Almost every kid I know plays video games. Weather it’s on a tablet or a gaming device like the Nintendo Switch or Nintendo DS, kids love video games. However, kids aren’t always great about self regulating. I know my boys would play on their devices all day if we allowed it. And we’ve found that when our kids have too much screen time they turn into little monsters. So we set up parental controls on their devices but we also teach them to be responsible.
When our kids were little parental controls and basic verbal rules worked pretty well. But now that we have a tween that wants to do more than just watch Paw Patrol videos we have to step up our parenting game. So we wrote out a video game contract for our kids. The contract helps establish written rules about when they can play, how long they can play and what content our kids can access on their devices.
In addition to the Video Game Contract we also have some basic rules which all of our kids follow:
1. You must earn your video game time. Before you can play on a device you have to do all of your daily responsibilities. (Eat breakfast, get dress, do chores, school, etc… after all of your responsibilities are taken care of then you can play on a device.)
2. Time Limit. We typically allow our children to play a max of 1 hour and then they must find something else to do. Play outside. Read a book. Create something.
3. Weekends Only. During the school year we only allow video game console play on the weekends. They can play on their tablet (which mostly has books and educational apps) during the week but only after their responsibilities are taken care of. *They rarely opt to play on tablets during the week.
4. No Screens before school. This isn’t just a video game/device rule, this also applies to TV. It helps our mornings go so much smoother when everyone is screen free.
Our most recent addition of the contract has worked really well. I think it’s important for children to know exactly what is expected and what the consequences are beforehand.
Download the Video Game Contract PDF
Tiffany says
December 10, 2018 at 12:35 pmI love this idea! I have a 13 year old who loves her tablet a little to much! The big rule we have in our house for right now is no social media. This includes chatting online in games. So far so good. We also have everything linked together so if she downloads something new I can check it out first.
jessicalieb says
December 10, 2018 at 2:02 pmYes, We have everything linked. I can see everything my kids do on their tablets and games.
Ya says
December 10, 2018 at 1:59 pmA contract is a bit much for my boys to comprehend. However, in my household we just don’t give them free will to grab their tablets whenever. They honestly haven’t touched them in over a month. I love it and they play with toys or outside! I agree with monitoring and limiting screen time! I wish other parents would understand.
jessicalieb says
December 10, 2018 at 2:03 pmMy younger boys don’t need the contract yet. They don’t really play on tablets much either… but the older kids, that’s all they want to do.
Jennifer - Parent Smarter Not Harder says
December 10, 2018 at 6:51 pmI read an interesting article recently that said parents these days have a whole set of issues that there aren’t great solutions for. This is a great suggestion! My daughter hasn’t discovered video games yet but I’ll keep this in the back of my mind for later!
Gena says
December 10, 2018 at 7:52 pmOmg this is like the best idea ever!!! Maybe I should even start with my husband first hahaha
Leigh Suznovich says
December 10, 2018 at 8:27 pmOh I absolutely adore this idea! It’s so important to set clear boundaries on screen time and also make sure they are safe on those online games. Saving for when I become a mom.
Helen Little says
December 11, 2018 at 4:12 amIt’s really important to establish limits, isn’t it? This is a really useful post for those with tween and teenagers!
Rachel says
December 11, 2018 at 11:19 amWe have very similar rules. When things aren’t going well behavior wise or too many meltdowns about responsibilities the screen time gets restricted even more.
Chelsae says
December 11, 2018 at 12:47 pmI love this idea – I will have to tuck it away for when my little one is old enough!
Samantha says
December 11, 2018 at 1:07 pmThis is such a great idea! My littles are still too young, but this is something I will definitely keep in mind for the future!
Kelsey says
December 11, 2018 at 5:32 pmWhat a great idea!