This post breaks down 10 screen time rules you can implement in to your household to ENGAGE with your child during screen time instead of ignoring them.
You can’t get five minutes into a conversation with another mom, a pinning session on Pinterest, or scrolling your FYP on TikTok without hearing/seeing something about SCREEN TIME (if you’re a mom that is). It’s an incredibly hot button topic and for good reason!
We all want to do what’s best for our kids, but we also want to do what’s best for our own health as parents. Screen time can feel like THE live saver of modern parenting.
Being able to put on a TV show that keeps your child engaged so you can make breakfast, clean the house, manage your household, and achieve a multitude of other things, IS a huge help. But then it isn’t all positive, is it?
We hear and see examples of how excess screen time affects behavior, fine motor skills, and the overall health of our children. Check out my comprehensive list of low stimulating TV shows for calmer children here. But the question we’re all desperate to find the answer to is, is there a best of both worlds scenario here?
Can I use screen time as a tool to be a more efficient and more present parent without harming my child’s development?
Let me be clear, I do not have the winning answer to this question. I’m not claiming to understand the nuances of how screen time affects our kids. I’m not even saying that screen time is something you should or should not have in your home.
But I am saying, for the average household, screen time is going to be the reality. Whether it’s as simple as having football on on Sundays or purposefully putting a kid’s show on for your child to watch, most modern children will be exposed to a screen every day.
That being said, I do believe there are ways to LESSEN the harmful effects of screen time. If we can’t fully protect our children from screen time, then how can we assist their development to negate some of the adverse effects?
This is a complex topic with many answers, but these are 10 EASY practices I have implemented into my home to improve the screen time experience for my child. The benefits of implementing these rules are-
Benefits of These 10 Screen Time Rules:
- Providing opportunities to engage with your child one on one
- Preventing the “screen time bubble” where your child ignores the world around them
- Helping your child make sense of the visual/auditory stimulation
- Encouraging your child to slow down and process complex story telling
- Improving your child’s vocabulary of colors, numbers, and letters
- Fostering a communal household setting instead of an individualized one
- Creating FUN for parent and child alike!
So what are these screen time rules and how do they have so many benefits? It’s nothing complex. What it all boils down to is being PRESENT with your child and PARTICIPATING in their screen time.
Some of these rules require you to be sitting with your child, but others can be implemented while doing common house chores so you can multitask!
Now before we break down these 10 simple ideas to implement in your home, let’s talk about screen time recommendations by age for your child provided by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Screen Time Rules Recommendations by Age
- For children under 18 months, zero screen time is recommended for proper development.
- Children between 18 and 24 months should have less than 1 hour of screen time a day, and a parent or guardian should be present during the screen time in order to properly sensor what is being seen. Try to limit shows to educational programming.
- Children between the ages of 2 and 5 can have approximately 1 hour of screen time a day and the importance of it being educational TV decreases.
- For children over 6 years old, the AACAP suggests limiting all screen time to 2 hours a day maximum and encouraging healthy habits and restraint in your kids.
But without further ado, check out my 10 simple screen time rules to help parents engage with their children:
RELATED POSTS: The Comprehensive List of 52 Low Stimulating TV Shows for Children
1. First of Screen Time Rules: Narrate What You See
For shows and programs that don’t have a lot of dialogue, create your own for your child by narrating what you see on the screen (think Hey Bear Sensory videos)!
Moms hear all the time that it’s great for your toddler’s language development to narrate the tasks you do with them and around the house. This doesn’t have to change when the screen comes on!
Narrating your child’s screen time will broaden their vocabulary and understanding of scenarios. They will be more engaged with you and the real world around them as well!
2. Participate in The Interactive Segments
SO MANY kids shows have interactive elements built into their programming. They are designed this way to encourage critical thinking and language development for your child.
However, often our children are exposed to these shows before they have the ability to participate! Or they don’t participate because of shyness or feeling unsure.
Encourage them to interact by showing them how it’s done! Respond to the call backs (Think Dora. “Have you seen the yellow pool floatie?” You say “There it is!” and point to where it is on the screen) and fill in the blanks when prompted.
3. Ask Questions About the Story
For the shows that have primarily story telling components, you can connect with your child by asking genuine questions about the story.
Not only does this show your kid that you are interested in them and their interests, but it gives them the opportunity to vocalize what their seeing.
This allows them to better comprehend the story, use critical thinking skills, and gain confidence in their own storytelling!
4. Count Things As They Come On Screen
Counting as much as possible around the home is such a powerful way to get your child familiar and comfortable with numbers.
Do this especially if the show has built in counting segments. You can count along and use your fingers to help count with your child.
You can do this, though, even if it isn’t included in the programming! Count how many characters are on screen or how many trees are in the scenery behind them. This is such an easy screen time rule to implement because you truly can count anything!
5. Name Colors As They Pop Up
Similar to counting objects on the screen, it is SO easy to be engaged with your child by naming the colors that come up on the screen.
If you’re child is already familiar with the basic colors, you can use more descriptive words like “turquoise” or “periwinkle.”
Set up your own call and response with your child by saying “I just LOVE Elmo’s color! What color is Elmo?”
6. Dance/Sing With the Music
This one is my favorite because truly, it’s just the most fun! When I’m having a tough morning and I put on a show for my son to ease some of the burden, sometime it actually ends up helping me to break out of my bad mood!
It’s hard to be grumpy and disconnected when singing “I’m so happy, JUMP! I’m so happy, JUMP CLAP!” with your toddler.
Not only will this teach your child to be silly and utilize some creative skills, it will create fun and lasting memories for both parent and child!
7. Answer All Their Questions
This screen time rule won’t apply until your child is a little older and enters their curious phase. Once they’re in it, though, YOU WILL KNOW.
Kids have the amazing ability of seemingly never running out of questions about what they’re watching. It makes sense! They’ve had access to such a tiny amount of the world, and they’re trying to make sense of the things they see.
Even though it can get frustrating so quickly, try to remain calm and answer all of their questions genuinely! Try to appreciate their curiosity and how eager they are to learn and use the opportunity to teach them about how to navigate such a complex world.
8. Apply the Lesson To Your Life
Almost every kid’s program, short or long, incorporates some kind of “moral lesson” in it. This lesson can be to not bully people, or to listen to your parents, things like this.
Help your child make sense of these lessons and apply them by telling a story of how it applies to your own life!
You can apply it to your relationship with them, but I think it is even better to describe a time you felt that way with someone else in your life. Keeping them out of the story allows them to fully listen and better understand similar scenarios in their own life!
9. Ask What They Like About It
Toddlers are superstars at letting you know EXACTLY what they like and don’t like.
It is easy to get into a routine with your child of knowing what they like and just making that thing readily available to them.
Challenge them by applying these screen time rules and asking them WHY they like this TV show so much! This will allow them to think inward and improve their ability to verbalize their wants and emotions.
10. Final of Screen Time Rules: Discuss What They Learned
Help your child make sense of the visual/auditory stimulation they undergo with screen time by asking them about what they learned from the show!
I can’t think of one children’s show that doesn’t have some sort of educational element built in, so they should always be able to find at least one thing.
This is amazing practice for them to use memory recall, critical thinking, and strengthen their verbal communication with you. All opportunities that stem from simply engaging with your child via one easy question!
Have these 10 simple screen time rules been helpful for you and your child?
Let me know in the comments how you improve your child’s relationship with screen time. I’m a firm believer that parents can utilize screen time as a tool to be a more efficient and productive home maker, without sacrificing their child learning necessary developmental skills. What do you think?
