Colorful characters enter our lives via screens. But how to manage them all?
One solution is to give these entertaining folks a designated time to come in! Provide a boundary. Make them less available ALL THE TIME.
Think about it this way...The newspaper is on the driveway in the morning. School buses arrive and depart at designated times before and after school. Motivated people work-out early before work.
We anticipate these events and plan around them.
We anticipate these events and plan around them.
Controlling the quantity of screen time needs to be a conscious choice. The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting children's total screen time to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality screen time per day. One solution for keeping this trifecta of tv, video games, and computers being used for entertainment purposes under control is to schedule it in at designated times.
Screen Time Management Schedule:
7:00 - 8:00 am
4:00 - 5:00 pm
8:00 - 9:00 pm
This schedule includes weekends! Perhaps the 8:00 - 9:00 pm time would only be allowed if homework is finished, dinner is eaten, and hygiene is in check. My own son rarely wakes in time on school days to make the 7:00 - 8:00am slot and no longer begs for "just 15 minutes." If the time is past, the time is past. Some days the kids watch three hours and some days just one. It all evens out nicely :)
We do make allowances, as needed - when the Chicago Bears are playing, or for a movie night. And, obviously, TiVo makes recording shows a snap. The weekend rule at our house was amended to "You can watch/play for one hour after you wake up," to meet our family's needs. We did not want to encourage the kids to wake up early on Saturday just to watch tv!
Organizing screen time in this manner has become a habit. The middle of the day is for school or play. Screen time is not filler time - it is a conscious part of the daily routine.
Organizing screen time in this manner has become a habit. The middle of the day is for school or play. Screen time is not filler time - it is a conscious part of the daily routine.
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