Kindergarten & School Age

[JacksMom]

My six-year-old son got a new Wii Super Mario game and played for awhile on Sunday afternoon.   Late Sunday evening, I looked in on him as he slept and I could see that he was "playing the game" in his dream because his hand was up in the air moving as if he was moving the remote.

Now I am using the kitchen timer to encourage shorter game sessions.  What are you doing to manage your child's time with games on IPhones, IPads and Wiis?

[Dasia75]

My nieces and nephews are big video game fans, and my sister has definitely had to set rules in her house to manage game screen time. The rules are very clear and non-negotiable, so everyone knows what they are. I believe there are certain days of the week and times of day that video games are allowed - Sat, Sun and one day during the week, no more than an hour at a time, never after 8 pm. Maybe setting up a schedule like this will help to keep things under control?

Another tactic to consider is using video game time as a privilege earned through doing other things. For example, for every book your child reads, he earns a certain amount of time to play the game. Or, it could be a reward for chores done, rather than using money for allowance.