How to Create Healthy Media Boundaries with Screen Time Agreements

No parent is a stranger to the challenges that social media and devices cause. The COVID-19 school, sport and social activity closures have only exacerbated the problem causing kids to spend more time indoors and away from friends. Many times the easier thing to do is to let your child plop themselves in front of their gaming console or the TV but as all parents know, this comes at a detrimental cost to your child’s health. As parents, it’s our job to help guide them in a safe direction and to help them understand that there are reasons for screen time limits (it’s not just “because I said so”). 

Consider External Factors 

Help your child understand the health risks associated with too much screen time or dangerous media use (inappropriate chat rooms, non-kid friendly sites, unrealistic body standards, etc.). What you talk about all depends on their age. Of course, teens face way different issues than younger kids. As parents, we also need to work to better understand how they are feeling during this time as media is a huge place holder for socializing, milestones (prom and graduation) and extracurriculars that have been removed from their lives. 

 This also means that media agreements should be adjusted with our current climate in mind. Kids must understand though, that this increase in screen time is dependent on their access to other activities and socialization. Once the world begins to shift closer to what used to be our normal, so too should screen time.

Listen to Each Other 

In order to create a reasonable agreement that kids will actually follow, there needs to be an open discourse. Ask your kids questions and encourage them to share their feelings about spending time online. Some questions to spur the conversation could include: 

- What do you think healthy screen time looks like? 

- How does online school make you feel? What do you like/dislike about it? 

- Do you feel more tired after online school or in-person school? 

- Do you miss going to school? What do you miss most about going to school?   - Have you ever seen someone being bullied online? How did you react? Do you feel comfortable letting us know if someone or yourself is being bullied? 

- What are some screen-free activities that you love? Are there any new hobbies you’d be interested in learning? (Swap out with sports, instruments, etc. based on your kid.) 

 Talking through the various aspects of online time will help you come to a reasonable agreement — reasonable screen time depends on your family’s lifestyle and values but you should note that keeping screen time to a minimum is recommended if possible. Once your family is comfortable with your media plan, you can put it into writing by using a screen time agreement printable (provided below by Panda Security): 

- General media 

- Computer 

- Cell phone 

- Video games 

 Use one or more of the agreements depending on your child’s age and interests. Our world is rapidly changing so don’t forget that these should be periodically reevaluated and that media conversations should always be an open topic. You’d rather have your child bring an issue to you than break the agreement behind your back. It also helps instill the importance of positive screen time if you and your partner partake in your own media agreements – not only is it good for you too but it will also set a great example for your kids to follow!

Printable Seashell Flashcards & Scavenger Hunt

Summer is rapidly approaching — and with it, the promise of getting outside again to enjoy some salty air and sandy toes. If your family is planning a future beach vacation — whether in Florida, California, or a tropical island somewhere — you’re probably on the lookout for fun and affordable activities that everyone can enjoy. So what better way to spend a beach day than hunting for seashells?

There are hundreds of thousands of sea creatures that make shells, and each one is unique. Learning about seashells is a great way to get kids curious about marine life and basic biology. To make learning fun, try these printable seashell identification flashcards. They’re a great way to practice identifying seashells if you’re not able to get to the beach right away.

Click here to download the printable flashcards.

Once you’re able to get to the beach, put your kids’ seashell knowledge to the test by going on a seashell scavenger hunt! The first one to check off five from this printable checklist wins.

Click here to download the printable scavenger hunt.

Seashell collecting is a great way to build lasting family memories. Plus, any treasures you find are free souvenirs! Happy treasure hunting!

Money Management for Kids

It’s never a bad idea to introduce your child to the concept of money, as the younger that you instill basic concepts like saving and the value of work and managing their finances the more you can ensure lifelong financial success and stability.

There are a few important things to remember when it comes to teaching your children. It’s a good idea to start with the basics, like recognizing each coin and their value. Focus on teaching your young child how to recognize coin and bill denominations, and the basics of purchasing.

