Tips for Cutting Down on Children's Television Viewing

Children and adults are spending a lot of time in front of the television screen. It is startling when you compare think about the time spent watching television to the time spent on other activities in the day or week. This great amount of television watching is having a great impact on the lives of both children and adults.

What's So Bad About a Little T.V.?
There is nothing wrong with a little television watching, but kids are watching a lot of television. As television replaces other activities children suffer. Childhood obesity is on the rise partially due to inactivity. Children are not interacting with real people and building essential social skills when watching television. They are also missing out on the opportunity to create through art, music, and writing. Reducing the amount of television your children watch will force them on to other activities. Reducing television watching is easier said than done. These tips will help make the process easier.

Going Cold Turkey
If you want to reduce the amount of television your children watch it might be helpful to cut it out completely for awhile. Have a tv free week and then slowly add back in some television. It will be easier too cut out tv and then add some back in then just trying to cut back. Your kids will likely appreciate the reduced amount of television watching more this way and you'll here less whining about the reduced amount of time they're allowed to spend in front of the television.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Having the television set out of sight will keep kids from thinking about it as much. Seeing the television sitting there turned off is a reminder to children that they can't watch it right now. Having the television in an armoire with a curtain or cabinet to cover it up when not in use is ideal. If your cutting out television awhile, try putting the television in a closet so it is completely out of the way. A blanket or sheet could be tossed over the tv screen too. The less children see the television, the less they will think about watching the television.

Location, Location, Location
Televisions in children's rooms should be removed. Children do not need to have unrestricted, easy access to television viewing. Televisions is children's rooms make it hard to monitor how much and what children are watching on tv. Place television set is shared areas shared by the family. Ideally, televisions should be in common rooms but not necessarily in areas where most of the time is spent. It would be better to have the television is a less used living area and have a family room where most of children's free time is spent that is free of the television.

Busy, Busy, Busy
Reducing the amount of television children watch will be a big change. They're likely to complain they're bored and not having anything to do. Since children are used to filling their time in front of the tv, they really may not know what else to do. Come up with a list of ideas for activities. Provide art supplies for children to create. Stock up on new books at the library. Pull the board games and puzzles out of the closet. Be willing to spend time interacting more with your children now that the television is off. Have children participate in family life by helping cook dinner or be responsible for chores. On weekend try to plan family activities such as trips to the park. Encourage children to get outside.

Tough Times of the Day
There will be times be certain times of the day that will meet more resistance to the concept of watching less tv. Think about what the times may be more your family ahead of time and be prepared to deal with them. Consider what activities would be a good replacement to television watching at certain times of the day. If you spend Saturday mornings snuggling your children while watching Saturday morning cartoon then try snuggling up with a good book to read aloud to your children. Do your kids veg out in front of the tv to relax after school? Provide them with some alone time and a quiet activity when they first get home instead. Brace yourself for extra whining and resistance during the transition process to watching less television.

Leading by Example
Show your children that you think watching less television is important by practicing what you preach. Your children will respect your decision more if they see that you're serious. Even though you are the adult, it will look hypocritical to continue your television habits unchanged.