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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