If your middle-schooler has limited (or no) screen time during the week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what do they do instead (on the nights when they don't have an extra-curricular activity)? If you limit screen time how does this work IRL - i.e. No computer games? No TV? I'm finding the winter to be, as usual, very challenging, and have been letting DS pretty much unrestricted access as long as homework is done, but it does make me uncomfortable.

Read, draw pictures, bug their sibling, chase their sibling around the house, play with the cat, practice their musical instrument, put the laundry away, wash their hair, pack their lunch for the next day, clean the cat box, sweep the kitchen...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Read. Listen to music. Stare into space.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly, PP. Your son will create things to do that he won't if he can always zone out with tv. My 8th grader is screen free during the week. He winds up reading MAD magazine sometimes, or modifying his air soft rifle motors (every once in a while, we take him to an air soft indoor range. Usually a bunch of 12-19 year old boys in camo there...). My daughter jams on the flute, trying to play Taylor Swift songs. Just cool stuff, advancing their interests, better for their brains than X-Box. Yes, I consider MAD magazine and working on gears for an air-soft rifle, better than looking at a screen.

How can you be so sure? I disagree, actually. I don't see much educational value in a lot of that.

NP. We don't limit screen time as such as long as other obligations are met, but I find the bold to be an odd attitude. Is everything your child does required to be educational? That would never be the case in our home. I won't hold my kids to higher standards than I have for myself, and I enjoy vegging and down time whenever I have the time between other obligations. As long as they're accomplishing what they need to, I see the value in letting them relax however they want and not trying to have an accounting for spending every free minute in a purposeful way. That sounds exhausting.

[Anonymous]

My girls are 12 and 9. They play outside, they make up games and contests and puzzles and dances and plays and gymnastics routines, they bake, play the piano or drums, read, play with their dolls, do art, do fancy designs on their nails, do science expertness, write plays and short stories, etc.

Sometimes they'll ask to Skype their older siblings who live across the country but that's about twice a week.

[Anonymous]

Read

Play Bananagrams with us

Play his cello

Play with the dog

Do homework

[Anonymous]

My DD loves computer programing - Scratch, Minecraft Mods, etc. I don't have a problem with this and many other screen activities.

I'd be more worried about kids not getting this type of practice. Perhaps those of you limiting screen time are allowing this on the weekend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly, PP. Your son will create things to do that he won't if he can always zone out with tv. My 8th grader is screen free during the week. He winds up reading MAD magazine sometimes, or modifying his air soft rifle motors (every once in a while, we take him to an air soft indoor range. Usually a bunch of 12-19 year old boys in camo there...). My daughter jams on the flute, trying to play Taylor Swift songs. Just cool stuff, advancing their interests, better for their brains than X-Box. Yes, I consider MAD magazine and working on gears for an air-soft rifle, better than looking at a screen.

How can you be so sure? I disagree, actually. I don't see much educational value in a lot of that.

Here are the skills that these activities develop:

*Solving one's own boredom (a critical life skill)
*Reading skills (all reading is good reading)
*Problem-solving/engineering (rifle motors)
*Playing a musical instrument (good for brain development and just fun)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD loves computer programing - Scratch, Minecraft Mods, etc. I don't have a problem with this and many other screen activities.

I'd be more worried about kids not getting this type of practice. Perhaps those of you limiting screen time are allowing this on the weekend?

We have two teens, one in HS and one in MS. Both in math/science/computer science magnet schools. They do get screen-time on weekends, and during the week for school work only.

I have zero concerns about their lack of Minecraft practice.

[Anonymous]

OP- my son is younger than your son but we are screen free during the week. On a free day (no extra activities) we sometimes make an exception by choosing something together on Netflix or DVD that is educational or family oriented.

We've watched history shows, science, weather, documentaries. We've watched some old timey shows like Little House on the Prairie. My rule is that it's not a cartoon, it's a family show on a topic of interest.

Weekends he can watch junky tv if he wants.

[Anonymous]

When do these kids have free time? My middle schooler gets home around 4. (Or 5 if at sports) and then has at least an hour of homework if not closer to 2, then dinner bath and bed...we are barely squeezing all that in by 8:30. Don't know when she would bake or whatever....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When do these kids have free time? My middle schooler gets home around 4. (Or 5 if at sports) and then has at least an hour of homework if not closer to 2, then dinner bath and bed...we are barely squeezing all that in by 8:30. Don't know when she would bake or whatever....

Dd gets out at 2 one day a week. Others she's out at 3:30. No more than two hours of homework each day, sometimes less. She showers every other day, which takes ten or fifteen minutes. She goes to bed around 9:30 or 10. We don't eat a formal dinner. I don't even own a table or chairs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Dd gets out at 2 one day a week. Others she's out at 3:30. No more than two hours of homework each day, sometimes less. She showers every other day, which takes ten or fifteen minutes. She goes to bed around 9:30 or 10. We don't eat a formal dinner. I don't even own a table or chairs.

Oh, I am so happy to read your post. I occasionally worry about the informality of our home life. But we do own a table and chairs, so we're more formal than you. Thank you for making me look good in comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When do these kids have free time? My middle schooler gets home around 4. (Or 5 if at sports) and then has at least an hour of homework if not closer to 2, then dinner bath and bed...we are barely squeezing all that in by 8:30. Don't know when she would bake or whatever....

Mine has nowhere near that much homework. She does most of it in class or on the bus or whatever. She has at least 90 minutes of free time most days.

We know her amount of free time will decrease drastically when she hits high school, but our rule that any free time they do have may be used on anything including screen time will remain as long as grades are good and the other obligations we place on the kids are also being met.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Draw, talk, chores, play with our pets, help cook, read magazines and books. Just like we did when we were kids. Its not easy, but its worth it!

Maybe that's what you did. I watched a ton of the Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and Miami Vice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When do these kids have free time? My middle schooler gets home around 4. (Or 5 if at sports) and then has at least an hour of homework if not closer to 2, then dinner bath and bed...we are barely squeezing all that in by 8:30. Don't know when she would bake or whatever....

If she's home for 4.5 hours before bedtime, where do the other hours go?