If I am not careful, my boys would watch television all summer — that is when we are not on an outing or at camp! I definitely don’t mind them watching more than during the school year, but I don’t want it to get out of hand, either!
So, much to my boys dismay, I started what we call “screen time jobs” a few years ago. These are jobs they must complete before they may watch television/movies, play on a computer/device, or play video games. I made a chart with the jobs along the left of the table and their names across the top. I slide the chart into a page protector and they use a dry erase marker to check off each completed job.
My oldest son, who is now a teenager, is a bit more resistant to these jobs, so I do have to alter it a bit for him.
This year, I have been having them complete three jobs at a time and then they can earn an allotted amount of screen time. They can complete another three later and then earn some time in the late afternoon or evening.
You can, of course, edit this chart to suit your own children and household needs.
Click here for the master file that you can edit as needed: No SCREENTIME until… master
What are other systems you have used to regulate screen time?
Related posts:
Surviving on a tight budget 
Leave a Reply