In the modern age of homeschooling, it isn’t uncommon to use modern technology to supplement and even teach certain subjects in our homeschools. However, for many parents, this presents a new problem – how to find the balance between educational screen time and entertainment screen time. This post helps you set guidelines and parameters that work for your family!
Years ago, I wrote a post about how we handled screen time in our family. However, that post is quite outdated because things have dramatically changed since those days! My children are no longer all little, I have adult children living in the home, and more and more of our schoolwork is done on the computer, or supplemented by online sites and resources.
And there are WAY more screens in our home than there used to be.
Among the 9 people currently living in our home, there are 14 devices available – from computers to laptops to phones and tablets and of course, the smart TV in the living room that is also connected to the internet. A few years ago, I would have said that was excessive, but from where I stand now, it feels pretty normal.
In fact, I want to be clear in this post – what works for us isn’t the ONLY way to manage screen time. Some of you will find our screen time notions quite lenient, and others will find them entirely too restrictive. Only you and your family can define your boundaries and rules for Screen Time.
WARNING SIGNS THERE MIGHT BE TOO MUCH SCREEN TIME
1 – Your child cries when it is time to shut off the screens.
2 – Your child yells at you when you take away a screen time privilege.
3 – Your child wakes up and goes to bed at night asking for screen time (and a lot of their day is spent asking for a device to watch or play on).
4 – You hand your child your phone or tablet as soon as they fuss.
5 – You find yourself “giving in” to your child’s demands for devices simply to “keep the peace.”
6 – You just “know” they are on devices too much. (Because honestly, we usually DO know.)
Most likely, if you are reading this you think your family “might” have a problem, so let’s walk through this because when you homeschool, it isn’t a simple matter of limiting game time and watching less TV. There’s all that schoolwork to take into account. Let’s start there…
How much time should a homeschooler be on the computer for school?
Once upon a time, I might have said, “NONE!” But now that I have older kids and more kids in general (and it’s not the early 2000’s!), I’ve changed my tune. Computer schooling is an invaluable tool for homeschool parents.
- It can take over subjects mom doesn’t feel qualified to teach.
- It can help mom redeem more time.
- It can be a quick resource for difficult questions.
- It is a great audio-visual supplement.
- and the list goes on!
But, it does mean our homeschooled children are spending more time in front of a screen than we may have anticipated or even hoped for. We don’t need to feel guilty about this, we simply need to place some limits and boundaries on these tools.
Here’s a peek at how devices play a role in our homeschool without being pervasive…
Morning Time:
Only Mom is allowed a screen during Morning Time. I use it to show clips and images of things we are discussing and our actual Morning Time lessons are housed on my computer.
READ >> Homeschool Garden Morning Time Review
Young Children (ages 6-12)
My younger children have 1 subject that is done every day on the computer and that is Math (Teaching Textbooks). This usually takes 30 minutes a day at this age.
Additionally, once a child finishes Phonics, they are given 30 minutes of “Typing Time” once a week to work on a word processor program, usually writing on a story they have created. This helps them hone their writing and spelling, so I include it here as school.
Total time on screen for young homeschoolers = 30-60 minutes
Middle Children (ages 12-14)
My middle children do Math and sometimes Typing or another elective on the computer. They sometimes work on projects on the computer as well. Math and Typing together only take about 45-90 minutes. If there are projects, I will allow another hour on the computer. These kids also have 30 minutes of Typing Time one time per week.
Total time on screen for middle homeschoolers = 45 minutes – 2.5 hours
Older Children (ages 14-18)
My older children do Math, Science, and Electives on the computer. They sometimes work on projects on the computer as well. These classes take a total of 1-2 hours. I also sometimes assign videos or documents to be watched or read online, adding another 30-60 minutes usually. And these kids have two Typing Times each week, totaling 1 hour.
Total time on screen for older homeschoolers = 45 minutes – 3 hours
READ >> Homeschooling High School in a Large Family
Basically, I prefer my students are not on the computer more than 2 hours for school. In special cases, I will allow for more time (like when my 17 year old is trying to finish up a class before vacation), but I have them take regular breaks to avoid eye strain (and frustration!).
TIP:
Teach your kids the 20-20-20 rule to help with eye strain.
QUESTION: What if I need my kids to do ALL of their school on the computer?
Sometimes circumstances require all of our children’s school be done on the computer. For younger children, this still shouldn’t take more than 2 hours. If it is taking longer than that, you probably need to intervene and find a way to cut back.
Here’s why…
For older children, it may take closer to 4 hours if all of their homeschooling is done on a screen. If this is the case…
- Have them take regular breaks.
- Make sure they aren’t dawdling. (check on them regularly)
- Don’t allow other screens in the area. (even an extremely focused child will take longer if distracted by other screens)
- Keep an eye on their mental and physical health. Screens and online access can amplify problems your children might be having, and these things can really sneak up on you.
