further reading see:
"Exercise, Sleep, Screens: New Guidelines for Children Under 5"
"A 'million word gap' for children who aren’t read to at home"
Photo Credit: Trilok Rangan cc