The Christmas holidays are coming up again, and to stop your children from sitting behind a TV, tablet or phone screen all day long, here are some tips and rules:
· Don’t ban it completely. If your expectations and rules are unreasonable, your children will only long for a screen even more. It is a matter of give and take.
· Let them go outside, despite the cold. Get your children excited about all the things they can do outdoors, such as playing football, skating on the ice rink if there is one, meeting up with friends and so on. And explain that playing and doing things outside is good for them.
· Screen time only in the afternoon. If you let them stare at a screen first thing in the morning, they are being passive. When children start the day like that, it is harder to get into an active mode. In the afternoon, when they are worn out from playing outside, it is time to relax quietly with a tablet or TV, but do set a time limit. Or, for example, plan an hour in the early evening while you are cooking dinner.
· Keep a bit of a schedule. Holidays should be relaxed, but you cannot expect children to keep themselves busy for 12 hours a day. So create a bit of structure. At the start of the week, make a schedule with a few activities per day, so the children know where they stand and what to expect.
· “I’m bored” doesn’t help. You are bound to hear it these holidays, but don’t give in. Being bored is good for a child. It stimulates their creativity; now they have to come up with what they want to do (or not do) themselves.
· No playing at friends’ houses just to secretly play on the Xbox after all. Talk to the other parents and tell them you want your child to spend less time behind a screen, so you don’t want them gaming or watching TV all day at their house either.
· Mum and dad can spend less time behind a screen too. And yes, that is very hard for some of us. But it is difficult to forbid your child to sit behind a screen while you check your own phone all day!
Making screen time agreements together?
Mytimingcards give your child clarity and responsibility: 24 time cards, 4 bonus cards, a timer and the Mytimingcards contract.