Oooh great question! My kids do get the privilege of “screen time” almost every day. I try to limit it to about 30-45 minutes of game time and about 1 hour of movie or show time. Yes, some days they do get more. Some days, they get less! It really just depends on what’s going on.
If the sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day, I encourage the kiddos to go play outside for at LEAST as long as normal “screen time”. I like to get them to play for an hour or two at least if the weather is good. Bikes, sidewalk chalk, playing with sticks, running around trying to catch butterflies… it all works! 🙂
I love to let the kids play on educational websites. We’ve recently downloaded Zoodles and let the kids play on there. I love it because it truly does block ads (unlike KizZui, which allowed the kids to download nasty viruses and Trojan horses 5 times in 2 months. YIKES!) and keeps them contained within the web-world created by them.
I also love to let the kids watch Leap Frog DVDs and movies on Netflix. Educational! 🙂
What about you? What kind of limits do you put on screen time in your house?
madeinmontana says
We also allow very little screen time. Maybe one video a day, but I really try to do without even that. I’m definitely checking out zoodles! Thanks for the tip.
Vallere says
I’m going to check out Zoodles, too! I’m trying to cut back on screen time for my boys. It’s been easier since we moved to NZ…they LOVE to play outside and we go to the beach quite often. On rainy days, though, i think the TV is on almost all day. I *do* try to limit it to educational shows…Discovery and Animal Planet…or to Christian videos. Still a lot of work to do in that department! It’s so easy to turn on the TV and let that babysit them if the baby is fussy and needs me.
gidget.e says
My kids get way too much screen time. I do make them play outside though. Since we got a swingset, it’s been a little easier to get them out the door. 🙂
Brooke says
Right now, screen time is about all my two get. We usually limit it, but with one in a spica cast, he’s very limited to what he can do. So we rotate between coloring, free play, play-doh on a cookie sheet, and movies. I feel slightly better about it because they’re only watching approved movies and we don’t have cable, so no advertising, but still. Another few weeks and we’ll be able to get out more. Right now it’s a choice between movies, or walking over to the mall where they “want, want, want”–which form of consumerism do I choose? ;>
mnkristy says
I am not even going to admit how much screen time my boys get. But keep in mind that 1) we live in Minnesota where we have just come out of 6 months of winter and one of the snowiest seasons on record 2) my boys are older and don’t play with toys anymore and 3) I am just too lazy to keep them entertained in other ways.
Samantha says
In the winter my kids get a lot of screen time but come the warmer weather they are outside as often as humanly possible. So in the end I think it balances out.