I threw my hands up and said, “I need five minutes!” Whether you’ve got one, four, or more, sometimes us moms just need to eat, shower, get dressed, talk to our partner, and invest in ourselves all in five minutes. Screen time has saved my life more than once on a hectic Saturday when the snow has trapped everyone inside. 

Parenting is overwhelming and often very challenging, even if we never say that out loud. We’ve all been overstimulated and desperate for even a thirty-second breathing break. The funny thing about motherhood is that the moment that tablet or video game controller leaves our hand, the mom guilt punches us in the gut for needing a break. 

Our goal here at GameTruck is to support and equip families as they navigate raising kids in the digital age. Every family and child is unique, so what works for your child may be very different from someone else’s, and that’s ok. Screens are a relatively new thing that past generations didn’t have to worry about. We’re navigating a new area in this realm of parenting. What does success with screen time look like to you?

Still trying to figure out where to start? Whether your child is dancing away with their friends at their GameTruck party or watching Fortnite videos on Youtube, here are eight tips to help you succeed at managing screen time.

Be an example with screen time.

This hurts. While we desire the best for our kids in limiting screen time, one of the best ways to help them accomplish this is to model the behavior ourselves. For many adults separating from the phone is a struggle. By monitoring our device usage, we can emotionally relate to our kids and show that we are doing this as a family. 

Set limitations for everyone.

It’s easy for us to get overwhelmed and too tired to enforce a new family standard, but the consistent application is essential. If there are no phones at the table, ensure that this expectation applies to everyone.

Keep distractions at a minimum.

When the screens are put away, maximize the time. Keep electronic distractions at a minimum. Turn off the sound for notifications if you can. Creating healthy space from screens can promote relaxation and help you detach from stress. 

Not all “screen time” is the same. 

How our kids utilize technology and what they engage in are what matters. There’s a difference between video calling a friend or grandma and mindlessly scrolling on Youtube. While both can be good, the examples highlight two different ways we can use technology. Devices can help us research, create videos, draw, and more. Creation, connection, entertainment, and work are a few ways we use screens. This fact can help you develop a screen time policy that differentiates between digital activities that engage the brain positively and those that don’t. 

Connect with each other.

Screens can be a connection opportunity even if the content you’re consuming isn’t “educational.” You can intentionally get those little gears turning by asking transformative questions about things you’re watching or playing. 

Here are some example questions…

• To what extent do you believe in second chances, and why?
• How do you like to be comforted when you’re sad?
• If you had to learn a new skill, what would it be? Why is that?
• What’s a career you think you’d love?
• What positive trait in the main character reminds you of someone? 
• What do you look for in a good friend? 

These conversations are designed to help promote positive connections by getting to know someone on a deeper level. They can also assist in getting kids to start thinking critically about some more complicated topics. 

Be media critics when it comes to digital media.

Encourage your kids to digest the media you are consuming as a family. What makes this movie, video game, tv show, etc. good? Transformative questions can help your child think critically about the information presented, increasing awareness of messages and agendas.

Know when it’s “too much” screen time.

The “managing screen time” conversation is complex, often ignoring the uniqueness of each child and family. Everyone is different. Remember, each child is unique and may have different needs when it comes to technology. 

How do you know what the perfect time range is? Observation. Watch how your child acts online before, during, and after the device is removed. 

• Is their behavior positive?
• Is this portion of their life balanced with family time, academics, sleep, etc.?
• Are they consuming good content?

Implement Common Sense Family Agreement.

During this transition, it can be helpful to create or use a family agreement. This lets everyone know the expectations and boundaries, eliminating any confusion. Common Sense Media offers a free family agreement for Younger and Older kids.

While personal screens may be a relatively new thing, it’s not something that we need to be afraid of. Implement all or some of these tips to help teach your kiddo how to engage with technology healthily! 

Which is better: video games or books? The conversation presented to parents often pits these two hobbies against each other. They’re in an epic battle, dueling for your child’s attention, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You want to see your kid succeed and have a wonderful childhood with a balance between education and fun. You can have both for your family. The secret is to make learning fun.

