This year, National Turn Off the TV Week is scheduled for April 21-27, 2008. Families across the country will be taking command of the remote and switching the boob tube off. It's important; according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (http://www.aap.org), most American children watch three or more hours of television per day. The recommendation of pediatricians in this group is a maximum of 1 to 2 hours daily. Excess TV viewing has been linked with everything from obesity to aggression to poor academic performance and even the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder. Some families, though, are reluctant to pull the plug even for one week, because they don't have an alternative plan. Here are some practical suggestions to take the place of those TV hours.
Reading Fun
Take some time to reconnect with literature during National Turn Off the TV Week. Try these suggestions:
Read aloud from books that are a little beyond what your children could read on their own. This will open doors to literature and provide some motivation for reading. You can check with your librarian for suggestions, or hunt down fables, myths, legends, or classic stories such as Alice In Wonderland in their original forms.
Spend some time reading poetry together. There are some delightful poems by authors such as Shel Silverstein that will appeal to a wide age range with their humor. Once you break the ice with fun poems, try out some descriptive poetry or some epic poems, such as "Hiawatha."
Try choosing an exciting book, like an action story or a mystery, and reading just the first chapter or two together as a teaser. Many children will get interested in the story and will pick up the book on their own to find out what happens.
Play Some Games
Resurrect family game night while you've got the television turned off. Dig in the family closet for forgotten board games or head out to the variety store and grab a deck or two of cards. Games will build social, thinking, and academic skills. Here are a few more ideas:
Reading Fun
Take some time to reconnect with literature during National Turn Off the TV Week. Try these suggestions:
Read aloud from books that are a little beyond what your children could read on their own. This will open doors to literature and provide some motivation for reading. You can check with your librarian for suggestions, or hunt down fables, myths, legends, or classic stories such as Alice In Wonderland in their original forms.
Spend some time reading poetry together. There are some delightful poems by authors such as Shel Silverstein that will appeal to a wide age range with their humor. Once you break the ice with fun poems, try out some descriptive poetry or some epic poems, such as "Hiawatha."
Try choosing an exciting book, like an action story or a mystery, and reading just the first chapter or two together as a teaser. Many children will get interested in the story and will pick up the book on their own to find out what happens.
Play Some Games
Resurrect family game night while you've got the television turned off. Dig in the family closet for forgotten board games or head out to the variety store and grab a deck or two of cards. Games will build social, thinking, and academic skills. Here are a few more ideas:
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, American children spend nearly twice the recommended amounts of time in front of the TV. This has been linked to poor academic performance, poor social skills, obesity and more.
Comments
All great ideas.. we'll have to use some of these! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the great ideas! This is an excellent way to bring families together instead of keeping them glued to the television set.
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