I realized after writing recently about the need to limit screen time for our kids that there was no “how” involved! I’ve been trying to limit my kid’s TV time a little more (especially for my 3 year old who is bored while the big kids are at school) but I wasn’t too sure where to start. So I’ve been thinking about it and came up with a few ideas. I also found some great tips on limiting TV time here.
1. Set limits and rules as a family--timers work great for kids and if they know they have X amount of time to watch or play computer, they will be less likely to be mad at mom when time’s up--blame the timer!
2. Set the example as the adults--Kid’s won’t take the rules seriously if they see us sitting in front of the tube for hours on end instead of doing something active.
3. Keep TV’s and computers OUT of children’s rooms. Both should really be family items and whatever is viewed on them should be available and reasonably appropriate for most members of the family. 4. No TV during meal time--make meal time about sharing a meal and socializing with each other and discussing the events of the day. This will take the focus off of food and kids will stop eating when they are full rather than eating mindlessly in front of the TV which can lead to obesity.
5. Don’t use TV as a reward--this puts too much emphasis on TV and it will become even that much more important to children.
6. Plan out your shows--let the kids pick a few programs they will want to watch during the week. Then either record them or set aside that time its on for your kids to watch. This way there is more purpose to the TV watching and they can look forward to their TV time and their show. (Honestly, how did we survive before Tivo and DVRs?!)
2. Set the example as the adults--Kid’s won’t take the rules seriously if they see us sitting in front of the tube for hours on end instead of doing something active.
3. Keep TV’s and computers OUT of children’s rooms. Both should really be family items and whatever is viewed on them should be available and reasonably appropriate for most members of the family. 4. No TV during meal time--make meal time about sharing a meal and socializing with each other and discussing the events of the day. This will take the focus off of food and kids will stop eating when they are full rather than eating mindlessly in front of the TV which can lead to obesity.
5. Don’t use TV as a reward--this puts too much emphasis on TV and it will become even that much more important to children.
6. Plan out your shows--let the kids pick a few programs they will want to watch during the week. Then either record them or set aside that time its on for your kids to watch. This way there is more purpose to the TV watching and they can look forward to their TV time and their show. (Honestly, how did we survive before Tivo and DVRs?!)
I have four *avid* computer lovers. They love sites like PBS.org, nickjr.com, star fall.com, and playhouseDisney.com. One thing we do that works right now is “Stations”. Each gets about 15 min. at each station--one of course being computer. The other stations are a chore, homework, reading, free play, etc, but it allows some good computer time but it isn’t the main focus--its just part of the station rotation.
What has worked in your family to control screen time with your kids? How do you limit it without making it a huge battle? I’d love to hear what works for others, since I can tell as my kids get older, the challenge is different.
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1 comment:
Good ideas. I love the picture too!
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