Cutting Down Our Wii Time & How You Can Do It Too

Over the summer Handsome played a lot of Wii. It was my first summer working and I didn't have time to referee all day. Getting him to play is easy since he usually spent most of his mornings, afternoons or evenings waiting for the moment he could play. He is a gamer and the Teach and I totally get it. We are too. It's in the blood. I was addicted to Sims before the kids came and he was a big XBox guy.

As we got closer to school starting I would give him time frames but had to argue and eventually yell to get him off the game. Right before the first day of school, I told him the "new rules for Wii."

Every Monday, he would get Wii Money. He is allowed to spend it however he wants but he has to make it last for the week or he will be out of money and not be able to play on the weekend.

I sat down and created this...

and this...

We have been doing this for 3.5 weeks now and it is working wonderfully. The system worked instantly.

Every Monday we give him 10 Wii dollars. Every Sunday, there are still 2 or 3 left over. He watches the time and more importantly, I haven't had to yell or force him to turn off the Wii! He does it all himself.

How It Works:
Print out the Wii Dollars (feel free to use these) or whatever you need them for, TV time, family time, etc.
Decide how many you are going to give for the week
When there are done, they are done.
The 15 minutes extra can be given only by a parent or adult because you had done something so spectacular they are gifted with more time. We haven't given one out yet.

Why It Works:
Very simple; they are in charge of their time. It is up to them to decide how to use it. You put the ball in their court and make them the driver of their own car which is really all kids want. You must remember how much you hated being told what to do when you were a kid. So do they.

If you decide to use this system or have one of your own, I would love to hear about it.  If you want me to email you the ones I made, please contact me at ree 026 @optonline.net.