Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı from the Child Development Department, emphasizing the importance of children spending time outdoors during the summer holiday, said, “We do not want our children to stay indoors. After spending the entire winter at home, we recommend they spend the summer holiday mostly outdoors, in the open air, and in nature. Playing outdoors greatly contributes to children's development.”
Highlighting that children are introduced to technology from birth, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı warned, “Parents must control the duration and content of their children's digital technology use.”
Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı from Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Child Development Department offered recommendations to support children's development during the summer holiday.
We have a full 2-2.5 month period ahead of us to spend productively
Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı stated that the summer holiday has begun after a long academic year, and a part of it has already passed, adding, “Considering that schools will open in mid-September, we have a full 2-2.5 month period ahead of us to spend productively. It is crucial to evaluate this period efficiently.”
Playing outdoors greatly contributes to children's development
Pointing out that children spend time with different activities during the summer holiday, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı continued:
“Some go to summer schools, some spend time with their families at home, and some stay with a helper because their parents are working. However, we do not want our children to stay indoors. After spending the entire winter at home, we recommend they spend the summer holiday mostly outdoors, in the open air, and in nature. Playing outdoors greatly contributes to children's development. By playing with their friends, they can acquire many life skills such as sharing, empathy, leadership, and taking responsibility. Therefore, we should direct our children to nature and outdoor games as much as possible. If there is a safe street environment, they can play in the street. Family nature trips, picnics, or park visits can be planned on weekends.”
Holiday should be spent balanced
Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı also drew attention to the fact that holidays are not just for rest or play, saying, “Holidays are not just for rest and play. Nor are they solely for doing homework or reading books. We recommend that families, parents, mothers, and fathers keep this balanced. That is, the child should both rest and have fun, and also do some skill-based academic assignments and read their books. They should do these in balance.”
Our priority is to direct them to outdoor games as much as possible
Stating that activities that will make children happy should also be planned, taking into account their wishes, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı said, “We tell families to consider what the child enjoys and wants to do. But our priority, of course, is to direct our children to nature and outdoor games as much as possible.”
Pay attention to digital technology usage!
Emphasizing that children are introduced to technology from birth, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı stated, “Even in the 0-2 age period, they step into technology with sound-making books and toys. While the world is moving towards digital technology, it is not possible to keep our children completely away from these technologies. However, it is our duty to control how and for how long they should access digital technology. What is important for us is: How should we access digital technology? For how long should we access it? How should we use it? We need to protect our children from unlimited and uncontrolled access to digital technology. Of course, we cannot ban it from children. Regardless of the age group, we introduce our children to computers, tablets, and smartphones appropriately for their age level. But as parents, what we need to do is determine the duration and content of this use.”
Usage duration and content must be controlled
Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Demet Gülaldı also stated that spending long hours continuously with digital technologies can harm children's development, and concluded her words by saying, “Parents must control the duration and content of their children's digital technology use. In this way, digital technologies can even be used for children's benefit. However, we should not leave our children alone with digital technologies in an unlimited and uncontrolled manner.”