On the road again… just can’t wait to get on the road again…

We’ve talked before about screen time and setting limits. (All the way back in episodes 3 and 4!) But we’ve been doing a lot of traveling over the past month, and wanted to acknowledge that the rules change when we are away from home. Stay tuned for our thoughts on how we handle screen time when we’re traveling.

What We’ve Been Playing:

Cow Tiger Santa Claus – a travel game from Button Shy, specifically for road trips.

BLANK (review coming soon!)

OK Play – a five-in-a-row game designed to be playable anywhere. No box, pieces made of sturdy plastic that can be washed if it gets dirty.

Onitama – we are absolutely loving this elegant two-player game. Expect to see a review soon.

Stroop – can’t wait to play this with more than two players.

Pow! – a super hero tile-drafting game with a push-your-luck element.

Gameplaying at DisneyWorld:

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom – collectible card game, played at “portals” in the Magic Kingdom)

Wilderness Explorers – like the scout in the movie Up. Kids collect “merit badges” around Animal Kingdom, while learning more about animals and habitats.

Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure (in Epcot). Didn’t work well for us.

Jedi training – at Hollywood Studios. Simplistic but fantastic fun for the young Star Wars fan(s) in your life.

And of course, video games!

Super Mario Odyssey and many others.

Kids played more video games than they normally would. We are OK with that, as we explain below.

Our Philosophy of Screen Time While Traveling

Normal rules:

No more than an hour of screen time, after chores & homework completed. We start with a strict baseline, which allows us room to relax the rules when we feel it’s warranted.

No screens in bedrooms (ie. screen time only in public places).

Travel rules:

Screen time allowed in the car and during downtimes, as long as it’s not distracting/disruptive. If we are trying to be social, no screen time. They learn to plan ahead to ration out “personal screen time” (Nintendo DS), because we do not let the kids bring chargers.

On longer trips or trips with a lot of non-social downtime, we may allow chargers, but screen time is still limited to times when it is not disruptive.

Screen time is generally limited to “home base” (hotel room, in the tent at a campground) once at our destination.

 

If you have some ideas for how to treat screen time while traveling, let us know on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or comment on the show notes.

Don’t forget to check out our Holiday Board Game Gift Guide. Clicking through the Amazon affiliate links helps The Family Gamers to keep producing quality content for you!