Device schedule for elem age

What’s your device schedule for elemtary age child (tv, videos, video games)?

Right now, DS can do whatever in the morning before school until 20 minutes before we have to leave and no devices in the evening (he usually reads). Weekends is whatever he wants, but I usually get him out of the house for a few hours Sat and Sun. I’d like to limit weekend even more but DS works best with specific times instead of how many hours allowed.

What’s your schedule? No debates on how much screen time a child should have, please.

Re: Device schedule for elem age

We have no schedule.
It's carte blanche as long as she does her homework

Re: Device schedule for elem age

We don't have a schedule, BUT in the morning we get up like 30 minutes before it's time to leave (I drive her), so ZERO time for that in the morning. Afterschool she has homework, then activities. When she has time to actually sit and play on a tablet or watch TV it's for about 20 - 30 minutes or so, just depends on the day. She does not have a cell phone/ipod. We are out doing things a lot on the weekend. Honestly, I try to get my kids away from screens, but I'm definitely not the norm. I will say, many of her friends are on their devices all the time. They can't live without them. Always in their hands, and really grumpy when the devices aren't with them or when they die

Re: Device schedule for elem age

IPads in the morning after breakfast for about 20 mins before the bus
My 3rd grader has a chrome book, but he uses after school for homework
They get a half hour show before dinner or during sometimes.
Depending on homework and how much activities they have they can get some IPad here and there, but never too long.
Weekends they are allowed to play their Wii or Playstation. They really don't do too much Ipad on weekends bc they'd rather play video games and sometimes we do movie nights. Depending on plans. Winter more electronics bc we're inside.

Re: Device schedule for elem age

DS is in 2nd grade.
He gets 15-20 minutes in the morning, sometimes none. He has activities M-W so no time for electronics. TH he usually gets about 30 minutes AFTER homework.
Friday we do fmaily movie night, so he gets the whole movie.

Weekends vary. If he's at the in-laws, he's on their ipod most of the day.
Sundays I try to limit it.

If it's nice out, he's out at the park for at least 2-3 hours each weekend after his activites. If it's not, i try to distract him with coloring, drawing, or board games to avoid screen time.

I'd say he totals maybe 7 hours of screen time a week.

Device schedule for elem age

We don’t have a schedule but my DD is not glued to her kindle or the tv. She will go days without even touching her kindle.

Device schedule for elem age

None before school
After school (if HW is done) an hour is allowed
I’m pretty loose on weekends

Device schedule for elem age

we're definitely very loose about it all. DS is 7, in first grade. he goes on his iPad every morning for about 20 minutes or so while he's eating breakfast. and then after school, too ( he gets home at 3:30 and i'm home when he gets home) a couple days a week we have activities. But usually he'll go on there for 45 minutes or so right after school to unwind a little bit. Then i'll have him do his HW and then he usually goes back on for another hour or so. and weekends he's on there a lot, too. BUT we do try to break it up. We'll have him get off of it and do something out, or on days when its nice out, he'll go out and play basketball for a little bit or ride his bike or whatever.
He's pretty good about the screen time, though. He'll talk to us about when he's doing. he'll watch youtube videos about robots LOL and then talk about the robots he wants to build someday. he'll goof around and send us iMessages (texts), which is using his spelling/ reading/writing skills a little bit. he'll watch youtube videos about yoyo tricks and then get his yoyo and practice them. So its not all just sitting around "killing" other people in video games or whatever. he finds creative stuff to do.

Re: Device schedule for elem age

10 minutes on weekdays as a reward for good behavior for games.

Homework is app based (math, reading and typing).

Weekends are more lax, but we try to get out as much as possible.

Device schedule for elem age

Message edited 3/7/2018 9:42:09 PM.

Device schedule for elem age

My oldest is 6 & in 1st grade. No ipad during the week at all. In the morning he gets up at 6:40, and his bus comes at 7:25, so there is no time. He has activities Thursdays & Fridays after school. Weeknights he is allowed TV, but no ipad. It's homework, dinner, some TV time, then shower & bed by 8:30. Weekends he is allowed to have it. He gets it in the morning when he wakes up for an hour- he is up by 7 on the weekends but is never hungry for breakfast until 8- so he gets the ipad for that hour. He is also allowed to use it Fri/Sat nights for 45 min-hour before bed. When the weather isn't nice and we aren't out doing stuff, he also has it for an hour in the afternoon after lunch. TV, however, is a complete free for all. My kids watch way too much of it. So I guess limiting the ipad makes me feel better.

ETA: so far we have been successful at keeping video games out of the house. We are thinking of biting the bullet and buying a system for Christmas.

Message edited 3/7/2018 9:41:53 PM.

Re: Device schedule for elem age

My oldest is also 6 and in first grade. In the morning they are allowed to watch tv until 7:45. We don't need to leave until 8:30 at the earliest.

After school he's allowed 30 minutes of Wii per day. He usually fits this in right after school and before we pick up the 2 little ones from daycare.

They then usually watch an hour or so of TV until dinnertime (6:00). It goes off for the day then. We don't have any iPads so that's not an issue.

On the weekends we don't really restrict TV or Wii, but we try to keep them off most of the day. It's much harder in the winter.

Re: Device schedule for elem age

Self proclamied bad parent here

There are no limits!!

for my DS who is 4 he really doesn't use the ipad that much usually one the way to school and the way home sometimes at home to watch a show if his sister or I am watching something and even if is on it at home he still plays with toys


for DD in the morning, she sometimes uses the iPad. When she doesn't listen about getting dressed and ready I will take it away from here. Sometimes she uses it in the morning on the way to drop off sometimes on the way home but lately she likes to get her reading done on the way(she is not a big fan of reading )

then it home she uses it whenever she wants. 80% of the time she uses it watch people make slime and then she tries to make slime. I don't allow her to watch people open toys, surprise eggs etc.

I do take it away if I think she is on it too much or has punishment when she does something she isn't supposed too.

There are no game systems in our house yet so no need to worry about that.

Re: Device schedule for elem age

Posted by blu6385

Self proclamied bad parent here

There are no limits!!

for my DS who is 4 he really doesn't use the ipad that much usually one the way to school and the way home sometimes at home to watch a show if his sister or I am watching something and even if is on it at home he still plays with toys


for DD in the morning, she sometimes uses the iPad. When she doesn't listen about getting dressed and ready I will take it away from here. Sometimes she uses it in the morning on the way to drop off sometimes on the way home but lately she likes to get her reading done on the way(she is not a big fan of reading )

then it home she uses it whenever she wants. 80% of the time she uses it watch people make slime and then she tries to make slime. I don't allow her to watch people open toys, surprise eggs etc.

I do take it away if I think she is on it too much or has punishment when she does something she isn't supposed too.

There are no game systems in our house yet so no need to worry about that.

Message edited 3/8/2018 3:21:05 PM.

Device schedule for elem age

We don't have a set schedule. As long as they are well behaved they have access to devices.

Some days there is more screen time than others - like most of this winter when it was so freaking cold!!! But, they are never on it all day.

My kids have never been on any sort of real "schedule" either - there is a range for bedtime and mealtimes but, DH and my schedule isn't the same day to day so how could we put them on a schedule.

Re: Device schedule for elem age

I don’t allow any screen time before school or if we have morning activities.

After school and after homework they are allowed 30 mins of iPad time or TV time, but that’s rare bc my kids would rather play outside or have there friends here. And when they have sports, there is no time for screen time.

Weekends, I let them do as they please, while I encourage them to do other things, they are usually so busy during the week that they deserve down time, whatever that may be.