Free template

The Family Gaming Agreement

Not a contract you enforce at them — a one-page deal you write with them. Below: the four principles that make one stick, and a printable template you can fill in and put on the fridge tonight.

Before you write it

What makes an agreement actually work

01

Agree, don’t impose

A rule handed down gets tested. A rule your kid helped write gets kept. Fill this in together — let them argue for a number or two.

02

Earned beats rationed

Instead of only capping time, decide how gaming time is earned. “Rationed” invites negotiation; “earned” builds ownership.

03

Be specific, stay short

Vague agreements die. One page, concrete numbers, and a clear “before gaming” checklist beat three pages nobody reads.

04

Resets, not punishments

When it goes sideways — and it will — the plan is to reset the routine, not to detonate it. Predictable beats dramatic.

In four steps

How to use this template

  1. 1

    Talk it through together

    Sit down with your kid — not to lecture, but to co-write. Ask what feels fair. You’ll get better buy-in and often a stricter rule than you’d have set yourself.

  2. 2

    Decide how gaming time is earned

    List the tasks and habits that earn gaming time, and what each is worth. Homework, chores, reading, being decent to a sibling — you choose.

  3. 3

    Set the limits and the non-negotiables

    Agree on daily and weekly caps, a “before gaming” checklist, and the online-safety rules that aren’t up for debate.

  4. 4

    Sign it, post it, revisit monthly

    Print it, both of you sign, and stick it where everyone sees it. Put a monthly date to renegotiate — kids grow, and so should the agreement.

The template

Your family’s agreement

Family Gaming Agreement

Thefamily · Date:

1 · Why we game (our values)

Gaming is fun and it’s welcome here. It also comes after the things that keep us healthy and kind. In our house that means:

•
•

2 · How gaming time is earned

What earns time, and how much:

What I do
Earns

3 · The limits we agree on

On school nights:
On weekends:
No gaming after:or before homework is done.

4 · Before I game, I’ve…

5 · Staying safe online

6 · When it goes sideways

If the deal gets broken, we don’t blow it up — we reset. What happens next:

7 · What we (the parents) promise

Kid’s signature

Parent’s signature

Free template from GameTrust · gametrust.work

Want the agreement to run itself?

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