Summertime and the screens are easy
I am lucky enough to work from home and have a flexible work schedule, so my kids have always been stay-at-home kids in the summer. They have some daily chores and other special work to do over the summer, but in general they have a lot of free time on their hands.
Four tips for managing your kids’ screen time
Minimize screen use, especially for the youngest children:
Taking the Wheel
I’ve recently become the chauffeur for my son and his group of friends, as they go to for a weekly gaming afternoon/hangout at one boy’s house. It’s clear that my role as the driver is to be invisible – they talk and goof around with each other in the car as if I’m not there, and if I do interject in their conversation, there’s a moment when they all freeze, confused as to where this voice from above came from, before ignoring it and carrying on. I’m there to hover on the outside, not to get involved.
Building Better Tech Habits
The Building Better Tech Habits workshop offers parents and guardians actionable strategies for managing screen time, with a focus on the understanding that digital well-being solutions are not one-size-fits-all. The workshop addresses both the opportunities and challenges that digital technology presents to youth and adults alike, and provides a comprehensive and informed perspective on digital well-being.The Spotify Problem
We have a few smartphone rules in our house: no phones after 9:30 p.m., no phones at the dinner table or other family events, and no phones in bedrooms.