Solutions to Reduce Family TV Viewing
Turn it Off?!
American families need to spend less time in front of the television and more time in front of each other. This can be handled in a variety of ways, but most importantly families need more involvement in activities that can be done together.
TV Turnoff Week
Fortunately a growing number of the population are becoming aware of the need to switch off the television and are beginning to do just that. A web site called www.tvturnoff.org and known as the Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness has established a week of TV downtime on an annual basis. This break from television viewing is known as TV Turnoff Week (also known as Mental Detox Week). The dates for this occasion vary slightly from year to year but generally occur in the latter half of April. This group should be commended for bringing to public awareness the overindulgence of television viewing and for taking corrective action.
While TV Turnoff Week is an excellent way to start a family’s reduction of television viewing, it should only be viewed as a beginning. There are many other considerations and actions that can also be taken to decrease TV time and increase family time.
“Kidstorm” the Solutions
Here are the ideas that our “kidstorm” kids had to help reduce the amount of television watched at home:
Kidstorm Solutions: What kids suggest to reduce TV time |
“Unplug the TV”
“Do sports and hobbies.”
“Find other ways to entertain yourself.”
“Smash the TV with a hammer.”
“Dancing.”
“Go to the Park.”
“Ride a bike.”
“Read books.”
“Kick boxing.”
“Cooking.”
“Listen to music.”
“Learn to play an instrument.”
“Drawing.”
“Painting.”
“Hide and Seek.” |
As you can see, some of these ideas are better than others, but the general theme is to find something else to do. While it may not be necessary to smash the TV with a hammer, it is clear that there is room for families to switch off the TV more frequently and find something to do together.
TV Off and Family On
It is important to decide as a family what too much TV really means. This is a decision that should be made on a family-by-family basis, and should take into consideration the goal of spending more time actively involved in family activities of togetherness.
Decide how much TV viewing is acceptable for your family and how much additional time you will have for family activities when the television is turned off. Plan activities as a family to fill this new vacancy of time. By turning off the TV more frequently, a family can find free time that can be a true asset in strengthening relationships and finding opportunities for fun. For assistance in finding fun things to do together, please see the Family Fun Shop article called 100 Fun Family Activities. This article is full of fun ideas and activities that families can do together.
Other Ideas To Reduce TV Time
- Keep TV’s out of children’s bedrooms when possible.
- Set limits on the number of hours of TV your family will watch.
- Record shows that you desire to watch so you only watch TV for the time period of the shows you really want to see.
- Designate specific times and durations when you will keep the TV off and find something else to do.
- Reduce the number of TV’s in your home to decrease the accessibility of TV in the home.
- Keep track of the number of hours your family is watching to assure that it is the amount of TV viewing with which you are comfortable.
- Set a timer if necessary to remind your family when it is time to turn off the TV.
A Little TV is Enough
Knowing how much TV your family is actually watching and how much is acceptable to watch can be the first steps to greater family happiness. It is amazing how much time can be recovered for your family to enjoy activities together by switching the TV off on a planned schedule. There is nothing wrong with a little TV, but a little TV can truly be enough.
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