Free Printable Green Time vs Screen Time Tracker

This free, printable Green Time vs Screen Time Tracker tool is a fun way for families to keep track of how much time your children are spending playing outdoors (green time), versus time spent indoors, watching TV or on a device (screen time).

Printable Green Time vs Screen Time Tracker

Getting the balance right between green time and screen time is important for your kids’ physical health and wellbeing, and will help them grow into the capable and resilient people you want them to be.

Plus green time is free, right on your doorstep and the most fun kids can have! So let’s make sure our kids get outside and learn to enjoy the unstructured outdoor games we used to play!

RELATED: Check out this fun list of 51 Things to Do Before You’re 12 for inspiration for outdoor time.

How much ‘screen time’ is too much?

The National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that for good health and development:

• Children younger than 2 years of age should not spend any time watching television or using other electronic media (DVDs, computer and other electronic games)
• For children 2 to 5 years of age these activities should be limited to less than one hour per day
• Children 5 – 12  years of age shouldn’t spend more than two hours a day using electronic media for entertainment (eg computer games, TV, internet), particularly during daylight hours.

Green Time Activity Ideas

There is a growing body of research demonstrating that bringing unstructured outdoor play (nature play) back into our children’s lives can help their physical health and mental wellbeing, and help them to build a range of important learning skills, such as resilience and imagination.

If you’re a parent looking for ideas on how to get your children more involved in outdoor activities, be sure to check out our collections of Things to Do in Nature and Nature Play Ideas.

How to Use the Green Time vs Screen Time Tool:

1. Print  the ‘Green Time vs Screen Time’ tracker and put it on your fridge.
2. Get the family together and agree on a family treat – something simple like a family bike ride, a trip to the beach or their favourite meal – and write it down in the space provided on the page.
3. Then each day your children spend at least an hour outdoors in ‘green time’ they should colour in one of the native animals on the left.
4. Each time your children spend an hour indoors in ’screen time’ they should colour in one of the screens on the right.
5. The aim is to colour in all of the ‘green time’ animals before all of the ‘screen time’ screens are coloured in.
6. The Prize: If all of the ‘green time’ animals are coloured in first, then celebrate with the family treat you agreed upon earlier in the week!