Todays kids live in the matrix. The electronic matrix that the make-belief world of television creates around their mouldable minds, bringing with it weak eyes, weaker brains. It is high time we take control and give our kids a new lease on life that does not revolve around the idiot box. Here are a few ways in which you may solve the problem.
Tell the kids that the TV free-for-all is at an end. Explain to them that the level of TV viewing has reached a point of no return and that other activities in life are being neglected. Then tell them that the TV time is going to be regulated from now on. There will be whining, there will be arguing back and there will be the typical clever rationalizations that kids are kids are famous for. Stick to your decision!
Develop a TV reduction plan. In consultation with your kids, sit down together and plot TV viewing time. Get a copy of the weekly TV schedule from your regular paper or magazine. Ask the kids which shows they like the most. Then tell them that those are going to be the only programmes they can watch. Also consider allowing a time limit of 1 - 2 hours per day of viewing and no more. If there are more programmes than hours alloted, the kids will be forced to choose.
Turn it off. Only permit the TV to be on when the program is being watched. Do not allow it to run as background noise. It will distract the kids and draw them back to it even if the program is not one that interested them initially.
Take TVs out of bedrooms. Just because a TV is affordable and keeps the kids out of your hair, does not mean that having TVs in bedrooms is acceptable. Bedrooms are for peace, rest and quiet play. Keep the TV in one central location only and somewhere that it is easy for you to monitor. If you have a larger family, you may need to consider an additional TV to avoid too many sharing clashes but in the main, sharing and compromise are two important skills to be teaching your kids.
Provide alternatives. Kids are learning about their world everyday. Make sure that most of their learning comes from self-experience and not from being told about things via TV. To assist their self-exploration and to perk their curiosity, provide a range of alternative activities. Keep them busy in interesting games and activities like scrabble, science kit projects, craft, art, drawing materials, building kits etc. Build a good library of kids books aimed at their ages, across a wide variety of subjects, and cultivate a habit of reading in them.
Encourage outdoor and sporting activities. Go to the parks, pools, the football field and be active together. Encourage older kids to go by themselves and play sports with friends. Enroll kids of all ages in sports classes, either team or individual depending on your kids expression of interest.
Visit museums, parks, science centers, zoos, amusement parks, etc. Do a variety of things that encourage the kids to explore their world and see, touch, taste, smell and hear it for themselves, senses that no TV program can ever truly stimulate or replicate.
