As I write this, my son is playing on the family's Xbox One. Everything from Minecraft to Lego Star Wars has him enthralled. My general philosophy is life is not about banning things but everything in moderation so although he plays daily, we have strict time restrictions. We've recently learned extra video game time is his number one motivator. He'd rather do chores for extra video game time than money.
One perk to this arrangement of him earning extra screen time has been the discussions this has started around the concept of time. My son starts with 20 minutes of play time. Depending the chore he completes he gets to add 5, 10, 20, or even 30 minutes to that time. He adds those minutes together with ease. The challenge becomes he's often squeezing his video game time in between school, dinner, and sports. When he asks, "Do I have time?" I put it back on him to figure that out. With this approach he's learning things such as if he starts at 4:15pm and plays for 35 minutes he'll finish at 4:50pm. Knowing what time we have to leave for something or sit down for a meal, he can make informed decisions if he has time.
Honestly, at this point his time skills are so good, he can answer questions like that faster than his older sister!
I don't have kids but I do like to take the same approach about not banning things but taking everything in moderation. I love the idea of putting the question of "Do I have time" back onto the child. It has clearly done him well. It always amazes me the amount of time (adults too!) put into gaming. There is so much to do, see, and learn in the world that spending all of one's time doing one thing seems....crazy.
ReplyDeleteI agree in the reward system and video games is a big reward for kids. Chores are important to show the value of work. If you work hard at something, something good could come your way! It equates to life and shows kids the value in what they are doing. Time management is a valuable skill that will pay off as they grow older.
ReplyDeleteVideo games are a mighty motivator! I love this idea of making him concious about time and how it will affect him. He is learning time management skills that he can easily transfer into other parts of life. I like how you set up the rules, the more intense the chore the more video time. I am sure you find this benefits you as well. Plus I imagine the complaining about doing chores is minimal. This is a time management plan worth trying out with my own kids. Thank you!
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