susan masie & associates
Health & Family
The newsletter about your child’s health and caring for the whole family.
How to Create a
Family Media Use Plan
From TV to smartphones to social media, our lives are dominated by 24/7 media exposure.
Despite this, many children and teens have few rules around their media use.
While media consumption by itself is not the leading cause of any health problem in the
U.S., it can contribute to numerous health risks, say experts. At the same time, kids can
learn many positive things from “prosocial” media. The key is to teach children to make
healthy media choices.
(continued on inside)
In this issue:
Creating a Family
Media Plan
www.pediatrictherapies.com
Outdoor Winter Fun
Success Stories
Pediatric Therapies gets
results!
Busy Bag Activities
Tips for Parents on Making a Family Media Use Plan:
• Make a media use plan for your family. Take into account not only the quantity,
but the quality and location of media use. Consider TVs, phones, tablets and
computers. The rules should be written down and agreed upon by all family
members.
• Screens should be kept out of kids’ bedrooms. Put in place a “media curfew”
at mealtime and bedtime, putting all devices away or plugging them into a
charging station for the night.
• Excessive media use has been associated with obesity, lack of sleep, school
problems, aggression and other behavior issues. Limit entertainment screen
time to less than one or two hours per day.
• For children under 2, substitute unstructured play and human interaction for
screen time. The opportunity to think creatively, problem solve and develop
reasoning and motor skills is more valuable for the developing brain than
passive media intake.
• Take an active role in your children’s media education by co-viewing programs
with them and discussing values.
• Look for media choices that are educational, or teach good values -- such
as empathy, racial and ethnic tolerance. Choose programming that models
good interpersonal skills for children to emulate.
• Be ﬁrm about not viewing content that is not age appropriate: sex, drugs,
violence, etc. Movie and TV ratings exist for a reason, and online movie
reviews also can help parents to stick to their rules.
• The Internet can be a wonderful place for learning. But it also is a place
where kids can run into trouble. Keep the computer in a public part of your
home, so you can check on what your kids are doing online and how much
time they are spending there.
• Discuss with your children that every place they go on the Internet may be
“remembered,” and comments they make will stay there indeﬁnitely. Impress
upon them that they are leaving behind a “digital footprint.” They should not
take actions online that they would not want to be on the record for a very
long time.
• Become familiar with popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram. You may consider having your own proﬁle on the social media
sites your children use. By “friending” your kids, you can monitor their online
presence. Pre-teens should not have accounts on social media sites. If you
have young children, you can create accounts on sites that are designed
speciﬁcally for kids their age.
• Talk to them about being good “digital citizens,” and discuss the serious
consequences of online bullying. If your child is the victim of cyberbullying, it is
important to take action with the other parents and the school if appropriate.
Attend to children’s and teens’ mental health needs promptly if they are being
bullied online, and consider separating them from the social media platforms
where bullying occurs.
• Make sure kids of all ages know that it is not appropriate or smart to send or
receive pictures of people without clothing, or sexy text messages, no matter
whether they are texting friends or strangers.
• Check out a sample “Media Time Family Pledge” for online media use.
• If you’re unsure of the quality of the “media diet” in your household, consult
with your children’s pediatrician on what your kids are viewing, how much
time they are spending with media, and privacy and safety issues associated
with social media and Internet use.
Busy Book
THE BIGGEST SNOWMAN EVER
By Steven Kroll
Success Stories
Kaitlyn’s balance and motion keeps improving!
“We have seen a huge improvement in Kaitlyn’s physical skills since coming to Pediatric
Therapies. Kaitlyn’s balance has improved and continues to improve. Her range of motion
has improved. Kaitlyn can perform more gross motor skills than before. She can now stand
on one foot, toss a ball to hit a target, and can do more physical activities without injury.
Thank you for all you do!” - Angela S.
My son made progress in all three therapies!
Jack has made wonderful progress in all three therapies! I love that communication for
him is getting stronger with each therapy. During food therapy he ate a small amount of a
sandwich all on his own and tried hummus for the first time! And he’s tolerating having his
feet in both paint and rice during OT. I’m so grateful for the incredible therapists who work
with Jack and show so much love and kindness for him and truly care about his well being.
Happy mom!!” - Caroline D.
FREE Pediatric Consultation
Evaluate your child’s development and prevent
future struggles today!
Call us today at (615) 377-1623
1880 General George Patton Dr., Suite 202B, Franklin, TN 37067
Fax: (615) 377-1625
If you have questions about your child’s development, call us at (615) 377-1623
or visit www.pediatrictherapies.com for more information.
B u s y B a g Activities
Tissue Paper Snowman
WHAT YOU NEED:
White Tissue Paper, Pencil, Scissors, Glue, White Construction Paper, Orange Construction
Paper, 2 Black Pom Poms, Googly Eyes.
