Screen Time Project

 Hi Parents! I wanted to put myself out there a little to tell you about a parenting project I'm trying at home. My 6- and 3.5-year olds love their screen time. The 6-year-old loves his video games, and the 3-year-old is always asking for iPad. My husband and I try to limit their screen time, but we're mentally managing so much as two working parents. Managing screen time just becomes one more thing. And honestly, we probably give in at times and give them screens because we need some quiet time just to get things done around the house. Or sneak in a quick nap. Whenever we do this, I feel guilty. Too much screen time is not good for their developing brains, and there are other things they could do if I had the brain space to think of them. So, I thought of a plan, a system inspired by my observations of special educations classes. It's a task completion board.

Here are some pictures:


The above picture shows a task board with 4 tasks for each kid. These particular ones are geared toward after coming home from school. The 3-year-old's board is on the left. Her tasks include go to the bathroom, play outside for at least 20 minutes, clean her room, and ask Daddy for a task. The 6 year-old's board is on the right. His tasks include go to the bathroom, do 20 minutes of homework, clean your room, and ask Mommy for a task. Some task cards used clip art for the visual. Other used real-life pictures of them or parts of our house. The task cards and boards were created with pictures and clip art on Google Slides and printed on our printer. (I bought a color cartridge just for the occasion.) I cut the cards out, glued them and the boards to card stock to give them more weight and durability. Then, I used clear contact paper to laminate each board and card. (This took me forever, but I probably could have used a more efficient process.)

The above picture shows a partially completed task board. Each card has Velcro on the back so we can fasten them to the boards. Kids can take off the cards as they complete the task.



The above picture shows what their completed task boards looks like: a picture of them enjoying screen time. Once every task has been completed and card removed, they get screen time (in different time lengths, but no more than 30 minutes at a time). 

We have tried this for two mornings and one after school time. So far, it has worked on cutting back on screen time. On morning #1, both kids finished their task boards and got a few minutes of screens before school. On morning #2, the 6-year-old got all his tasks done but didn't have time for screens. Fortunately, he was ok with that. Also on morning #2, the 3-year-old didn't finish her tasks, mostly because she was playing with her toys and generally lollygagging. She did not ask for screens. After school, the 3-year-old completed her tasks and got screen time. The 6-year-old completed his tasks, but only with a few minutes of screen time before dinner. He was a little frustrated with this, but he still managed to transition to dinner.

I wanted to share this because I am excited about this. It will help both my husband and I to regulate and prioritize their screen time. I thought maybe it would be helpful for others, too. If you have questions about adapting this for your kids, please email me at erin.heilman@pekin108.org. I would be happy to help!

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