As a parent, it is easy for me to look at the 2-1 of the 5-2-1-0 Campaign and think, “That is not possible”. The 2 stands for 2 hours or less of screen time per day and the 1 stands for 1 hour or more of physical activity per day. However, the more I think about it, I know that this goal is possible for us.

We have just come out of a long winter and I am pretty sure that there were days when my children were watching TV or playing on the tablet for more than 2 hours and they were not physically active for an hour. However, as the weather has warmed up and as I have watched my children enjoy spring, I am realizing that we can meet this goal now, and that we have likely been meeting this goal in the past. It turns out that my children want to be active. Lately when they get home from school they ask to play outside instead of play a game on the tablet. This does mean that I need to set my things aside and go outside also because my youngest is not old enough to go out on his own yet, but this is ok because I need the fresh air and physical activity too. It is so fun to watch them run around, climb, and explore our neighborhood.

As the weather warms up, I hope that, little by little, our screen time will go down and our active time will go up. We probably will not be perfect on this goal, but I am looking forward to summer walks, bike rides, and trips to the park. Will you work on this goal with me to encourage all of our children (and ourselves) to be more active?

For some great ideas on reducing screen time and increasing active time, check out this section of the 5-2-1-0 Campaign website.