Screen time rules for winter break
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No school, long evenings, new games under the tree — holidays are when screen time quietly doubles. A few simple rules, agreed before the break starts, keep it fun without the fights.
Agree on a holiday plan
- A holiday limit. A bit more than on school days is fair — just decide the number together in advance.
- Keep sleep hours. Late nights are fine on holidays, but agree when the computer rests so mornings don't disappear.
- Screens after something real. A walk, a visit, a board game, helping with holiday cooking — then gaming.
- Family time is screen-free. Meals and the big days themselves.
Set it up in child-time
- In Kids & limits, change the daily limit for the break — say from 2 to 3 hours — and change it back when school starts.
- Adjust 😴 Sleep mode to the holiday bedtime.
- Add a few holiday tasks that earn minutes: “Go sledding → +30 min”, “Help bake cookies → +20 min”.
- If a new game takes over, give it its own daily minute limit.
Your child sees the timer and gets warnings before time runs out, and can ask you for extra time in chat — handy for a special evening.
Related guides: Chore chart for earning screen time — printable · How to get kids off video games without a fight · How to turn off your child's computer remotely