We are living in a world where ‘screen time’ is definitely an issue. I for one am all for technology (I run my entire business using it), however, I think limitations need to be put in place…espeically for our little people.
The latest guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggest that:
- children under 18 months should avoid screen time, other than video-chatting
- children aged 18 months to 2 years can watch or use high-quality programs or apps if adults watch or play with them to help them understand what they’re seeing
- children aged 2-5 years should have no more than one hour a day of screen time with adults watching or playing with them
- children aged 6 years and older should have consistent limits on the time they spend on electronic media and the types of media they use.
Everyone has different rules in their house, for me (most often) I only allow one hour of screen time per day…BUT there is a catch, my kiddies have to earn them.
Again, every house is different, but I’m comfortable with kids helping around the house and to take responsibility for their screen time by ‘earning it’.
I decided to put together some printable ‘Screen Time Tickets’. They have different time allowances for different chores. For example:
When my son unpacks the dishwasher he earns a 10 minute screen time ticket
When he makes his bed, he earns a 5 minute ticket etc etc.
You can make up the rules for your house and change them week to week. The other day my son was super kind to his little sister (he offered to carry her heavy school bag down the stairs) so I told him that I was super proud of him for doing that so I gave him a 30 minute ticket.
You can pick and choose what you feel suits your household.
You can download these tickets for yourself for FREE below! Just click the image to download the free PDF.
Once the kids tickets equate to 60 minutes, they then get to use their device for an hour for that day. The next day, they start from zero and work their way up to their screen time.
Let us know if you implement this in your house!
Jen x
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Hi! Thanks so much for sharing this great resource. Um, but the links to the 10 & 30 minute tickets go to the 5 min pdf. Just letting you know. 🙂
Awww i thought it was just my phone.. yes .. love the idea. Bunned the 10 & 30mins pdfs arent there.