What does your timetable look like, or rather how much screen time is there?

[GreyishDays]

I’m trying to do a bit of work from home. Three primary ages children who are not great at amusing themselves. I am trying to slowly bring it down.
I’m happy for them to spend an hour or two chatting to friends/playing games and also having house party going at the same time.

School haven’t set much work, which is fine as middle one needs a lot of help.

So what do you think is reasonable to aim for with screen time?

Wish I’d put this in chat, here’s a cheeky bump.

What ages are they? I have three at home but the older two (8 and 6) have quite a lot of work set. I’ve banned all tv/iPad games in what would be school hours but mainly as leverage for them to get their work done.

I’m not that bothered about screen time though so long as some of it is educational. The younger kids like numberjacks and numberblocks. Also horrible histories etc.

And classic films like the Swiss Family Robinson then ask them lots of comprehension questions afterwards.

I agree with you it’s important to chat with friends too.

My younger ones have absolutely mad amounts of very compulsory work and my eldest not enough, ironically.

Mine are 9, 12 and 14.

The secondary children's work is all on Microsoft Teams so we've taken screen time limits off. I'm trying to force the eldest to do maths revision and practice online as she really struggles with maths. She's happy to read books, practice musical instruments and do art all morning when she hasn't been set work and that is lovely, but I'm trying to drag her through half an hour of maths as she struggles so much with it compared to all her other subjects and could easily fail maths next year while getting top grades in everything else. I'm having to sit with her to drag her through the maths.

They also message school friends through teams which I encourage tbh. The youngest is working in his exercise books from text books (work set by the teacher) and on printed worksheets mostly but also has set educational videos to watch sometimes (links sent by his teacher - usually only a few minutes long) and spends 5-10 minutes on a times tables training website.

We do school work (or if the eldest doesn't have enough school work the online revision plus she reads and draws and plays instruments) from 8am to 1pm if I'm home (I work shifts) with breaks of 5-15 minutes whenever needed but no non school screens during breaks.

The middle one is usually on his computer for school work (I check regularly though I mostly sit with the youngest) from 8-11:30, after which he reads graffic novels mostly. The youngest struggles to get all his work done in the mornings, the amount set is insane and there's extra work (which we never touch) for anyone without enough to do. His teacher shares photos of the best work submitted which is soul destroying tbh as DC3 has struggled hard to complete and submit everything but she hasn't shared anything of DC3's and it's almost always the same children...

The kids have 2 hours of "fun" screen time in the afternoons where they mostly game. It is a lot but meh... I'm supposed to do my own study then if I'm not leaving the house for a 2pm to 10pm late shift but my brain and motivation are broken tbh. We also go out for walks.

Thanks both. I do think not all screen time is the same. So I’m much more bothered by my youngest who would watch hours of you tubers playing Roblox.

We have lots of tv before they even get going on school work in the morning. 😟

DS (10) has a full school day (9:00-3:00) but a lot of it involves screens as the work is set on Google classroom. We do Joe Wicks in the morning so that’s screen time too. But I terms of just watching TV/ you tube/ gaming, he has from about 3-5, then we have a walk/ bike ride and then tea. He might then have another hour before bed. It’s more than I’d like but he’s an only child so plying minecraft with his friends is his only way of getting interaction with other children.

Pretty much the same as @CoronaIsComing, though DS (9) is an early riser, so he gets Xbox from 7am - 9am whilst DP and I work.

He can talk to his friends on the Xbox so I think it's helpful.

9am - 12pm is 'school' and exercise then lunch, but uses my big computer for that so we do BBC bitesize/projects together. We tried other stuff but we were just arguing - this way he's working and I'm doing it with him, so stuff like English with Holly is great. Today he learnt how to do a PowerPoint presentation - deathly boring for me but he loved it!

12.30 - 1.30 Xbox

1.30 - 3pm - more school/fresh air, but try and do no screen stuff, like books and art (generally unsucessfully but we try at least).

3 - 6pm Xbox. Dinner and if weather nice we'll go in the garden.

8pm bed, hurrah!

Both of my DCs are using their iPads to access online learning so they have them with them during learning time. However, they are not allowed to play on them until school work is done. This is normally mid afternoon. I don’t want them having too much screen time, and I also feel this is a way of differentiating week days from the weekends, where I am much more lax with regard to iPad use.

@GreyishDays we have loads before school starts too - no idea what the alternative is.

TBH, he'd have the tv on before school anyway, and he wakes at 5am, so...

Y4 twins. We draw up a timetable each day so they know what to expect. They have a break time and lunch time at the same time as at school

School sends through a number of tasks each day. Once everything is done they can have as much screen time as they like to play games. They are not allowed to watch you tube until the weekends and that is strictly limited as quite frankly it turns them in to little shits when they watch too much of it.

We need to be able to get on with our work as well. They are pretty good and will play outside happily when the weather is half decent.

DS7. School setting good online learning.
iPad for probably an hour in bed when he wakes up.
Breakfast, Joe Wicks, maths 9.30-10.30, outside play 10.30-11, English 11-12, Zoom with his class at 12-12.30. Lunch and play 12.30- 1.30. More school stuff until 2.30ish.
Play outside.
By 3 we give up and he’s allowed iPad and TV until tea!
So probably 3 hours a day plus of screens.
Not ideal!
iPad he does Minecraft or Lego games or Wizarding world app.
TV is Disney plus at the moment.

Thanks everyone. It’s really interesting to see how everyone’s days look.

I find this post helpful!
Year 4 and 2 here.
We do exercise in the morning, 9-11 school work sometimes involving screens, then often one of them has an hour video play with friends.
Afternoon is something educational on tv and then couple hours chores / entertaining themselves without screens.
Screens of their choice eg Xbox after 4. Not ideal but it is what it is.

Mines are 9, 7 I also who have 5yo twins due to start school in August (Scotland). The 9yo needs help staying focused and does a fair bit of online learning sumdog, nessy (for spelling) often an online lesson or video set by school. Sometimes Joe Wicks. Maybe 3 hours over a school day.

7yo likes worksheets (odd child) worksheet genius is a free resource and I generate a bunch every day, mostly maths and english. Also online doing karate cat maths and teach your monster to read.

The 5yo are working their way through phonics worksheets, lots of drawing they join in a lot with the 7yo stuff in terms of craft projects, language stuff as often story based then draw a picture with labels. They don't do labels :)

Must be getting 2 hours + on screens during the day then some tv in the evening which sounds awful but needs must. I'm just grateful I have printer/ computer/ laptop/ pads to go around.

I feel for people who are struggling without resources and hope the schools are helping where needed.

DD10 has online lessons with mixture of online work and working on paper 8.45-12.20 with 2 (outdoor) breaks in that
Lunch 12.20-1.30
And then another lesson 1.30-2.30
3-4pm she chats to a friend on skype
4-6pm playing indoors / outdoors
Dinner, TV for 1hr and then bedtime around 8.30pm

Similar for DS6. I'm Trying to get them in the garden as much as possible so they are not on screens all day.