Earn screen time: a reward system that works (free chart)

Most arguments about screens come from one thing: the minutes appear to be controlled by a grown-up. When children earn their time and choose when to use it, they feel some ownership, and the tug of war eases.

The idea

Pick a small number of things your child can do to earn time, such as reading, a lesson, a chore or a good deed. Give each a value. Let your child save up and spend it, within daily limits you set.

Step 1: pick a currency

You can use minutes, points, tokens or coins. Coins are easy for children to understand: 1 coin = 1 minute, or 10 coins = a 10-minute pack. Bip uses coins for exactly this reason.

Step 2: choose earning tasks

• Learning: a lesson, a page of reading, practice
• Home: a chore you approve
• Healthy habits: outdoor play, tidying, being ready on time

Keep the list short. Five items on a chart is plenty.

Step 3: set prices and limits

• Decide a daily cap on how much can be spent, so earning never means unlimited time.
• Decide a base amount of free time if you wish. Some families give a small amount free and make the rest earned.
• Make bigger packs cheaper, so saving up is rewarded.

Step 4: make it visible

A chart on the fridge works. Draw a table with tasks down the side and days along the top, add a column for coins earned and a line for time spent.

Step 5: stay consistent

Rules that change daily stop working. Agree on the rules together, write them down and review them every few weeks.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Paying for things the child should do anyway without a reward
• Taking earned time away as punishment
• Making the tasks too hard or too easy
• Forgetting to praise, not just pay

A tool that does it for you

Bip is an iPhone app built around this: lessons and approved chores earn coins, coins wait in a piggy bank, and your child chooses when to swap them for game time on the apps you pick. See screen time apps that make kids earn their time for other options, and reward systems that don't backfire.