Step 1:
Take the white tissue paper and cut out numerous squares. These squares should be
approximately 1 inch by 1 inch, but they do not have to be exact or all the same. A little
variety will give some texture.
Step 2:
Cut a snowman shape out of the white paper. If you want it to be more sturdy you can make
it out of Bristol board. We made our snowman with two parts but the usual three is okay too.
Step 3:
Take one square of tissue paper and wrap it around the flat end of your pencil, or in our
case pencil crayon. Put some glue on a scrap of paper. Lightly dip the end of the pencil
into the glue. Then press this piece of tissue paper onto your snowman. You will want to
start at one edge.
Step 4:
Repeat this process until your entire snowman is covered. This is the time consuming
part of the project.
Step 5:
Cut out an orange shaped carrot for your snowman’s nose. Place a strip of glue on the
longer end of the nose and place it in the center of your snowman’s face. Bend the tip up
slightly to give a bit of a 3D effect.
Step 6:
Glue your two googly eyes above your nose.
Step 7:
Glue your two pom pom’s on your snowman’s body. These are his buttons.
We are all done! And, there is no worry about him melting away! Keep him
all year long.
Outdoor Winter Fun
WINTER IS HERE!
But, if you’re like me, you almost start wishing for warm weather
and sandy beaches before the cold fully settles in. While we, as
adults, tend to hunker down inside when it gets cold, our kids
don’t stop craving the outdoors. Their need for exercise and
opportunities to release all that energy don’t change with the
temperature. And you can be sure they will tolerate the winter
elements much better than we grown-ups and should therefore
be encouraged to get outside. If your child is one that likes to
hunker down in the house regardless of the weather, winter may
be the perfect time to get them exploring the great outdoors.
BE PREPARED FOR THE COLD
Think layers! Jeans, a jacket and sneakers just won’t cut it if
you want your child to have fun in the cold. Thermal leggings,
snow pants if it’s wet out and a couple of layers under a jacket
mean warmth in winter. Boots, hats and gloves are also a must.
Making sure your child comes in to warm up every now and
then and changes if clothes get wet will also keep them happy
and playing outdoors. Plenty of hot soup and hot chocolate
on the stove makes going outside in the cold almost worth
it in themselves!
WINTER WEATHER FUN
Here are some fun ideas for cold winter fun!
1. Go ice-skating – indoors or out.
2. Take in a hockey game – indoors or out.
3. Go on a winter photo expedition and take pictures of things
you would only see in winter. You don’t need a fancy camera.
A cell phone will do. Download the pictures and make a
winter album.
4. Go on a winter picnic. Bundle up in your layers, grab the
blankets and take along lots of yummy, hot food – i.e. soup
and hot chocolate in thermoses, grilled cheese sandwiches,
hot cinnamon rolls.
5. Pitch a tent in the backyard for some real or pretend
camping fun.
6. Build a winter bonﬁre and have s’mores and hot cider.
7. Set up birdfeeders and feed the birds. Make your own bird
feeder with a pinecone, peanut butter and birdseed.
8. Go downtown and explore the city and all the winter lights
and festivities.
9. Set up obstacle courses in the yard using chairs, boxes,
blankets, balls and whatever else you can ﬁnd in the garage.
10. When it snows, make snow paint. Add food coloring or
very watery paint to water in a spray bottle and go out and
paint the yard.
11. Depending on your child’s age, have fun in an outdoor hot tub.
12. Bundle up under some blankets, grab your hot chocolate
and read a book with your child on the porch.
13. Make an icy suncatcher by ﬁlling a pie tin with water.
Add leaves, acorns, birdseed, pine needles, other nature
items and a piece of rope or wire for hanging. Leave it
outside in the freezing temperatures until frozen. Remove
by submerging bottom of tin in warm water and hang from
a tree to enjoy until it melts.
14. Build a winter lemonade stand.
15. Make Snow Cream. This yummy, frosty treat can be made
by mixing a gallon of snow, a cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon
of vanilla and just enough milk until you reach the desired
consistency.
16. Build a fort in the backyard using boxes, blankets,
tablecloths and whatever else you have just gathering dust.
So don’t shy away from the cold. Bundle up and show your kids
how they (and you) can still enjoy being outside this winter!
If your child needs therapy this winter, brave the cold with them and
come see us today! To schedule an evaluation call (615) 377-1623.
susan masie & associates
1880 General George Patton Dr.
Suite 202B
Franklin TN 37067
Fax: (615) 377-1625
LIKE US ON
FACEBOOK
Call us today at
(615) 377-1623
www.pediatrictherapies.com
Are you teaching
your kids to make
healthy media
choices?