Are Video Games for Little Ones?
Video games aren’t evil, but I don’t think they are for younger audiences, at least not played alone.
My five year old wants so bad to be like his older sisters, playing on a tablet as if navigating through his own cyber adventure.
But he just can’t. He gets too frustrated because his fingers are too small for the controller and he gets angry when it’s time to get off, and he turns into a zombie for the rest of the day, searching for his next screen fix.
So here’s what we do:
1. We play together. This means he can do what he wants to do in the game, but he always has back up. It also means he has to communicate effectively what he wants and what his goal is. It’s a great gateway to team building. On the flip side, I always know what he’s doing instead of wondering if he deleted someone else’s saved game accidentally. 
2. No screens until 3PM. I found that screen time too early in the day not only takes away my proverbial carrot but also causes a downward spiral behavior wise. We make sure we have eaten well, played outside, read some books, finished a chore, and did something creative before any buttons are pressed.
3. 30 minute limit. I’m sure you know how time can get away from you when scrolling on your phone and playing video games are no different. We use a little timer, that can easily be set and seen while we play. Once the time is up, we finish the task and save what we can.
4. Only big kids play video games. If there is any time before, during, or after playing video games where my preschooler’s attitude wavers into “whiny” territory, video games are the first to be removed from the day’s line up because “babies whine, and babies don’t get to play video games”. Now obviously, I can read the room and know that my child is just too tired, hungry, overwhelmed to self-regulate, but I do think that playing video games is a privilege to be given to the mature.
Are you a fan of video games? What are your thoughts?
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