[purpleblackqueen]

What limits do your impose on your school aged kids on electronic devices- eg Wii, DS, Ipods etc during the school term?

I am thinking that once the homework get done then they can have 10 mins, then once jobs get done then they have 20 mins.

WDYT?

[Shellby]

We have set things that need doing at different times of the day, once done you have free time to do ask you please. However no gaming in the mornings before school only TV.

EG

Morning

Breakfast
Teeth
Get Dressed
Make your bed
Make Lunch for school
Do dishwasher
Take out rubbish
Free Time

Then they go to school

Afternoon

Afternoon snack
Get Changed
Put uniform in machine and turn on
Empty Bag
Music practice
Homework
Freetime - which can include gaming

After Dinner

Dishwasher if not done
Tidy bedroom
Shower
Get in PJs
Teeth
Free Time - but no gaming and quiet time 30 minutes before bed - so no TV either but can read books or play lego.

They do everything with no issues. If they don't they lose the x-box for free time that day or next day if its a evening chore they missed. We have a list on the fridge so they follow it step by step.

We spoke to our child psychologist for James and she said it was great. We encourage outside things also for free time, but they are allowed a choice which is teaching them how to use their free time just like you do as a adult at the same time teaching them how to be responsible for everyday things you just have to do before doing that free time. Also they learn if they take forever to do the tasks they are only losing their free time so its only them losing out dragging it along - they actually get things done quiet quickly now they know its only them they affect when dragging their feet.

It all works here and we have no real drama at all - they know the rules and if they don't do it they lose the x-box which is their currency at the moment.

[NotBitzerMaloney]

No screen time mon-thurs at our house, but DS is only five.
No doubt here will be a renegotiation next year (and every year thereafter!)

[Guest_3Keiki_*]

Yep no screens at all after from homework related comp work from Monday to thurs, after that it is in block of maz 1 hour and it no sport on for that day then must be broken up with active time as well.

[NotBitzerMaloney]

We also have a 1 hour maximum time session limit on Fri/Sat/Sun.

[Mamabug]

We don't really have electronic devices! Makes it easy to limit them...

The 7yo has an electronic sudoku which she is allowed to play once a week while her sister has a swimming lesson.

The tv does not go on in the afternoon after school, unless I really need them occupied and they won't settle to something else. And they have to do their homework first.

They do get 'movie night' every Sunday, but they have to have their bedroom and playroom tidied before dinner, or no movie.

The 4yo gets to watch playschool if we are home in the morning.

[mumto4boys]

Games, Wii, DS etc get shut off at 4p.m. on a Sunday and they don't see them again until after school on Friday. The 4p.m. Sunday shut down always meant a leisurely end to the weekend with time to get things ready for school the next day, then dinner and a little TV before bed.

During the week computers are only used by the children for school work. If it's not actual school work or homework then it can wait until the weekend.



Mine are older now but the 17 year old still does not get near any gaming devices during the week. I still collect the DS and hand it back on Friday. At 10p.m. each night the laptop and his mobile phone are brought in to my room to be charged. This stops all of the overnight messaging and relentless need to check Facebook to see what everyone else has been up to. At 17 I do allow some time for Facebook during the week but only brief periods. Eg, 15 minutes before homework. I also remind him somewhere between 9:30 and 9:45 that it's almost time to hand things over so say goodnight to the girlfriend etc.

[~THE~MAGICIAN~]

I haven't had to limit yet, but that might change with DD 11yo starting high school. They also do alot of dancing after school too, so depending on how much homework there is to be done, will depend on how much time they get.

To me 10 mins is hardly enough time to look at one thing?

I'm certainly not one of those parents who has a no screen time during the week. All in moderation I say.



This post has been edited by ~THE~MAGICIAN~: 27/01/2013, 10:56 AM

[~THE~MAGICIAN~]

Mumto4boys - are you serious? You taking the DS off your 17yo??

[erindiv]

10-20 minutes is nothing, they will barely be able to start and settle into a game in that much time. When I sit down with my laptop it takes 5 minutes just to start it up, connect to the internet and open my browser. I could probably then look at maybe one post on EB before I would have to shut down.

My parents used to limit myself and my brother to 1 hour each on the computer in the afternoon after school, after our homework was finished. Generally when I was younger I had no homework so I would go on it from 4-5, then my brother would use it from 5-6, then we'd have dinner. As we got older we were allowed to use it after dinner, so I'd use it (as a 12-13 year old) from 7-8 and my brother (as a 15-16 year old) from 8-9. We didn't have the internet until I was 16 and my brother was 19, and then we could spend as much time on it as we wanted provided nobody else needed it.