Now, most kids will only do additional homework mandated by their teacher, but as parents, we can make learning fun! You know your kid best. You know what they’re passionate about. You’ve spent hours trapped inside a Minecraft conversation, struggling to understand what’s even going on. In a desperate attempt for five minutes of silence, you hand over the video game controller only to wrestle with mom guilt later for not handing them a book.

Ditch that mom guilt! GameTruck has your back. Maybe you have an avid reader looking for a fun, new genre. Perhaps you have a kiddo struggling to engage with reading as books are “boring.” No matter which group you find yourself in, we’ve got a list of action-packed and educational video game books for kids to hold you over till your next GameTruck party. Utilize this list to help immerse your child into the reading world.

A Hole New World

Age: 8-12

Summary: Minecraft-inspired YouTube star PopularMMOs brings everyone’s favorite characters to life in a thrilling adventure to save their friend, battle the undead, and escape the hole new world they’ve crashed into with one unfortunate misstep.

All things considered, A Whole New World is a great video game book for kids that combines their favorite streamers, video game settings, and an action-packed story!

Ava in Codeland

Age: 4-8

Summary: A little girl must use her coding skills to save her video-game home in this adorable debut picture book. Ava thinks living in a video game is pretty cool. She and her cat, Pixels, spend their days riding breakfast rollercoasters and heading to underwater discos. And if something isn’t exactly perfect, Ava can reprogram the world to be just the way she likes it. But then the game’s villain, Max Hacksalot, comes along on his magical pirate unicorn and breaks all of Ava’s code.

In short, Ava in Codeland is a wonderful video game book for kids that features girls within the gaming and STEM space.

Glitch

Age: 8-12

Summary: Izzy has an incredible secret – she can enter the world of her new video game! She meets Rae, a robot who says Izzy is destined to save Dungeon City from the Big Boss. How is this possible?! And how can she fight for this virtual world when she’s got a whole real life to keep up with: her family (though she could do without her mom’s annoying cat), and her best friend, Eric. Things get even weirder when Izzy loses a life while inside the game, and she starts to worry about what might happen if she gets a Game Over for good. Meanwhile, Eric has been super upset with Izzy since she’s been keeping secrets and bailing on their plans. Can Izzy survive Dungeon City and save their friendship?

Altogether, Glitch is another video game book for kids that features a main female character and includes a virtual world within it’s pages.

The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer

Age: 5-10

Summary: Crazy about Wii, Nintendo, X-Box, and PlayStation? Meet the inventor whose work made them all possible: Ralph Baer, creator of the first home video game system! Today, the video game industry keeps growing, with ever more platforms available to fans. But how did the very first system come about? Read re. 

Finally, what separates this book from the others on this list, it that it is a historical non-fiction video game book for kids to educate on the history of gaming consoles, and hopefully, see themselves as being capable of achieving history too!

Excellent Ernesto Cousins 3/Wrestlevania

Age: 10-14

Summary: In this next installment of the new play-your-way adventure tale, players encounter a haunted arcade on a deserted boardwalk. Upon entering, the reader finds themself absorbed into one of two video games in which the reader determines the course of action, ultimately controlling whether they live . . . or die!

During a late-night stroll on your boring summer beach vacation, you discover a derelict video arcade managed by a ghostly attendant. Presented with a magical game token, you select one of two games you wish to play, the Excellent Ernesto Cousins 3 or Wrestlevania.

Once you place the token in the slot, you have to make choices to advance through the games, and your decisions control whether you beat the game–or die. Both games feature unique challenges and life-like game play that will delight readers, and the most important choice in either game for those now trapped inside them, is the one that will keep them alive.

The Hardy Boys: Trouble at the Arcade

Age: 6-9

Genre: Chapter Book

Summary: The first book in the chapter book refresh of the classic Hardy Boys series. In Trouble at the Arcade, nine-year-old Frank and eight-year-old Joe Hardy discover trouble lurking at the local arcade and decide they make pretty good detectives–just like their dad!

