Parents, you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.

Or just as likely, we’ve got questions and you’ve got answers.

Challenge: Best Parent Hacks

Zen Parent Alert! Achieve Family Balance with Two Simple Tech Tricks

3
Vote up!
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email this article

Our friends at the American Academy of Pediatrics have two free online tools to help your family use time wisely so you live better with each other, your technology, and everything else!

Start by setting up a Family Media Plan. Choose guidelines not only around media use, but other daily necessities like playing outside and developing the habits of a good digital citizen (such as my personal favorite, charging cellphones out of the bedroom).

Each of your kids can have a custom profile. For teens, the plan also covers tech use and driving.

Once you've set up the Plan, make sure your child has a well-rounded 24-hour day by sitting down together and clicking through the Media Time Calculator. The Calculator’s timeline starts out with LOTS of time that could be spent playing video games. But the minutes allotted to media quickly shrink as you add in other activities such as getting dressed and eating.

I love the no-brainer aspect: the Calculator is pre-populated with the AAP’s age-based recommended time for exercise and sleep.

See how easy it is to use Calculator in this 3-minute video:

You'll be glad to know the AAP designed both the Family Media Plan and the Media Time Calculator so no data is remotely collected on you or your kids.

Don't forget to print out your free Time Priorities Checklist in this earlier post. And, for lots more practical hints on crafting a well-balanced family lifestyle, read the listicle-filled book, How To Be a Durable Human: Revive and Thrive in the Digital Age Through the Power of Self-Design and visit DurableHuman.com.

This post comes from the TODAY Parenting Team community, where all members are welcome to post and discuss parenting solutions. Learn more and join us! Because we're all in this together.