How can you ensure you don’t spend most of the holidays arguing about how long your children spend in front a screen?

 

Really try and take advantage of the holidays, using it as a chance to spend real quality time with the kids without the pressure of work and other distractions.  This will help to reconnect and secure a strong relationship between parent and child.

Sit down as a family, discuss and agree on screen time rules for the holidays

 

• Agree the upper time limit on screen use
• Write the rules/timing  down
• Establish if there is different timing for different types of use: passive, interactive, social or creative
• Decide on tech free zones or tech free times during the day
• Determine with your child what is the reward for sticking to the rules about screen time and consequences for not.
• Be consistent – stick to the timings (use kitchen timer or timer on your phone) and if you find they are unrealistic review them again with your child.
• Brainstorm what else kids can do to keep occupied at home that doesn’t involve use of a screen.

All the above rules should ideally apply to parents too – you are the role model