How Much Screen Time Is Too Much for Kids? (And How to Empower Learning Beyond Screens This Summer)
By Julie Diamond, OCT
For additional ways to help balance your child’s screen time, check out our blog ‘How Can Families Balance Screen Time During Spring Break?’
As educators, we know that screens are a part of our children’s lives used for learning, connecting with friends, and unwinding with a favourite show or game. But parents often ask me, “How much screen time is too much for kids?”
The answer isn’t always clear-cut, but here’s what I do know: Balance is key.
What Do Experts Say About Screen Time?
Health Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend:
Under 2 years: Avoid screen time, except for video chatting.
Ages 2–5: Limit to 1 hour per day of high-quality programming, viewed with a caregiver.
Ages 5+: Aim for consistent limits to ensure screen time does not replace sleep, physical activity, or face-to-face interactions. At our house, we try to limit screen time to 2 hours most days.
It’s best to avoid screens at least 30 minutes before sleep to help your child relax.
Excessive screen time can affect sleep quality, mood, physical activity, and attention spans. We see it in classrooms: students who spend hours on screens can be tired, less focused, and more easily frustrated.
But screens themselves aren’t the enemy. The key is making room for meaningful, active learning experiences away from screens.
Why Summer is the Perfect Time to Unplug and Learn
Summer offers a great time to empower your child to shine bright by learning something new away from screens:
🌊 Learning to swim builds confidence, safety skills, and it’s great exercise!
🚴 Riding a bike teaches perseverance, balance, and independence. Riding my bike with my friends were some of my favourite memories as a child!
🏃🏽♀️Learning how to skip rope also teaches perseverance and builds confidence especially when you master double dutch. 🙂
🍳 Cooking a meal for the family strengthens math, reading, and life skills in a joyful, meaningful way.
📚 Joining a summer book club transforms reading into a social, fun challenge, motivating reluctant readers through goal-setting.
Learning something new this summer doesn’t just fill time—it empowers your child to see themselves as capable, growing learners, building confidence that carries into the school year.
Tips to Reduce Screen Time While Keeping Kids Engaged
1️⃣ Create a summer rhythm.
Plan your day with clear “screen-free blocks” for outdoor play, chores, reading, or creative projects.
2️⃣ Replace, don’t just remove.
Swap an hour of YouTube with a backyard nature scavenger hunt, LEGO building challenge, or helping prepare lunch.
3️⃣ Empower choice.
Give your child input: “Do you want to go for a bike ride or help me bake muffins this morning?”
4️⃣ Model healthy habits.
Kids notice when we put down our phones too. Try a family “no screens during meals” policy.
5️⃣ Encourage meaningful screen use.
When using screens, opt for interactive, creative activities (like coding on Scratch, music-making apps, or connecting with relatives on a video call) instead of passive doom-scrolling.
6️⃣ Start a summer challenge.
Who can read the most pages in July?
Who can learn to ride without training wheels?
Who can cook a full breakfast for the family by August?
Small, achievable challenges foster independence and pride while shifting the focus away from screens.
There’s no perfect formula for screen time, but if screens are replacing opportunities for sleep, outdoor play, family connection, or exploring interests, it’s time to reassess.
This summer, consider what your child can learn that will light them up and help them grow in ways a screen never could. Whether it’s learning to swim, riding a bike, cooking for the family, or joining a summer reading club, these real-world experiences build skills, confidence, and connection that empower them for the year ahead.
If you’re looking for more ways to support your child’s learning this summer, we’re here to help. Whether you’re looking for additional ideas to help them learn through fun activities at home or close their learning gaps and get them ready for September. Let’s make this a season of joyful, hands-on learning so your child can shine bright.