Weekly Message from Head of School 2024/11/3-2024/11/9
Dear Keystonians,??
A variety of conversations over the past few weeks have reminded me of a useful framework that I learned from Dr. Denise Pope and her team of educational researchers at Challenge Success. PDF stands for playtime, downtime and family time— all things that are essential ingredients for well-being and academic success.???
Dr. Pope is based at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. Her influential organization, Challenge Success seeks to promote practices that enhance academic success and support student health and well-being.? The strategies they promote are based on research of hundreds of thousands of students around the world.??
One of the most influential strategies that Pope promotes for primary and secondary students is PDF: Playtime, Downtime and Family time.??
Playtime: Young people (all people!) need time for play. It is best when it is unstructured and undirected by adults, but even team or individual sports can be considered part of play time, if kids choose and are enjoying the activity.??
Downtime: This is exactly what it sounds like. We all need time in our daily or weekly schedule when the pace slows, when we get to rest. But this isn’t just sleep (which is also CRITICAL!? 11-8 hours a night is recommended for children) but time to relax.???
Family time: Family meals are the most reliable way to ensure that there is family time every day. In our residential community the t-shirts of the student leaders of our residential program say, “We are awesome family”.? The reason for this is that our residential life programs promote “family time” such as meals and dorm meetings.??
It is easier for parents to keep an eye on these important strategies when children are younger, and more challenging-- but no less important--as they get older.? These strategies are a protective factor for supporting strong mental health!?
Check out these resources from Challenge Success and see what you think:??
PDF for Teens: ?
PDF for Elementary-aged? Children ??
What do PDF look like in your household????
What were the ways that PDF were realized in your childhood???
If you are a student, what do you want more of when it comes to PDF???
How do we ensure that downtime is not always screentime???
What are ways that the school could better support PDF in your home???
Wishing your families a weekend full of PDF,??
Emily
