We have something a little different today; a set of TV rules for you to fill out and print for your children, to helpfully reduce the TV-related arguments in your house.
We realise that screens generally, and the internet can cause a little consternation in most household, so we have already put together an internet safety contract for you. BUT, in our experience, screen time not only includes the use of mobile devices, but also TV time. So how can you manage that and still keep a little peace in the house?
This is a collaborative post.
Three key recommendations before establishing your TV rules
We have put together a few basic rules for use of the TV in the house, and we hope that these are going to go some way to preventing the television from being a flash point. There are also some basic recommendations around the TV that are worth discussing with your kids too:
TV is one of many ways to be entertained as a family
The television is a great way to be entertained as a family – it can be lovely to all sit down and watch a show together. However, it isn’t necessarily the default – there are lots of other ideas too such as playing board games together, doing some of our printables, making a board game such as Monopoly or Royal Game of Ur, baking, or even just having a good old chat.
By default the TV needs to be off
Your television shouldn’t be the focus of family life, even if you have an awesome 8k TV in your life 😂. It can be all to easy to switch it on when you come home, keep it on all the time, and then everyone defaults to watching it. Keep it’s standard position as OFF, and then people default to talking to each other instead! It is particularly important to have the TV off in specific situations as well, such as when you have guests, or when you are sitting down to eat a meal. Though, of course, you might have the TV on if, for example, all the family aren’t there, or its a film night. Don’t forget to print our popcorn holders if you do have a movie night!
Rules apply to everyone not just the kids
Fairness is absolutely paramount when you are 7. It is also critical if you have a child with ADHD or special needs. You have to make sure that you are also following the rules, and being consistent. You cannot have one rule for them, and another rule for the adults in the house. Model the behaviour that you want your kids to display.
What have we included within our rules?
We have kept it was simple as possible with just a few rules to stick to. We also have a blank sheet for you to fill out your own just in case!
- I am able to watch up to ___ a day,
- I must do my homework and jobs first,
- Renegotiation may happen if grades drop,
- If I get worried, I’ll chat to you or an adult (this is worried about any of the shows seen, or scared or confused, or anything really!),
- No shows rated higher than ___ ,
- TV is part of our family entertainment, not all of it. Just as we say above, TV isn’t everything in the home!
As you can see – we have provided a simple, but we hope effective place to start with some rules for the TV in your home.
What else do you think that there should be included – do let us know
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If you like this, and the other ideas on the site, why not sign up to our articles as they are released:
We do have other articles on the site around screen time, so do check these out as well:
Screen time related ideas from KiddyCharts
Here are some more ideas around the internet and screen time on KiddyCharts for you to have a look at.
The ultimate guide to screen time for kids
The ultimate guide to screen time for you - everything you need to know about it, but were too afraid to ask!
Five tips to keep kids learning with educational screen time
Ideas for you to keep screen time focused on education.
Should kids be allowed screen time in the car?
What about screen time in the car - should you allow it?
Tips for managing screen time with your kids
Finally, more tips on how to manage that screen time with the kids.
Here are some more ideas for you too, from other sites:
Screen time articles from off site
Here are some more ideas about screen time from sites other than KiddyCharts.
Screen Time for Young Kids - Living Mi Vida Loca (a Latina Lifestyle blog)
Ideas around screen time for younger children.
Cutting Down On Screen Time
More tips and ideas from cutting down on screen time with your kids co-operatively.
Books about Balancing Screen Time
Finally, something a little different, books about screen time, including screen free family time.
Thanks as always for stopping by, and we hope that you will drop in and see us again soon.
Take care,
Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!