How to Manage Your Child’s Video Game Time

Moderation is key in all things. If you eat too much, you may become ill or overweight. If you sleep too much, you will miss life’s joys and trials. Yet, if you take part in an activity in your spare time should there be any constraint? As it relates to children ages 4 – 16 playing video games constantly, I believe there should be boundaries and parameters set. While this activity can be motor skill building for a very young child, colorful and requiring reasoning skills, they tend to become a haven for youngsters and could very well be abused without adult supervision. Below I will give personal suggestions that I feel are practical, as a mother of three.

Schedule

If you do not schedule or allot designated times for a young child to play their beloved video games, they could very well play all day. Often it is said that our youth today just as soon play inside on a PS3 or Xbox 360 than go outside to play football or jump rope. Allowing your child access to their games is great; however, parents create a time frame for which you and your child understand is designated for video gaming. Once that time expires, the video gaming should stop or pause until another set time for gaming. It’s really that simple. A suggested time frame for ages 4-8 is 15 minutes to a half hour. A suggested time frame for tweens (ages 8-12) is up to an hour. Lastly, a suggested time for ages 13-16 is two to three hours a session. Surely, the older children will want more sessions throughout the day. This is a good practice as it allows time for children to complete chores, homework, silent sustained reading, watch television, visit friends, play outside, enjoy family, or catch up on rest. *If more than one child plays, divide the play time between the different players in order for each to enjoy the established minutes.

Rating

Another way to manage your child’s play activity is through careful inspection of the game rating. Nearly every video game is labeled with a rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Ratings range from early childhood to Adult Only. Then there are others that are also to be heeded. Naturally, we as parents have to be firm and discourage mature and violent content for our children. Whether you purchased them, rented them, or your child borrowed them, each game deserves a second glance just to insure appropriateness.

Engage

Quality time spent with our children is priceless! My children oftentimes love for me to watch them play their favorite game. Though I do not necessarily want to be attentive or have other things pressing, I engage with my children. Take things a step further by playing a game or two with your child. Model to your child the importance of family togetherness and proper time management by closing video gaming at a reasonable point.

Reward

Game play should be an extrinsic bonus to our children. Video gaming should remain a part of the extracurricular activity schedule as long as the child has maintained the proper balance in other areas such as school, manners, chores, or even hygiene. Should the areas stipulated by you go lacking, allow the reward of video game playing to be tabled until improvement is noticeable.

In conclusion, video games are here to stay. The sales and promotion of video games are a multi-billion dollar industry. This would not be possible in part where it not for the parents who allow their children the opportunity to game play. My concern is that children can so easily develop the habits of a professional game tester if they play without constraint! Be a part of every aspect of your child’s life. Just as you monitor their internet access, video game activity deserves governing by parents for time, content, and incentive.

By: Nikk Felder

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