Now that we’ve established educational parameters, it’s time to talk about entertainment. This is everything from video games to YouTube to family movie nights.
How much time should kids spend on screens for entertainment purposes?
Again, there is no fixed answer. Reread the warning signs at the beginning of this post, and proceed at your own pace with your own family in mind.
Oh, wait…one more warning…this time from the American Heart Association…
Kids and teens age 8 to 18 spend an average of more than seven hours a day looking at screens. The new warning from the AHA recommends parents limit screen time for kids to a maximum of just two hours per day. For younger children, age 2 to 5, the recommended limit is one hour per day.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/parents-need-to-drastically-cut-kids-screen-time-devices-american-heart-association/
Now, obviously, the AHA is concerned about heart disease and obesity which is “linked” to how much time a child spends on a screen during the day. I would submit that it’s not really linked to the amount of time spent on a screen, but rather the amount of time NOT spent playing.
ALL children should be spending more time playing regardless of screen time amounts. Cutting down on screen time without implementing other healthy habits isn’t going to change anything.
That said, I have found when my children are on devices more, they are less creative and less likely to find creative ways to play. Kids need to be bored often enough and for long enough that they come up with something else to do. Thus the reason we have tight restrictions on screen time for entertainment purposes in our home.
Our Television Screen Time rules:
Television Time for the kids is from 4-5 pm every weekday, but the house must be tidy! Every day, without fail, the house is cleaned prior to the 4pm TV Time (currently, we call it the 3pm Reset). However, if Mom notices something isn’t properly cleaned, the TV goes off and it has to be fixed.
NOTE: Each day, it rotates which child chooses what the kids will watch during this timeframe. This works out well because I currently have 5 children at home and there are 5 days of the week.
TV Time after dinner is for older kids and parents. It’s still family friendly, but it’s not a cartoon.
Special Night (once a week) includes a movie and video games. On Fridays, we have Special Night and Dad chooses a movie to kick things off around 6pm.
Saturday mornings are for cartoons. Just like when Ty and I were kids, our kids are allowed to watch cartoons from 10-12 every Saturday we are home.
Sundays we try to avoid screens altogether – television included. Although, my husband does sometimes turn on a hunting show.
The dishwasher sometimes watches a show while they wash. We have an Alexa Show in our kitchen and if the dishwasher has a particularly large load of dishes, I will let them watch something on YouTube while they wash to pass the time. The kids will also sometimes opt for music or Adventures in Odyssey while they wash.
Television Time averages out to about 1.5 – 2 hours a day for everyone.
Our Video Game Screen Time Rules
First, some general rules…
Older children and adult children police themselves with 1 rule: No devices until 4pm. Older children (17 & up) and adult children must not use their phones/computers/tablets prior to 4pm for entertainment purposes that are enticing to their younger siblings. i.e. watching YouTube videos, playing games, etc. It’s too tempting for the little kids to stare over their shoulders.
No earbuds unless sanctioned by Mom or Dad. For 2 reasons – it keeps them from hiding what they are listening to and it protects their ears.
Video Game Time does not trump Mom and Dad. If we need a child to load a dishwasher, feed a dog, help with dinner, or come along on an errand, Video Game Time does not null and void these requests. And if you whine, chances are you’ll lose that time. We will; however, honor requests to “wait until game time is over” if it is not an emergency and you asked nicely.
Don’t start a new match/round with only 10 minutes left on your timer. This is for my kids who play with their friends and ask to play “one more match” that ends up extending their game time by 30 minutes. If you have less than 10 minutes left, don’t ask. It will always be a no.
OK, now for the actual video game allowances…
Younger Children (ages 6-12)
This is a pretty wide age range in my opinion because there isn’t much video gaming going on for my kids before the age of 8 or 9 – maybe 2 hours a week because of Special Night. Around the age of 8, they are given what we call Flex Time (1 hour) to use anytime during the week in case a friend or sibling wants to play a video game with them. They also have 2 hours on Saturday afternoons to play.
Total time on video game time for younger children per week = 2-5 hours
Middle Children (ages 12-14)
At the age of 14, Typing Time is extended to include an additional 30 minutes for Game Time. You MUST type first, then you get your 30 minutes of Game Time. They also have 1 hour of Flex Time per week, plus the Special Night time and the Saturday afternoon Game Time.
Total time on video game time for middle children per week = 5.5 hours
Older Children (ages 14-18)
At the age of 15, a second day is added with Typing Time and Game Time. They still have 1 hour of Flex Time per week, as well the Special Night and Saturday afternoon hours.
