Video Time Limits

Hi M.,
My son would (if we let him) play Wii until his eyes were as big as pies! lol
It's good that he likes Wii Fitness and Wii Sports as much as the more "couch potato-y" games. And with this cold/snowy weather, he is getting some exercise at least.
30-45 minutes per day (after his schoolwork is done) is OK with us. On the weekend, he may play a little more, but it is broken into smaller chunks of time. I don't allow him to play video games before school.
There are times when Mario Kart Wii gets him extremely frustrated and angry--we have to watch that O. much more closely!
IMO, if your son plays during your little O.'s "nap time" and it keeps the flow going in your house, then that's great. Maybe he could do something more O.-on-O. with you every other day? I know in our house, the video games seem to go in spurts--some weeks he barely touches it and other weeks he wants to play every day!

Not really sure. My daughter is 4 1/2 and I will not allow anymore than 30 min of games(only educational) a day. Absolutely no more. I can understand your son is 6, and it makes for an easier and quiter nap time, but what about doing some online learning like on www.starfall.com or some writing activites. Not so much strain on the eyes.

I have a 13yo son...so have been there. We allowed him no more than an hour a day at that age. If he didn't use it on a particular day, there was no carryover. As he got older, we changed it so that he had 7 hours a week. That way, if he wanted to save more time for weekends, he could. I gave each child a timer and expected them to use it. If I found them playing without their timers, their time for that day was automatically up.

I used to play board games with my son while my younger one napped.

I never really liked the video games, but found it is a good way for him to unwind after school. There are NEVER video games (or tv) before school at our house.

The up-side of video games is that it's a great discipline tool. The threat of losing his video time has been a great threat over the years. Also...we have sometimes given him extra time for certain positive behaviors.

We have an hour time limit during the week (son is also 6), with the opportunity to earn extra time on the weekends. We also stress that video games are a privilege. He has a list of expected behaviors (ie picking up his dirty clothes, hanging up his coat, being nice to his brother, etc.), and take time away when he isn't doesn't do those things. Some days he loses his video game time completely, but he is usually pretty motivated to keep it.

I agree in theory that an hour is enough a day, are we talking total screen time????? because i've fallen into a bad habit of letting the watch an hour of tv or video after school while i get dinner, and i know my 4 yo has already probably watched 4 hours while her grandma was baby sitting. That is way too much but some days i just do what i have to do.