making sure homework gets done first
TRANSCRIPT
Screen Time Limits and
Transitions:Making Sure Homework
Gets Done Before Playing Minecraft
Webinar for ADDitude Magazine, October 8, 2015
Randy Kulman, Ph.D. President, LearningWorks for Kids
Website: South County Child and Family Consultants
Books: Train Your Brain for Success: A Teenager’s Guide to Executive Functions
Playing Smarter in a Digital World
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @rkulman
LearningWorks for Kids is an online educational technology guide providing personalized video game and app recommendations for kids with special needs, developmental disorders, and executive functioning difficulties.
Follow us!
Facebook: LearningWorks for Kids
Twitter: @lw4k
Website: learningworksforkids.com
Why would kids rather play Minecraft (or use other digital media) than do Homework?
★ Excitement, fun, and cognitive engagement - At LW4K we call it
“Engamement”
★ Multimodal, immediate feedback, cognitively and physically interactive
★ Negative feedback is private and teaches skills
★ Why kids with ADHD, ASD, LD go to tech- learningworksforkids.
com/additude
★ Maybe part of the problem is the type of homework that they get
★ Kids feel like they are learning, creating, and improving
★ They need a break from school
★ Kids feel like they are learning, creating, and improving Executive Functions
Should Game Play, Watching TV, Using Social Media Come Before Homework?★ Probably not, let’s be realistic
★ Teens and tweens may want to contact and
connect with friends
★ Younger kids may be exhausted from the
demands of school
★ Parents may not be available to kids who
need help or monitoring of homework
★ Ideally, a break involves vigorous exercise
and going outdoors - Increase BDNF
★ Use an exergame before homework to
prime attention and EFs
★ Add a healthy snack, and some opportunity
to be with peers to breaks
★ If there is media time it should have very
clear and strictly imposed time limits
Transitioning from Games to Homework★ Easier said, than done, particularly for kids with
ADHD, sandbox games like Minecraft, and older
kids
★ Have effective and readily available consequences
for overuse of game time
★ Start setting limits at an early age
★ Develop reasonable rules and limits in advance
★ Practice and reward appropropriate disengagement
from fun activities
★ If it seems impossible to set limits, parents must own
the technology
★ Control access to the Internet. See tools at
learningworksforkids.com/additude
What to Consider about “When Should Homework be done for kids with ADHD?”★ Consider age, amount of homework, child’s
style of getting things done
★ Medication - can it help get homework done
★ How much needs to get done
★ Can they do it on their own - is someone
there to help?
★ Executive functioning capacities for
Organization, Task Initiation, Time
management
Homework Schedules for Kids with ADHD★ Right after school - best time for kids
taking meds, kids who fight transitions,
parents who have energy at that time
★ After a break - best for kids who need to
move, are cognitively drained from school,
have learning issues
★ Before screen time - best for most kids
with ADHD
★ After exercise - a great strategy for kids
with ADHD, walk home, ride bikes from
school or from a bus stop
Keeping Technology Outside of Arm’s Reach During Homework★ Understanding your child, sharing that you have the same
struggle to stay focused
★ Giving up the cell phone voluntarily for a specified amount of
time
★ Using a study browser with blacklisted blocked sites (Just
use Chrome for studies) another browser for other computer
use
★ Put phone on “Airplane mode” to block all notifications and
internet access on any device by putting into airplane mode
(On iPhone, go to Settings and swipe Airplane mode
Can Video Games, Apps, and Technology Help Kids with ADHD with Homework?
★ Games practice executive functioning skills Tools at
learningworksforkids.com/additude
★ Apps support executive functioning skills
★ Some neurotechnologies help to acquire executive functioning
skills
★ Digital technologies are cognitively engaging for kids with
ADHD
★ Listen to e-books while walking or exercising
★ Reading on an exercise bike or elliptical
★ Reading and listening at the same time - Immersion reading
through Whispersync
Tools and Strategies for Limiting Digital Play
★ How much digital play is good for kids?
★ Why is digital play good for kids?
★ Why is too much digital play problematic for kids with
ADHD?
★ Finding your own sensibilities about digital play in your
home
★ Programmable routers to limit Internet access
★ Net Nanny - Tools to limit access to sites and to monitor
★ Limiting cell phone service through parental controls
★ Parental controls for consoles- ESRB Guidelines
Tools and Strategies for Limiting Digital Play Continued
★ Schedules
★ An hour per day
★ After your homework is done
★ Just like anything else
★ Never on weekdays
★ Anytime, anything, anyplace
★ Only educational games
★ Never
What to do if the Only Thing Your Child Wants to do is Play Minecraft
★ Is Minecraft OK for kids with ADHD? See
learningworksforkids.com/additude
★ Why kids need to have Minecraft limits -
employing a healthy “Play Diet”
★ Making the most out of Minecraft
★ Making a Minecraft obsession into broader
interests
★ Minecraft as a reward for effective homework
completion
Making Games and Apps Good for Homework, School, and Learning★ Play together - See learningworksforkids.com/additude★ Make game-based learning into real world learning★ Prescriptions of games that promote the skills your child needs
to improve★ Learn how to use apps and games to address executive
weaknesses★ PLAY NOW to promote metacognitive skills★ Find the apps that will support skills in your child with ADHD,
ASD, or LD★ Do as much homework as possible on a screen- ask teacher for
permission for typing★ Teach dictation skills that can be done in the car or on a walk
Website: learningworksforkids.comFacebook: LearningWorks for Kids FacebookTwitter: @lw4k and @rkulmanPinterest: LearningWorks for Kids PinterestEmail: [email protected] on Minecraft & Learning, ADHD Apps, and more about today’s topic:learningworksforkids.com/additude