Total time on video game time for older children per week = 6 hours
Here are a few more rules for Screen Time…
No screens in bedrooms, unless you are an adult. I don’t like devices in bedrooms. We’ve never had computers in bedrooms or allowed iPads or phones to be in bedrooms. Parents and adult siblings are the exception to this rule. My office is in my bedroom and most of us use our phones as alarms for work and college.
Screen Time is a privilege, and it’s the first thing to go if you need to be disciplined. Nobody “needs” entertainment-based Screen Time; therefore, it is a privilege, not a right. For the younger boys in particular, it is the first thing taken away if they misbehave.
In fact, when we had an issue with wet towels mildewing in the hamper, Dad threatened to take away screen time if the towels were not laid out to dry instead of crumpled up. That straightened things right up! I did the same thing when I decided everyone needed to rinse their dishes instead of leaving piles of food and napkins all over the sink area that made it difficult for the dishwasher to have to clean up. If it didn’t happen, video game time was going to be what disappeared.
These rules have worked well for us, but I am always watching and taking note if something doesn’t work well or screens start seeming excessive. I don’t see a lot of bad behavior when I ask the kids to shut off their screens. I don’t have kids asking non-stop to get on a device (it helps to have a timeline for them!), and I definitely see them using their imaginations and being creative.
Other ideas for Screen Time
*Some parents opt to make Screen Time for entertainment purposes purely a reward system. Plays outside for 20 minutes = Receive 20 minutes of Screen Time. Do your schoolwork without dawdling = 30 minutes of Screen Time.
Personally, I couldn’t keep up with this way of managing Screen Time. I have 10 kids and I don’t like spreadsheets, which is what it would take to keep track of the monstrosity this would become!
*Some parents have days set aside for specific things or specific children. We used to do Monday, Wednesday, Friday as TV days. This was back when the kids were all little and went to bed early. Now that I have a mix of bigs and littles, this doesn’t work. (Thus the reason I had to revisit this topic!)
*Some parents opt to avoid the screen entirely until a certain age. This works great if you only have a couple of kids and they are close in age. You can wait to introduce the concept of Screen Time until they are much older. Unfortunately, this was easier 20 years ago when my oldest was little. Now it’s near impossible unless you yourself avoid all screens as well.
Frankly, I don’t believe the world of technology is inherently evil. But, I do think we have a difficult time controlling ourselves around our devices.
Technology contains an addictive allure that easily becomes all-consuming if we don’t keep a close eye on it. It is a matter of self-governing, and being able to recognize when moderation has been exceeded. However, little kids don’t self-govern. In fact, a lot of adults don’t either.
When our children are young, it’s our responsibility to keep screens in check. As our children grow older, we have to lift those restrictions little by little and let them try things out on their own.
So far, most of my adult children have made some mistakes when it comes to managing their devices and their time spent on them.
But, that’s ok.
So have I!
I remember how much time I spent online working on this blog from 2011-2013. It was too much. I still have to keep an eye on my screen time, but I know what too much looks like, and God has always been faithful to give me a little nudge when I cross that line.
So, in short…
- Don’t feel guilty about taking advantage of the screen-based opportunities we have for homeschooling.
- Make sure your children take breaks from the screen.
- Put reasonable parameters in place for entertainment-based screen time.
- And when in doubt, go with your gut – it’s probably right!
Tara Beechy says
This is an EXCELLENT article! So few homeschool blogs address this issue and you did a great job of laying out your family rules to encourage others without seeming critical or judgmental of other families choices.
It is so much easier to limit screen time when all the kids are small, but when you have a wide age range like we do, it can be really tricky to stay true to your convictions while making everyone happy! (My oldest is 18 and youngest is 4) Our family rules are similar in many ways. I especially appreciate how you hold your adult “children” accountable so they are not a distraction ( or bad example) to the younger children. Sadly, so many families think that once their child becomes an adult, it is no longer permissible to give them guidelines and it begins a slow trickle down through the younger children until there are no rules for anyone anymore.
I’m sharing your article on our facebook page. Thanks Ami!
Amy says
It’s such a tricky balance, especially with older kids! I’ve explained to my older children that we have to be aware of the people around us. They may have roommates, spouses, children of their own someday, and no one can just “do whatever they want.” I want to give them freedom that doesn’t encroach on the freedom and sensitivities of others in the household. I don’t always get it right, but at least I try! lol
Missy says
Thank you for the article! Do you have an app or computer game that you like for reinforcing math facts?
Amy says
Hi Missy! Reading Eggs has a sister site called Math Seeds. I need to dig into it a bit more, but I think that might be a good option.
Missy says
Thank you!
Lin says
Thanks for sharing how your family manages technology! Do you have any recommendations on filtering/monitoring software for your family?
Thanks for any suggestions!
Lin
Amy says
Hi Lin! We don’t personally use this product, but a lot of people I know use Covenant Eyes.
Blessings,
Amy