Effects of Television on Children and 4 Ways You Can Change This
By Erin A. Kurt
Television has become very important in many family homes over the last 15 years. More and more, television is used as a babysitter or a way of escaping from life. Although I agree that there are some terrific programs on television for both adults and children, I strongly believe that we as a society are watching too much and are in the process, disconnecting from ourselves and our families.
Every mother knows that putting in a DVD or sitting a child in front of a television show is needed every once in a while, maybe even once a day. This is fine, however, the problem is that many children today are not able to sit and play by themselves for a half an hour. Their creativity and ability to think divergently has greatly diminished, and I blame TV and computer games for this. Do children re-enact TV programs when they play? Absolutely. But, do they create their own games and characters? Not so much anymore. As a teacher I saw the repercussions of too much television during recess time.
Over the past 12 years, I saw the level of aggression on the playground increase greatly. No longer are kids creating galaxies or other worlds, they are wrestling and playing shooting games with guns and lasers. If they were not involved in these activities, they were kicking around a soccer ball or walking around talking about how bored they were. This was always so sad for me to witness because I remember loving recess when I was a child. We would race outside and play in the jungle gym pretending we were in a space ship. Other exciting games were to use the natural ditches as our homes and pretend we lived in a big neighbourhood.
Some of my fondest memories of school are during recess because of all the fun things we played. I still see some of this today, but do you know who these kids are? They are the ones whose parents have decided that video games are not as important as having free play time, reading or participating in individual or family activities.
So, we want to teach our children how to be creative, imaginative, healthy individuals, right? How do we do this? The first step is to manage the amount of time your child spends in front of the television. Here are a few ideas to make this work.
- Remember to be sure that no television privileges are given before all homework and teamwork tasks (chores) are completed. Television is their privilege only after these things are done.
- Use television / DVD’s as an occasional distraction for your toddler or pre-schooler. Once a day for a half hour or hour is fine, but more is unacceptable. Teach your child that playing by him/her self is a very grown-up thing to do.
- For older, school-aged children, give them a maximum of time to watch television throughout the week. For example, give 6 hours a week they give your children a TV Guide and tell them to choose the programs they would like to watch. They will have to calculate how long their programs are and how best to distribute them throughout the week. When they have finished, check the lists to make sure none of the shows are inappropriate.
- Provide a jar filled with alternative activities your children can pick from. If your child comes to you and says she is bored simply bring out the “Alternative Activities Jar” and let her choose something to do from there. Ideas could include: building a puzzle, colouring a picture then cutting it up into puzzle pieces and trying to put it back together again, taking nature photos in the back yard using a disposable camera, playing with clay or Play Dough, or making a craft bought from a craft store.
Television and DVD’s can be relaxing, entertaining and educational, however, the phrase “too much of anything is not healthy” applies here. We should not be looking to TV, DVD’s, and computer games to be our sole form of relaxation, entertainment and education. Children learn to be imaginative, creative, and think more divergently when they are left alone to entertain or educate themselves.
In addition to this, children need to learn, as we all do, that being alone in silence or with peaceful music on is necessary to have a healthy life. When all is calm and quiet we can hear our souls or a higher power speaking to us. Without the silence it is virtually impossible to hear the messages we are being given. I strongly believe that if you change just one thing in your family, that this be it. You will be amazed at the difference not only in your children, but in yourself as well. So, turn off all those stimulating images and just “BE” for a while.
Erin Kurt is currently the president of Erin Parenting, a company devoted to empowering parents with the tools, training and support they need to create the family life they truly desire. She is also the author of Juggling Family Life : The Only Step-By-Step Guide You’ll Need to Create the Family Life You’ve Always Desired. To learn more about her book and to sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://erinparenting.com/
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