Balancing Rest and Play
FoundationSleep ten hours, rest at fixed times, and add the right amount of play and exercise — then the body and brain stay fresh.
- The brain and body need rest before they can learn well.
- Be in bed by half past nine and sleep ten hours.
- Thirty minutes of homework, then a five-minute break.
文體小知識：說明文先講休息的好處，再教你安排作息時間表，讓學習和遊戲兩不誤。
§Text Passage
1Lessons, homework and revision all use the brain, and a tired brain needs rest. There are many ways to rest: sleeping on time at night, taking a short nap at noon, and stretching between homework. Enough rest helps us focus in class.
2Primary students need about ten hours of sleep a day. Be in bed by half past nine and get up around seven; sleeping and waking at about the same time every day keeps the body clock in a routine. Avoid TV and phones in the hour before bed, and falling asleep becomes easier.
3Play and exercise matter just as much. Running, rope skipping and ball games in the park after school train the body, and playing with friends teaches cooperation, turn-taking and rules. But play in the right amount — playing too late affects homework and sleep.
4We can make a daily schedule: after school, have a snack and do homework, then play for an hour; read with the family after dinner; be in bed at half past nine. Arranging active and quiet times in turn makes every day full and happy.
1Summary 重點摘要
Sleep ten hours, rest at fixed times, and add the right amount of play and exercise — then the body and brain stay fresh.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Stopping activity so the body and brain recover.
The time when the body and brain rest, so we feel fresh by day.
A plan that lists what to do at each time of the day.
Giving full attention to one thing.
Activities such as running and rope skipping that train the body.
Time spent watching TV, phones or tablets.
Doing almost the same things at almost the same times every day.
A short sleep at midday.
Reaching and bending to relax the arms, legs and back.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Sleep and wake at fixed timesChildren need about ten hours of sleep every night for the body to grow and the brain to develop. So be in bed by half past nine and get up at seven, keeping the same schedule; at weekends shift it by no more than an hour. Some people think late nights and lie-ins at the weekend can make up for lost sleep, but a messy sleep schedule is like jet lag after a trip, and Monday morning lessons suffer. A fixed routine is the foundation of energy.
- Step 2: Wind down before bedAn hour before bedtime, help your body calm down. Switch off the TV, phone and tablet, because screen light excites the brain so that the more you watch, the harder it is to sleep; listen to a gentle story or read a few pages of a picture book instead, then brush your teeth and put on your pyjamas. Some people think exhaustion brings sleep, but over-excitement makes it harder. With a fixed bedtime routine, sleep comes easily and sweetly.
- Step 3: Break during homeworkHomework demands concentration from brain and eyes, and after a long stretch both grow tired and efficiency falls. So after every thirty minutes, take a five-minute break: drink a glass of water and look out of the window at distant trees and hills, letting the eye muscles relax. Some people think finishing in one go shows diligence, but returning after a proper break, the work goes faster and there are fewer mistakes — better results all round.
- Step 4: Move every dayExercise strengthens muscles and bones, builds the body's defences and cheers the mood. Children should move for at least an hour daily in many forms: skip the rope one hundred times after school, run fifteen minutes in the park, or play football and ride bikes with classmates. Some people think exercise steals revision time, but after moving about, appetite improves at dinner, sleep is sweeter, and the next day's lessons go with more energy.
- Step 5: Limit screen timeTV, phones and tablets are fun, but watching too long dries and tires the eyes, aches the neck and back, and squeezes out time for exercise and sleep. So agree with your parents on no more than one hour of screens a day in total, and every thirty minutes close your eyes or gaze into the distance. Some people think screen time hardly matters, but stopping on time as agreed, your eyes and your body will both thank you.
- Step 6: Keep the balance at weekendsWeekends balance out the whole week: homework and interest classes, but also time for play, exercise and family. For example, attend an interest class on Saturday morning and play in the park in the afternoon; on Sunday hike with the family or visit grandparents, and still be in bed by half past nine. Some people think weekends mean unlimited play, but measured play and a steady schedule bring Monday in with energy for the new week.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: Yan plays on her tablet until midnight and dozes through class the next day. Where is the problem, and how can she improve?
- She plays far longer than the agreed one hour of screen time a day.
- Staying up to midnight leaves her less than ten hours of sleep.
- Too little sleep drains her energy, so she cannot concentrate in class.
- Improvement: follow a schedule, play only thirty minutes after homework, and be in bed by half past nine.
- Answer: Yan's problems are too much screen time and too little sleep. She should keep screens under one hour a day, be in bed by half past nine, and sleep the full ten hours, so that she stays alert in class.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1How much sleep do primary students need?
Q2How often should we rest during homework?
Q3What should we avoid in the hour before bed?
Q4What do games give us?
Q5How much screen time is best each day?
8Recap Recap
- The brain and body need rest before they can learn well.
- Be in bed by half past nine and sleep ten hours.
- Thirty minutes of homework, then a five-minute break.
- One hour of exercise and less than one hour of screens a day.
- Follow a schedule; balance of active and quiet time is healthiest.