Preventing Your Child’s Gaming Habits From Becoming A Sticking Point In Your Household *

*Collaboration

As we discussed with our essential guide to helping our children unplug from technology, there are major benefits to helping your little one reduce their screentime usage. Of course, these are decisions we make as parents, and ultimately, what you say should go in your household. It’s not about convincing your child to stop gaming ten hours a day, but making sure that doesn’t happen.

That being said, children generally respond more healthily to agreeing with and understanding rules put upon them than simplyhaving them shouted from up on high. For example, if we show them how delicious roasted and streamed vegetables can be, teach them how to cook with us, show them the benefits of growing herbs in the garden, they may be less inclined to reject vegetables on the plate every time they see them.

That’s not to say you have to be the perfect parent in all aspects, but having a few strategies like this to fool your little one (with the deepest love, of course), into living more healthily can be great. After all, children are lovely, but their instincts are usually to spend all day outside and to only eat ice cream. 

One of the major impediments to the healthy comfort of modern children is that of video game hours. That’s not to say gaming is bad, only the culture and attention demanded of it can cause your kids to lose themselves in a digital world as opposed to the real one, and if you’re not careful unhealthy habits for life can emanate from this point onwards.

So – how might you not only dictate but encourage a healthier relationship between your child and the video games they play? In this post, we’ll discuss that and more:

Don’t Make Gaming The Enemy

It’s easy to villainise video games and contribute to massive household arguments about it, but that approach might not be the best. Kids will get defensive if they feel like their favourite hobby is under attack, and if you seem so much more strict about it compared to their friend’s parents.

It’s healthier to understand why they enjoy gaming so much. Maybe it’s the stories, the challenge, or the social aspect of playing with friends online, and most will be happy for you to watch them playing. 

By showing interest rather than judgment, you’re more likely to have open conversations about gaming habits and do so from a sense of familiarity rather than giving them the idea “my parent just doesn’t get it.” 

It’s also worth remembering that gaming isn’t a bad thing – it can improve problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and even teamwork in some essential cases. What matters here is balance. So, if you can avoid banning games outright they become less taboo and interesting. All of a sudden game time is a nice option as opposed to a way to rebel. This way, your kid might be more receptive to limits and more willing to explore other activities too. It’s not the only solution, but it’s a good start.

Focus On Building, Crafting, Learning & Story Games

Some games out there are simply not good for children. Constant shooting violence, aggressiveness, trash talk online, are good for some audiences but not necessarily for a developing child. However, in contrast, some titles can actually be pretty educational or creative. 

Games like Minecraft, for example, can teach kids about resource management and even basic coding depending on how you place the materials, and many constructions can be made which encourages creativity. 

Moreover, story-rich games can improve reading skills and help your child explore amazing virtual worlds and character perspectives they hadn’t considered before – it’s not hard to see how that might be healthy for a developing mind. 

There are even games designed specifically for learning, covering topics from history to science, and your child’s school may have a login so they can practice that in their own time. Better yet, you don’t have to encourage your child to seek out these niche titles, creative inspirational works are practically mainstream at this point.

Show Them Classic Games

When you think about it, gaming isn’t just a “consumer toy,” but a history of art. These are cultural tokens that we all know of and appreciate to various degrees. To some people, Lara Croft is as impactful as Indiana Jones.

There’s a massive world of gaming history out there that your kids might not know about. Showing them this can be great, because not only does it teach them about the hobby, but these old-school games were rarely designed to hook their attention for hours upon hours like modern titles are (with the except of games designed for coin slot arcade play, of course).

Old-school games often have simpler graphics but timeless gameplay that can be great to learn for our puzzle-solving abilities. Better yet, many classics are available on modern consoles or phones, so they’re easy to access. For example, this solitaire website that allows you to sit down and enjoy a classic card game with point tracking is a nice alternative to the constant drone of shooter games and other hyperstimulus.

Of course, this can also be a great way to share some of your own childhood memories. Maybe you want to play chess with them on vacation in the future – this can serve as a fantastic starting point worth enjoying.

Set Game Time As A Reward

Using game time as a reward can be a good way to encourage other activities and responsibilities. Maybe they get to play for an hour after finishing their homework or earn extra time on weekends for helping with chores like washing your car.

This approach can teach kids about time management and the concept of work before play. It’s highly important to be consistent with this system though, and to make sure the rewards feel fair. You don’t want gaming to feel like a bribe, but rather a fun activity they’ve earned.

This method can also help kids appreciate their gaming time more, rather than taking it for granted or spending all weekend on it without remorse. After all, it’s better this way than having to drag your child from the console so they can go and do their chores. This inversion works more capably for the mind of a child.

Set Parental Controls & Time Limits

Now, modern game developers and console manufacturers would like you to play as much as possible, but thankfully most modern gaming devices come with built-in parental controls, and they can be pretty useful. 

Using these fixtures, you can set daily time limits, restrict access to certain games based on their age or content ratings and warnings, or even set the console to shut off at bedtime so they have no recourse to stay up through the night playing. 

These tools can take some of the pressure off you to constantly monitor gaming time, which has bred resentment in some parents for the devices before, and perhaps even understandably. That said, it’s important to be upfront with your kids about these limits and not just set them as a punishment.  You can do that by explaining why they’re in place and maybe even involve them in setting the rules. 

This can help them feel more in control and less like they’re being restricted, even when they are being restricted. Again, sometimes you have to use reverse psychology a bit for the greater health of your child. Don’t worry, all parents do it.

Have Them Save For Gaming Consoles If Desired

Gaming can teach responsibility if you structure their approach to it correctly. If your child is begging for the latest gaming console, having them save up for it themselves can be a great learning experience, especially over the course of a year or two.

It not only teaches the value of money and delayed gratification, which is going to be very important as they grow, but of not feeling entitled to a treat. You could offer to match their savings or contribute a portion as a birthday or holiday gift to help them along a little. This process can make them appreciate the console more once they get it, and might even make them more careful with it. A great lesson for a child to learn.

Enroll Them In One Other Sustaining Hobby

While gaming is great fun, it’s also important for kids to have other interests too. Encouraging them to pick up another hobby can provide a separate focus so their life isn’t directly dictated by the game while teaching different skills. 

It doesn’t matter what they do as long as they enjoy it. It could be anything from a sport to art classes or simply reading more than they do. Social hobbies are best especially because it counter the solo nature of playing games, for example, martial arts can be great. If a child feels as though their life is interesting outside of the game, they won’t wrap their identity up in it quite so much.

With this advice, you’ll be certain to help your child develop a healthier relationship with gaming, without necessarily making the gaming console or computer a sticking point in the household.