Screen time:
My train of thought on this is like the food
thought process. I divide apps up into two
different categories for kids. Health food and
junk food (just like how we eat) and then I allot
how much time they get and they can choose
how they spend it. I do however find that kids
around four or five get the idea and typically
choose apps that are health food aka
educational vs. simply watching mindless
shows. With the younger kids I find that
actually sitting with them at the ipad or screen
makes a big difference. Since toddlers are
constantly looking for parent approval. I find it
so fun to sit with my son and teach him and
leverage the ipad as a tool.
Chore time:
When it comes to chores, I love getting a little
white board that has each day of the week
written on it, a theme for each day and then
each person’s name, including the hubby.
Under each name, theme and day there is a
box and you get a star for completing it and an
x. If you complete your whole week of chores
you get a reward. I base the reward on the age
of the kid. For my toddler this is a different
playing field then my nieces and nephews who
are a bit older. Either way this gets kids into
the habit of helping keep the house in order.
See part two of how to create healthy habits
for kids in the next issue of on trend magazine.
By - Jamie Palmer