Welcome to Imagination Station, your go-to destination for screen-free for kids educational experiences designed to spark curiosity, inspire creativity, and nurture the young minds of the next generation. In a world where technology dominates much of our daily lives, we believe in the importance of providing children with engaging, hands-on activities that foster learning, creativity, and imagination.

As parents, we all know there needs to balance in our children's lives between screen time and screen-free time. But do we know the impact it has? It's too easy for parents to feel stressed or get busy and one of the natural things for us to do is have our children watch tv, play video games, or play on a tablet. Bored to Brilliant creates educational toys, play kits, and educational packs so that our kids have an alternative that is both fun and nurturing. 

Children need screen-free time. There are countless studies showing the harmful effects of too much screen time in children of all ages. Screen time can be cell phones, TV, video games, tablets, computers and so on. Below are some of the effects of too much screen time. It's not meant to scare parents or kids, but it is meant to wake us up! 

Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disruption

• Children with high screen time have a 20% higher likelihood of circadian rhythm disruption, lower sleep efficiency (75% vs. 90%), and more nocturnal awakenings (1.5 vs. 0.5 times weekly) according to a study published in PubMed compared to those with low screen time.

• Screen time before bed results in delayed bedtimes as well as 30 minutes to 1 hour less sleep per night according to research in Sleep Health.

Cognitive and Language Development

• Children aged 5 and under that have more than 1 hour of screen time per day show a negative impact on their overall healthy development. This study by BMC Public Health, shows that excessive screen time delays cognitive ability, language, communication and problem-solving skills.

• Children, especially those aged 5 and under, with more than 2 hours of screen time per day score lower on language and thinking tests according to the Canadian Pediatric Society 

Mental Health and Behavior

• Preschoolers with more than 2-3 hours of screen time per day show a higher degree behavioral problems and delayed milestones according to an article from CHOC Health.

• Children and adolescents with high screen time are at a higher risk to experience anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems according to research published in JAMA Network Open.

These studies provide evidence supporting the claims about the negative impacts of excessive screen time on children's sleep, cognitive development, and mental health.

Is it all doom and gloom? Not at all! As a parent, grandparent, sibling, uncle, aunt, or caregiver, protecting the children in our lives is immensely important, but we need to know what to protect them against. By being educated on the effects and then having a means to offset those negative effects, will lead to active and intentional steps to take.

Below is a video on the pros and cons of adolescent screen use from the ABCD Study®. The ABCD Study® is the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. 

Here's an infographic from the same study about the pros and cons of adolescent screen use.  And a Podcast if you'd like to hear more about this. In this podcast, Jennifer Abbasi interviews the director of the ABCD study, Gaya Dowling, PhD, about this long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States.

Ultimately, if we use common sense and are are intentional with what occupies are children's time, we can make sure our children lead a fun, balanced and educated life.  A decision like which toys our young ones are playing with, like those from Bored To Brilliant, can make a large impact. A child's mind needs to be fed and just like us, it craves a variety. We make sure to carry kids educational toys that help make them healthy, well rounded individuals, such as artistic exploration, sensory slime kits, educational activity sheets, creative writing books, STEM toys for science and math and much, much more.