Research Shows Kids' Brains Need More Downtime

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Children and teenagers have become busier than ever. But neurologists and psychologists say pushing kids to be constantly learning and practicing, even during summer vacation, is not good for them.


Helping children succeed and thrive is one of the issues psychologist Lea Waters has been researching for two decades. In her book, The Strength Switch, she suggests that parents focus on building up their child's strengths rather than fixing their weaknesses.

"If you're only focusing on what's wrong with your child, what's missing, what needs to be fixed, really the best results you can ever hope for is to take them from weakness to above average. But if you start putting more of your time and attention as a parent on what's right, amplifying their strength, that's when they really reach their full potential."

Waters calls this approach the strength-based parenting. But she cautions that sometimes parents can go overboard trying "to get them extra tutoring, to get them into ... every class possible and potentially risking over-structuring their life with the idea that practice equals building the strength. In some senses that's true, but it's only partly true."

The result is often an overcrowded schedule, keeping kids' brains constantly busy with learning, gathering information and practicing.

"Yes, practice builds up strength, but so does downtime," she said.