Since The Hardy Boys is a beloved classic series, it only makes sense to include it as a video game book for kids.

AlphaBit

Age: 2-4

Genre: Baby 

Summary: Inspired by classic video games of the ‘80s and ‘90s, this clever board book sets out to level up the ABCs. Within these pages lies an alphabet adventure, rendered entirely in striking 8-bit artwork. Young gamers will love guiding their daring hero through the story to learn new words, discover hidden pictures, and find the missing treasure in an epic quest that will have kids and adults ready to press restart!

Lastly, this fun book will help get toddlers, infants, and parents connecting over educational material presented in a fun video game book for kids!

Escape from a Video Game: The Secret of Phantom Island

Age: 8-12

Summary: Young gamers control the action in this interactive new series from the bestselling author of Trapped in a Video Game. With more than 30 endings and an unlockable bonus adventure, The Secret of Phantom Island promises hours of screen-free fun.

Cooper Hawke and the Secret of Phantom Island is the greatest video game nobody has ever played. The treasure-hunting adventure was supposed to set a new standard for gaming. Then, just one month before its release date, it fell off the face of the earth. Now, for the first time, you get a chance to play the mysterious game–from the inside.

As you outsmart enemies, solve puzzles, and explore the island’s hidden areas, you’ll discover that there’s more to this game than the world realized. Escape from a Video Game is an innovative pick-your-plot story that promises two adventures for the price of one! The main adventure builds critical thinking skills by rewarding young readers for solving puzzles and making sound choices with non-stop action and huge plot twists.

Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior

Age: 7-12

Summary: Book 1 of the international best-selling 8-Bit Warrior series that introduces the journal of Runt, a young Minecraft villager who dares to dream of becoming a Minecraft warrior! The first volume of this best-selling unofficial Minecraft adventure series begins with Runt, our 12-year-old hero, about to choose his future vocation at the Minecraftia school. His options are less than thrilling: farmer, crafter, miner. But what this noob really wants is to be a warrior like his hero, Steve. So when he learns that the five best students in school that year will get the chance to start warrior training, it’s ON.

Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy!

Age: 5-7

Summary: Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic’s early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. 

Super Rabbit Boy is the strongest, bravest, fastest animal in all the land. . .and he’s also the star in a video game! Animal Town is in trouble! Meanie King Viking has created a dreaded robot army to spread No Fun across the land. On top of that, he has stolen the happiest and most fun animal ever, Singing Dog. There is only one person who can save the day – Super Rabbit Boy!

Code It! Create It!: Ideas and Inspiration for Coding

Age: 8-12

Summary: Girls can design the perfect coding-powered project for themselves in this informative, interactive book published in partnership with the nonprofit organization Girls Who Code that guides readers through the brainstorming process, provides inspiration, and teaches basic coding concepts. Illustrations.

Secret Coders

Age: 8-11

Summary: Welcome to Stately Academy, a school which is just crawling with mysteries to be solved! The founder of the school left many clues and puzzles to challenge his enterprising students. Using their wits and their growing prowess with coding, Hopper and her friend Eni are going to solve the mystery of Stately Academy no matter what it takes!

Slacker 

Age: 9-12

Summary: Cameron Boxer is very happy to spend his life avoiding homework, hanging out with his friends, and gaming for hours in his basement. It’s not too hard for him to get away with it . . . until he gets so caught up in one game that he almost lets his house burn down around him. Oops. It’s time for some serious damage control – so Cameron and his friends invent a fake school club that will make it seem like they’re doing good deeds instead of slacking off. The problem? Some kids think the club is real – and Cameron is stuck being president.

Escape the Underdark

Age: 8-12

Summary: You awaken in an underground cell, stripped of your armor and your sword. Your fellow prisoners inform you that you’re trapped in the Underdark, soon to be taken to the great drow city of Menzoberranzan and sold off as a slave. But word is that demons are stirring in the underworld’s depth. Perhaps you can use that to break free, fighter.

