It's no secret that we like to get out and about as much as possible. At home we like to spend time playing games, crafting or doing stuff in the garden. But I'd be lying if I said we didn't ever watch the TV. Television can be a great way for children to learn about the world, but it can easily dominate your free time if you let it.
Today's guest post has some useful tips for maintaining good viewing habits:
It is just
about impossible to imagine the average child’s life without a television.
Whether they are watching their favourite cartoon, a nature show or a film, the
television is a prime source of entertainment and education. It is important
that you encourage good viewing habits early on. This way, children will learn
early how to make the most of their television viewing.
Make a schedule
In order to get
the best out of their TV
watching, take the time once a week as soon as programming
is available to get your children to make a schedule of what they want to watch
over the next seven days.
This is
beneficial for two reasons. Firstly, it encourages kids to be selective about
what they are going to watch rather than just plonking down in front of the TV
and seeing what happens to be airing.
Secondly, it
gives you the chance to supervise what they are watching. There is so much on
the small screen that is unsuitable for kids and where you have control (in
your home!), exercise it.
TV rationing
It is vital
that you implement daily TV rationing for your children relative to their ages.
This may sound very strict but discipline is so important. With digital tv there is now fantastic programming on offer,
but in order to prevent the TV from taking over their lives – and yours – keep
set times!
For children in
playschool, keep TV time to one hour while, for young school-aged kids, two
hours is probably enough.
Of course, it
is impossible to watch every second that your kids are watching but try to
avoid using the television as a babysitter. It’s great if you can watch an
entire programme but if you can’t manage this (and if you are as busy as most
parents you probably can’t), just drop in for a few minutes. It will give you a
chance to relax and keep an eye on what your kids are watching.
Set an example
Be aware that
your TV viewing habits will rub off on your kids. Turn it off during meals and
when visitors arrive at your home. Also, be sure that babysitters, nannies and
grandparents know what the TV rules are. Maybe when they’re being looked after,
it is a good time to allow them an extra hour or so as a treat.
This is a featured guest post in association with BT.
Great ideas x
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim x
DeleteReally great ideas, we do very similar things. Up until this summer B has only really watched cbeebies (I hate ad breaks!) but being 6 now we decided she could progress onto Disney Junior. We sit with her on a Sunday and record the programmes she would like to see. We always have a rule that school work is completed each day before the TV goes on, so in reality she may only get half an hour of TV before bath time. It might sound mean but we find it works well, she really enjoys watching something and it works as a lovely reward for her to have some "rest time" too!
ReplyDeleteI think it's good to see it as a reward rather than just the norm.
Deletetop tips.
ReplyDeleteThank you x
Delete**Scribbles down these ideas to use myself**
ReplyDeleteHehe
DeleteSome great advice, we often have the TV running in the background without anyone really watching. Think that's when we could actually switch it off
ReplyDeleteAhh yes, even as adults we're guilty of that - and then turn it off to protests of "Hey! I was watching that!"
Delete