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Cutting Back on TV Time—Painlessly!
Most parents feel at some time or other that their child is watching too much TV. The TV can be a wonderful thing when a parent needs a few moments alone, and it is true that it can be a valuable teaching tool. However, too much TV is no good for anyone in the family. If you find that you have one or more little couch potatoes in you home, try a few of the following techniques:
1) Decision Time: A young age is a wonderful time for you children to learn about how and why we make decisions. The TV is a way for them to begin to make informed decisions on their own. Give them choices. Set a time limit on the television based on how much time they are home and how much time you want them to spend viewing children’s television. Begin by giving them a choice between two shows. "We can watch Scooby Doo or we can watch Blue’s Clues". It is important for them to come to the decision on their own. That way, when the complaining begins the parent can say, "That was your choice. Tomorrow you can pick the other one if that is what you want."
Once your children have gotten the knack of choosing between two shows, you can give them three options and so on. This way you can slowly wean them from spending hours in front of the TV, and at the same time teach them to think about the decisions they make.
2) Make a Schedule: You can draw up a chart, especially if you are a stay at home parent, with picture of the television in certain boxes. When it is play time you can point to the boxes with play pictures, when it is TV time point to the TV boxes. This will help your child learn about a schedule, and learn that every thing has a time and place. It won’t take long before they are telling you what "time" it is.
3) Have Alternatives to TV: When you are cutting back on viewing time, there must be alternatives available to your children. You can set aside certain times for crafts, specific game they enjoy, if it nice outside—lots of time out in the sandbox, on the swing set and playing hide and go seek can make them forget about the TV entirely. Try to think up new games with your kids so that they are involved in the solutions to watching too much TV. They will have more fun doing things they thought up or had a hand in deciding.
4) Be An Interactive Parent: The reason a lot of kids end up watching so much TV is that it can be a convenient babysitter. It provides a diversion if a parent is busy or tired. You cannot shut off the TV and just expect kids to be content all the time. Play time alone is a wonderful way for children to have down time and use their imaginations, however, it is not the way most children play for long stretches. In order to cut back on TV, you must be an interactive parent. This means, you must get involved with your kids and what they are doing, and play with them. Spending quality fun time with parents can make children forget what shows are on and they won’t feel as if they are missing out on anything.
5) Be Flexible: If your child is sick or run down for some reason, be flexible. A treat of a cartoon marathon can be the only enjoyment an under the weather child has. If one child is sick, don’t force the other child to stick to the normal schedule. Allowances are the most important thing in being a parent. Don’t treat this new plan as if they are in boot camp. Sometimes we all just want to veg out for a while!
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