Arcade World: Dino Trouble

Age: 5-8

Summary: Two best friends in a town taken over by video games have to outsmart digital dinosaurs in the first book in the Arcade World graphic novel chapter book series. Life in Normal used to be, well, pretty normal. Kids went to school. Kids did their homework and chores after school. And then kids met up at the local arcade, called Arcade World. Arcade World was the weirdest, coolest place. It had a collection of video games that no one had ever heard of, like Dino Trouble or Hot Dog Time. And no one held more high scores than Travis Better and Journey West. But one day, the video games in Arcade World came alive. Now, there’s a whole new normal in town–as Normal becomes a dangerous Arcade World.

In conclusion, it’s not video games versus books. Just like GameTruck parties, video game books are the cool new thing! Both avid and “books are boring” readers are bound to find a book for gamers like themselves, and don’t be afraid to pick one of these up for yourself too! Happy reading! 

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Admit it. It’s ok. We’ve all done it. I’m talking about the dreaded New Year’s resolution failure. You dream of success and improvement. Maybe you write it down or share it with friends, but every year, that resolution slowly dims and vanishes from the horizon. You feel defeated. We’ve all been there. No one wants to feel that way. We want to be successful and accomplished. 

The problem is that while many people create a new year’s resolution, they set themselves up for failure before they even begin the journey. These resolutions don’t empower anyone to achieve them. To accomplish a New Year’s Resolution, we need to craft a goal that sets us up for success. Here are six secrets for you to equip to create the best resolution! 

Make your new year’s resolution specific.

Be specific in your dreams. This is the “what, when, and how.” Some examples include… 

• Make 10,000 this year in my side hustle by the end of December 2023.
• Write 750 words in my novel per day.
• Read one book per month. 

Each of these examples highlight a specific goal that tells what we hope to accomplish when we will do it, and how we will do it. Research shows that by creating specific goals, we are 3x more likely to achieve them. 

Make your new year’s resolution measurable.

How do you plan to tell if you’ve accomplished your goal or keep track of it? We can all desire to walk more, but without a measurable goal, it’s hard to know if you’ve succeeded. Adding measurements to our resolutions can help prevent us from going off track or getting distracted. They can also induce feelings of success. We can look back, see how far we’ve come, and be encouraged. 

Going back to the examples above, each goal gives a measurement that can be tracked. A good resolution is something specific and easily measurable. 

Wrangle a Friend to help you accomplish your new year’s resolution.

Things are always better with a friend! Have them craft their own goal that is specific, measurable, and custom to them; that way, you’ll both be empowered to reach it. 

Perhaps your dream is unique among your friend group. Consider getting an accountability partner. If you want to write 750 words daily in your novel, see if anyone in your writing Facebook group will help you stay. Accountability partners are great for support, feedback, and inspiration. If a close friend doesn’t have a similar goal, seek out another individual who’s passionate about the same thing, and join forces!

Can Technology help accomplish your new year’s resolution?

Technology is an excellent tool in our back pocket that we often forget to use. Check to see if there are apps, websites, or programs that could help you accomplish your goal. From tracking business expenses to tracking books read to teaching customized workouts, see if you can utilize technology this year. 

Celebrate your Success.

After you have a specific, measurable goal, select some milestones to reward yourself. Relish your sense of accomplishment. Share it! It’s good to be proud of yourself. By celebrating your wins, you motivate yourself to continue that hard work. 

Make sure you customize!

Don’t adopt a goal or plan that doesn’t work well for you. If you want to work out more but can only do it on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for 30 minutes, don’t select a five-day-a-week workout plan that lasts an hour. Look at your schedule and lifestyle, and create something that challenges you but is still realistic. 

Getting off track with our goals happens, but being persistent and creating good ones from the start matters. Save this list to help you craft the best resolution for 2023! You can do this!