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How we do screen time in our family

August 9, 2019 /

This summer, I definitely took a more laid back attitude towards screen time. While I did not let my children play electronics all day long, they did play more on their tablets that they usually do during the school year and watched a little more tv as well. When I noticed that my 20 month old’s favorite word was tv, and my oldest was being anti social, I decided to make some changes. We have all read about how to much time on devices affects children’s behavior, concentration and attitude. Today, I want to share what I do not limit that time when there are so many temptations to play on their devices all day long.

Yes, like other parents I have relied on television or the tablets to keep the children entertained or quiet during different parts of the day. This summer, the  children were probably spending an hour and a half during baby’s nap time on their tablets and then another 30 to 45 minutes in the evening while I put the baby to bed. The baby would watch a couple Puppy Dog Pals shows in the am and also in the evening. I noticed my children being more cranky and selfish and also them relying on their tablets for entertainment. They didn’t play board games as we usually do and there was less playing imaginary games with toys. My oldest spent less time around us and was definitely less sociable.

That was it! Only tablet time once a day during baby’s nap and not during his whole nap and the baby’s time watching his show was cut down too! So now what? What changes should I make to help children get back to playing with each other and me and not want to find their devices?

  • first change was me: I had to spend less time on my phone, tablet and computer and show the example!
  • I started playing games again with the children: I really do not enjoy playing long games with the boys because I do not always have long periods of time to play so we chose games such as yatzee, speed, BS, and also several of my youngest favorite game such as candyland and zingo.
  • I tried to make tv time more of a family activity
  • we started to go back to the library programs
  • we tried to spend more time outdoors with some walks here and there
  • we started reading together again in the evenings
  • we started back to praying again together before bed: a lot of our good routines had gone out the window as the summer progressed!
  • tablets are deposited in my room after screen time so nobody sneaks off extra time pretending to read

I know this is nothing new but it is just a reminder that often change needs to start with us! The less time I spent interacting with my kids the more they played with their tablets or I allowed them to play with them. I saw a difference in one of my kids behavior in just a few days. Attitudes all around have improved! Now that school has started again, children get about 30 or so minutes to play after homework is done and then they play together. I try to join in for a couple rounds of something after the baby is down for his nap (the other night it was Spot It). When fall arrives I will try to encourage more outside play but right now it is still pretty hot so we typically stay indoors. Thankfully, 2 out of 3 have recess at school and it seems like my oldest with have some type of recess time in 8th grade (it will be called something else but they can chose different activities including some sportive ones such as flag footbal)l.

A bientôt!

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23 Comments

  • jodie filogomo

    August 9, 2019 at 9:21 am

    What a great reminder Mireille. Because it does start with us, and leading by example is always good.
    XOXO
    Jodie

    • mimifce

      August 9, 2019 at 1:05 pm

      Yes! I try to do a lot of my blogging stuff during nap and bedtime but I find myself on instagram a lot during the day!

  • Ellie

    August 9, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    It’s sad that so much is being done on electronics nowadays! My kids are in middle and high school and all school work is being done on a computer, then at home they still have to be on the computer to do homework.
    Thank you for sharing this post as a reminder to get our kids off of electronics whenever we can!

  • Julie | This Main Line Life

    August 9, 2019 at 4:50 pm

    I struggled with that when the kids were young too. It wasn’t really an issue with Lauren, but Brandon was a gamer at heart from the very beginning and I was always setting up limits for him… and like you said, it really meant that I had to get more involved and participate myself sometimes in other activities. Now that he’s a teen, he has more responsibilities and that naturally limits how much time he has to game. He still loves to game though and spends lots of his free time doing it.

    • mimifce

      August 9, 2019 at 8:43 pm

      It is difficult to keep a balance but I am glad we made some changes at the end of summer. Back to school and back to better habits!

  • Donna Walmsley

    August 9, 2019 at 8:04 pm

    ‘Monkey see, monkey do’ .. always remember that!! Children imitate their parents and do what they do, not what they say!! And yess!! To getting outside! We were lucky and live a couple of blocks back from a beautiful beach so we used to spend much of the time in the surf, beachcombing and the like and we did heaps of craft activities. Now when my children come home for a few days to visit as adults I still have activities planned like walks and swimming at the beach, baking bickies or this year I thought we might have a go at tie dying t-shirts… fun times – enjoy your kids because they’re grown up in a blink of an eye!
    Donna ??‍♀️❤️?
    https://donnadoesdresses.com

    • mimifce

      August 9, 2019 at 8:42 pm

      They sure do! Very cool to live close to the beach! We do go rafting down the river every so often, it is a few minutes from our house. Looking forward to cooler weather so we can go back to hiking.

  • Laura Bambrick

    August 9, 2019 at 11:28 pm

    That is good that you recognized this and started to change! Our 21 month old isn’t really interested in tv yet, but I’m sure that will change soon! Our oldest likes her ipad during car trips, but thankfully she likes to read a lot so we don’t watch much tv or have other screen time.

    • mimifce

      August 10, 2019 at 11:58 am

      I think that if we continue to learn to have fun in different ways, it will be just one of many entertainments so that the kids enjoy many things.

  • Anna Marcus

    August 10, 2019 at 5:59 am

    It is an on going battle between the parents and the children but I am afraid we are losing it. As your children grew older, they spend more and more on their devises. Once they turn 16, there is nothing you can do about. Having said that, you are absolutely right in doing everything possible to stem them away from the screens. Good luck 🙂
    https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com

    • mimifce

      August 10, 2019 at 11:57 am

      I am hoping that if we stick to good habits and establish a nice balance that it won’t be as difficult when as they fully enter the teen years.

  • Natalia

    August 11, 2019 at 11:41 am

    I admire you so much for doing something about screen time. My friends and family allow tablets without any kind of limit of time. The effects are way too evident to ignore. I am a teacher, and parents are always asking what they can do to make their kids read. I always tell them to read with and in front of them. We set the example all the time for them.
    Congratulations on going against the current! I hope that you will always persevere on this path 🙂

    Lindifique

    • mimifce

      August 11, 2019 at 9:17 pm

      Thank you, Natalia. It is not easy but I really notice a big difference in my kids! I find it easier during the school year because they is a limited amount of time between getting home from school and bedtime but it is still an effort on my part since I do need to get involved more.