To help your child understand the concept of earning money, give them an allowance for the chores they complete and keep track of what they earn on a sheet of paper. But don’t forget to teach them about how to save and decide on what to purchase with this money. The most important financial lesson they can learn will be to prioritize their purchases and practice patience.

Check out these printables created by Self Lender to help you teach your child the skills they need for financial success. The printable money games like the “coin game” will make it simple to teach your children about coin denominations and making purchases.

Back to School: Printables for the Morning Commute

Now that summer has come to a close, we feel a little sad to say goodbye to the season of travel — that is until the Holidays, which are much closer than we might realize. If you and your family had a chance to take a road trip this summer, you might know how important preparation is for a successful drive. Even those with the most enthusiastic little travelers know that an extensive time spent on the open road can wear on one’s patience. Which is why we love printables for those times when there’s no service or your kids simply need to take a break from the screens.

In fact, printable activities aren’t just for the family road trip when there’s hundreds of miles ahead of you. They’re especially great for the morning commute to school or an evening traffic jam. It’s true that you can never have too many tricks up your sleeve when it comes to keeping your kids entertained on the road.

Add this list of free road trip printables to your kids in the car activities, so whether you’re making the morning commute to school or planning for your next family road trip, all you’ll need to do is print them out!

DIY Felt Valentine Decor

I usually stick to paper projects, because, well...

I know paper. Sewing. Not so much. But I do

always have felt lying around, not sure why. 

I seriously should've been a school teacher with 

all the variety of craft supplies we have holed up

in our home.

More Valentine Decor was in order, so I whipped 

out my stash of felt, cut a few hearts and started 

stitching them together with bakers twine. Don't 

look too closely, there are a TON of mistakes but at

least the stuffing isn't coming out! 

My 7 year old son was quite interested in the new

little heart pillows on our coffee table and wanted

to try his hand at sewing too. 4 tiny handsewn pillows

later, I think I've found a new 'busy' project for him.

I hot glued the white center hearts on first before

sewing the red pieces together, leaving a little slot

to poke the stuffing into and then finished up the

hearts...with wine, of course!

Valentine Heart Banner - Kid Craft

Got all four of my chickens involved in decorating this

year for February. I die cut out these hearts in white cardstock,

and let them go to town with craft paint and Q-Tips. 

Love those sweet little hands...

After the hearts were dry, a simple hole punch for

ease of threading bakers twine (or you can use yarn)

and then die cut letters to spell your desired phrase.

You can also use stickers or draw directly onto 

the dry painted hearts with a sharpie marker, 

if you don't have die cuts for lettering.

Happy Decorating!!

Stamping with Acorn Squash

 I cooked some yummy stuffed acorn squash for dinner

the other night as when I cut off the tops of the squash,

I thought they looked just like a flower stamp,

handle included! So I had my four year old help

with a 'project' while I was finishing up dinner.

I pulled out a few paint bottles, squirted them onto

a paper plate and stood him at the counter so I could

help, if needed. 

We found that spinning the tops in the paint

got the most coverage and then gently placing them

onto the paper, pushing down each petal from the

unpainted top of the squash,

to disperse the paint evenly. The result, a perfectly

imperfect flower! One of the stems fell off of another

squash when I cut off the top and it was the perfect

center to the flowers! 

A beautiful bouquet indeed...and then my little man 

had fun using up the rest of the paint on a separate

sheet of paper, lol!

Kids Christmas Ornament Craft

This was a fun and simple craft to prep for my kids

and their friends. The little houses I picked up at a craft

store for 29 cents each and I already had the glitter, paint

and paint brushes on hand.

I always keep a few plastic table cloths on hand from

the $1 Dollar Store, so I can quickly cover the table

and it makes for easy clean up too. 

I poked a hole (so the finished houses could be easily

hung with ribbon or twine) with a Crop A Dile in the 

tops of each of the wooden roofs.

The kids drew on their houses to give 

themselves some guide lines and then had fun with

the paint. The black lines are glitter glue (left over

from Halloween) and I pulled out some 

Martha Stewart glitter from my crafty stash

which I sprinkled on the wet painted rooftops, 

no glue needed. Now for some string and they are 

ready for the tree!

