When school is out for the summer it may be more important than ever for kids to get regular physical activity and eat a nutritious diet. According to an article published in the American Journal of Public Health, kids tend to gain three times as much weight during the summer as they do during the school year.

One reason is that they probably spend more time watching television and playing video games. The other is that they can eat whenever they want during the summer, in contrast to when they are in school and eat only at a few set times.

Television also exposes children to more commercials for high-calorie snack foods, fast food, and fattening sweets. Try to limit kids’ screen time to no more than two hours per day. A study by the Kaiser Foundation found that the average child spends 44 hours a week — or more than six hours a day — in front of a television or computer screen.

Source: American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 97, pg. 696