Increasing Physical Activity and Decreasing Screen Time
presented by Pamela Smith, OTR/L
Thursday, June 9, 2016
6:30-8:30pm
Saratoga Bridges, 16 Saratoga Bridges Blvd., Ballston Spa
Please give this FLYER to anyone you think might be interested in attending
Video games, tv shows, and movies have a very strong appeal to children. As a result, children are engaging in much less physical play today than in years past. This program is designed for parents/caregivers who want to learn strategies that decrease their child’s screen time and increase time spent in movement activities and physical play.
The brain’s center for movement, the vestibular system, plays a significant role in our activity level and state of alertness. The functioning of this system impacts a person’s desire and pursuit of physical activity. Strategies will be discussed to stimulate the vestibular system and impact changes on arousal state and activity level.
Also, other components will be presented from creative alternatives to screen activities, guiding idea development when children “don’t know what to do”, choice making and limit setting. Activities which focus on the skills children are not developing through screen-based activities will be presented as well.
Pamela Smith is an occupational therapist with 15 years of experience working with children and families in the Capital District. She has worked extensively with children who have sensory processing and sensory integration challenges. Pam has advanced training in sensory integration and has focused her study on the impact of sensory integration on self-regulation and motor control. At her therapy clinic, OT for Developing Kids, in Latham, she works with children of all ages and strives to help families better understand their child’s challenges.
RSVP to Patty Paduano at 587-0723 ext. 1254 or ppaduano@saratogabridges.org