Makes the perfect gift for a Grandparent too..

Teal Pumpkin Project - Free Printable

I LOVE the idea of a teal pumpkin so that all kids can

enjoy such a fun holiday, today!!

I whipped up this quick printable that you can place

near your blue pumpkin and special bowl full

of non-sugary sweets, enjoy!

and here's our teal pumpkin, complete with

baby ghost feet, isn't it sweet?!

my other kiddos enjoyed painting and carving their 

pumpkins, now for some trick or treaters!

Happy Halloween!

Spooky Mummy - Kid Craft

If your kids are itching for a Halloween craft to make,

this is the easiest one out there, truth!

Just snag a empty TP roll

(we used a roll that used to have tulle on it, so it's a little sturdier)

A hot glue gun (parental supervision needed here), a roll

of toilet paper and a pair of googly eyes (you can find them

at your local craft store or wally world)

I added one drop of glue and pressed the end of the 

toilet paper onto it before handing over to my four 

year old. He wrapped and rolled till all the brown was

covered and then I added one more drop of hot glue

to finish off the other end, so

the toilet paper wouldn't unravel from the roll. 

Two more drops of hot glue that your little one can 

press the googly eyes into and tada....

The easiest Halloween Craft Ever!

I think he's pretty cute too.

Tropical Girl's Birthday Party

I still can't believe my baby girl is NINE, wowzers!

Where has the time gone?? 

She wanted to have her Birthday at the indoor water

park near us, so picked a tropical motif for Mama to

work her magic with this year. It was fun working 

with all the fun colors and seeing her face light

up when she saw the decorations, was the icing

on top of the store bought cake.

(yup, I'm that Mom)

Before her big day, we of course had to make 

party invitations, no store bought of digital ones

for this family...

Addie had fun coloring all the toucan birds, I 

cut them out and we used a pop dot to made them

fly off the invitations.

Her simply "loud" store bought cake was 

gobbled up by all the sugar hungry party girls...

A bit of coordinating party table flair to adorn the tables.

We picked up a carton of tiny paper umbrellas and scattered

them in the middle of the tables with tropical flowers, that the 

girls had fun playing with while they were waiting for the

pizza to arrive.

and finally a Thank You to all her silly friends for

helping make her 9th Birthday a splashing success!

 We made flower hair clips and added a few pieces of 

candy taffy to their thank you bags.

Happy Birthday baby girl, I LOVE you
to the moon and back!!

Easy DIY Kids Art Display

Looking for a way to hang all of the beautiful art work your kids bring home from 

Church, School or home projects? If you have an empty door, you have 

the perfect spot without clogging up your kitchen refrigerator with magnets. 

This closet, I actually converted into our art cupboard by hanging a shoe

organizer on the inside of the door and having my hubby build a few shelves in 

place of where coats would hang. 

I took a spool of hemp twine and just tied sections around the door, knotting

on the inside of the door. The word ART was cut out of stiff felt, so no rolling 

of the corners as it hangs in place. My kids clipped mini clothes pins on the

twine and then we hung a few pieces of their artwork. 

An easy project and now their art won't fall off the refrigerator

 door everytime it opens!

How do you display your kids masterpieces at home?

Easter Egg Wreath with Washi Tape

My kids have been chomping at the bit with our recent

snow fall and lack of outdoor play, so I asked them to help

me with this project. They sorted out fun colored plastic eggs

and wrapped Washi Tape around the openings, while I

wrapped and hot glued everything onto the wreath. 

I didn't have enough of the blue organza to wrap the 

entire wreath, so I pulled out some green paper grass to

fill in the gap. A chevron ribbon left over from a diaper

cake was added before I finished up with the grass. 

I had to put my OCD aside with the washi tape on the 

eggs but the kids did a fantastic job and kept their

creative hands busy for a few minutes, hooray!

A bit of hot glue strategically placed on the eggs and 

taadaa...a finished wreath. I love the fun pops of color

throughout and that we had everything on hand, 

so no trips to the craft store were needed.