As most parents struggle to control the time children spend playing video games and watching TV, the Hasch family has found success by putting their children in-charge, allowing them to “buy” videogame-playing time and television time by competing educational exercises.

For parents Thomas and Cola, this “system” provides them with the peace of mind that comes from knowing they are rewarding their children for good, productive behavior, meanwhile 8-year-old son Chase increases his knowledge in science, math, spelling and other important areas, and only after doing so, enjoys the “earned” fun by playing age-appropriate video games or watching age-appropriate TV programs.

Cola says this allows her household to go back to the very roots of video gaming, where games are paid for and not accessed for free.

Children In-Charge
“Chase buys his game and viewing time, paying for playing, by completing worksheets that cover math, spelling, mazes, dot-to-dot types of activities and more,” she explains. “The educational benefits are obvious, but the other benefits, which include giving Chase control, serve to empower him and give him the confidence to believe in himself simply because we are showing that, as his parents, we believe in him.”

Additionally, Chase learns how to set limits for himself.

Depending on the degree of difficulty, Thomas says Chase usually completes a single worksheet in about 10 minutes. The Hasch household rule: Chase completes four worksheets for every hour of videogame playing time or television viewing.

It’s the perfect trade-off, or, as the Hasch’s refer to it, the perfect “payment” plan.

“We compare our worksheet system to an Arcade. Instead of coins, Chase ‘enters’ worksheets,” Thomas adds. “Now, we don’t need to do this if the videogame offers some educational content.”

Educational Video Games
There are games like MathBlaster, but most children do not associate “fun” with completing math problems. Likewise, while a large number of Leapster and Vtech products teach children, the game-play is not always appealing to the Wii and 360 generation.

“We recognize the existence of games like Zoo Tycoon, which are fun/learning hybrids, and see these games as a step in the right direction,” Thomas adds, “but our system is working so well for Chase that other parents around us already started adopting our idea.” Here is a list of some more fun/learning hybrid games like Zoo Tycoon.

And what these parents are finding is that, like Chase, their children know when their game playing or TV watching time is up. If the children want more time in front of the TV, either watching or playing, they know they must complete more worksheets.

According to Cola and Thomas, young Chase will usually not do more then eight worksheets in a day, which means he does not play more then two hours of video games, which the couple agrees is a great time limit.

Thomas says they prefer Chase play video games as opposed to general TV viewing because “videogames require more brain activity and more eye-hand coordination then watching TV.” To find age appropriate videogames visit www.kidconfidence.com

Now, Chase is in charge and mom and dad are “off the hook,” creating a real win-win situation.

“When Chase asks ‘Mom, can I play the Wii?’ I just ask for his completed worksheets,” Cola says. “This lets Chase decide how much the play time is worth to him and I never have to say ‘no.’”

Avoiding the Parent Trap
It goes without saying that most children want to play video games. This leaves parents in a predicament: Either buy the video games and figure out a way to set reasonable limits, or stay away from gaming altogether.

“We feel it is important for Chase to have choices and to learn how to make these choices wisely,” Thomas adds. “And, we want him to have fun and learn and to associate learning with something positive. Our system helps us meet these important household goals.”

Worksheet Resources
To find age-appropriate worksheets and workbooks for your children, go to:

www.BrighterVision.com
Brighter Vision is a program designed by early childhood educators that delivers fun educational materials to the home every month, including age-appropriate workbooks.

www.Amazon.com
Amazon.com offers a wide range of age-appropriate workbooks and worksheets that are categorized by age, subject or school grade.

Cola says she also finds workbook for Chase at Costco.

Worksheet Samples
http://www.teachrkids.com/ provides worksheet samples that you can download as PDF files, like this one: http://www.teachrkids.com/pdf/2nd-sign.pdf

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