Imagine a day in the life of a child.

They’re engaged at school for six to eight hours.

A relentless schedule doesn’t benefit a child’s academic performance or mental health.

It’s essential to incorporate some time with family, friends, or themselves into their routine.

What is “downtime”?

Think back to your own childhood.

Perhaps you built a blanket fort with your sibling on a lazy Saturday or play-wrestled with a parent.

Remember the exhaustion after a morning of play leading to a satisfying nap?

These days, academic commitments, extracurriculars and technology have made these times scarce.

But modern problems have modern solutions.

“We know that a lot of times, kids don’t have that ability to choose.

They’re very scheduled throughout the day and need to have that break.”

The PDF framework doesn’t necessarily mean that children should avoid screens or technology.

As Pope explains, it’s up to adults to act as guardrails against overindulging in certain activities.

She describesplaytimeas unstructured and child-led rather than an extracurricular activity led by adults.

“Playtime is really critical,” says Pope.

“Kids need time to move their bodies, go outside, run around.

and be in nature.

That can be really restorative.”

“We know just how important sleep is to the brain,” says Pope.

“Sleep is connected to learning and mental health.”

Because adults also have responsibilities,family timemight be more challenging to pull off.

Pope also understands every family operates differently.

It’s likely something that neither you nor they can sustain over time.

The number-one priority is that your family spends time together and your children know they’re loved unconditionally.

Take time for yourself

Even when your kids are in bed, you’re probably still working.

That could mean doing a load of dishes or spending some extra time answering work emails.

While we’re concerned about over-scheduling our children, we’re probably doing the same thing to ourselves.

“I know for many people, they don’t have a choice,” says Pope.

“They’re working multiple jobs.

They’re a single parent.