ScreenTickr Blog

In a Montessori classroom, a four-year-old carries a full glass of water across the room. A real glass, not a plastic cup, and a tray underneath. If it tips, the water pools on the tray and the glass survives. The tray is the whole point.

You've decided to give ScreenTickr a go — that's the hard part done. What follows is a practical guide to setting up the system in a way that actually sticks. Think of it as a starting point; every family is different, and you'll adapt it as you go.

ScreenTickr is designed to help families connect responsibility and reward in a clear, predictable way — but the real benefit doesn’t start when screen time begins. It happens when screen time ends.

In our house, the children earn screen time for the week by doing their weekly tasks tracked in ScreenTickr. Once they’ve completed their morning responsibilities and any agreed paid job for the week, they are free to use their earned screen time however they like. They set a timer, enjoy their device time, and engage with games, videos, or apps.

But what happens after that timer runs out?

This boundary — the moment when screen time stops — is where something important begins.

One of the common questions we get is:

“How does pocket money fit in with ScreenTickr?”

ScreenTickr is designed around a simple idea:

Children earn downtime by completing the everyday responsibilities they’re expected to manage themselves.

These are not “paid jobs.” They’re part of growing up.

But when it comes to pocket money, we take a slightly different approach.