Develop Television Watching Habits In Your Child

Television is an important part of our daily life. Adults’ habit of watching television also encourages children to attract towards the television. Though doctors and experts have suggested no television for children under 2 years of age, and a limited and restricted viewing for those above two.

Excessive Television watching may hamper your child brain and vision development. To keep your child good in academic, limiting the television time is very important.

Following are the ways to nurture the television watching habit in your child:

1. Be choosy about the shows you and your child watch
Select the program that is appropriate for your child age group, and should also convey some god to learn information. Don’t just choose the program randomly, instead go through the program review on internet or other sources and allow your child to view it for limited time. Turn off the set when a program you have selected is over.

2. Watch TV when your preschooler does
Young children often imitate what they see and hear on TV. Don’t hesitate to ask questions that encourage your child to invent her own dialogue or vary the plot. Here are some TV conversation starters: What happened in the beginning of the movie? Which character would you like to be? If you could make up a new story with the same characters, how would your story end?

3. Do not replace family time with TV
Set a time limit for your child for watching TV. After this time encourage your child to enjoy the remaining time with family, dancing, hobby or some other activity. Use the musical aspects of a show or a character’s physical feats to encourage your child to dance, jump and clap rather than just sit still and watch.

4. Use TV shows and videos to enhance listening skills
Turn TV into a listening game: While watching a familiar show or movie, ask your child to turn her back to the TV set. When a familiar character begins to speak or sing, ask her to identify who it is just by listening.

5. Avoid programs that show violence
Violence can put negative impact on your child’s tender mind. When your child sees a character solve a problem by hitting, kicking or biting, point it out as something not to do. Offer alternative courses of action: “Rather than hitting his sister, that boy could have asked her to stop bothering him.”

6.Help your child understand that cartoon characters are not real humans.
Teach your child the powers that their favorite cartoons have are not real. Humans can never have such powers of flying, jumping, swinging, etc., to avoid accidents in case your child tries to imitate them.

7. Avoid programs that could scare your child
Do not allow your child to view the shows that frighten them. If any show child, calm her with a cuddly toy, a hug or something to drink. Physical comforts are often more soothing than verbal reassurances.

For more parenting tips, read Parenting tips & tricks Archives - Fun Realities