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.