Idaho Commission for Libraries

The average family spends 7.2 hours per day watching television. Studies have also shown the number of hours children spend in front of the set is slowly increasing while the amount of time they spend reading has steadily decreased. A recent study by the National Assessment of Education Progress reports that many American children read fewer than 11 pages a day at home or in school.

If you start managing early on, then TV isn't a problem and kids will eventually learn to manage it by themselves. All the time spent in front of the TV is time that is not spent in creative, challenging or interactive activities.

One of the most important things to teach your children is to watch television programs, not TV. In simple terms -- no channel surfing.

1. Select a program before the TV is turned on, watch that program, and turn the TV off when the program is over.

2. Critically evaluate TV content out loud and encourage children to do the same.
3. Discuss and evaluate TV programs that deal with sensitive issues.

Other tips for TV management:

Limit the amount of TV viewing. Educators generally recommend limiting viewing time to one hour or less per day for preschoolers and a two-hour limit on TV watching during school nights for school-age children. Let your child watch a particular show at a particular time, like Sesame Street at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Involve children in selection of TV programs. Have children read the TV schedule to find when their program is on. That familiarizes them with reading and schedules.

Use ideas from TV for more active play/learning. By age 7 or 8, children should start watching some news with their parents as well. Keep an atlas handy so they can look things up and discuss the news with them. Watch a movie, then read the book. Discuss any differences.

Watch TV with your child. If you are the parent of a preschooler you may want to avoid programs with excessive spookiness, unexplained supernatural figures direct violence or physical attacks. Try to provide explanations and balanced information about what they are watching. Discuss the characters and the plot. Get them to be critical viewers, even of commercials.

Be a role model. Children imitate, if they see that you enjoy reading and activities other than TV, it is likely that, in time, they will do the same. Think of some good alternative activities to watching like playing games, doing sports, talking to one another, working on hobbies, and of course reading.

Suggested activities for parents and families:

• Visit that museum, historical site, or art gallery that you've always been meaning to visit and never did.
• Plan day trips to places nearby in your town. Help your children learn more about the place where they live.
• Take a family hike through the woods or up a mountain. (Plan a picnic lunch.)
• Have you own family "Read-Aloud" at home each night. Set aside a specific time.
• Play a family board game.
• Teach your children a new card game.
• Do jigsaw puzzles as a family project.
• Pick a craft or hobby and get everyone involved.
• Take regular trips to the public library as a family.
• Play a sport together (how about a family game of softball or maybe some croquet?)
• Research your family history. Put together a family tree.

Children's Activities:

• Read a book or magazine.
• Visit your public library and see what programs are available to you.
• See if there is a younger child you could read to in your neighborhood.
• Make jigsaw puzzles.
• Try a new hobby or craft.
• Bake some cookies.
• Take a walk.
• Look over old photo albums and tell family stories.
• Explore the night sky with the help of a star map or book from your local library.
• Help more around the house.
• Listen to the radio.

Resources:

Idaho Public Television offers some great tips for parents on helping your child get the most from television plus other good information at http://www.idahoptv.org/kids.

The annual National TV-Turnoff Week is held each April 22-28. National TV-Turnoff Week is a unique effort that encourages Americans to evaluate the role of television in their lives and consider the number of hours of passive TV-watching the average American does each day. For information on how to organize a local TV-turnoff in your library or community, contact TV-Free America, 1611 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 3A, Washington, DC 20009. Telephone: 202/887-0436, http://www.tvturnoff.org

Return to Top

Contact Stephanie Bailey-White
Contact Peggy McClendon