How TV affects your child The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 years old not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming. Recently researchers in Japan published an interesting study which shows that extended TV watching adversely affected neural mechanisms such as verbal abilities. Brain scans of children who watched TV over an extended period of time showed a negative impact on higher-order brain function. Read more: upi/Health_News/2014/01/13/Extended-TV-watching-may-affect-brains-of-children/UPI-51501389596460/#ixzz2qbElIqSh Teaching Good TV Habits: Here are some practical ways to make TV-viewing more productive in your home: Limit the number of TV-watching hours: Stock the room in which you have your TV with plenty of other non-screen entertainment (books, kids magazines, toys, puzzles, board games, etc.) to encourage kids to do something other than watch the tube. Keep TVs and internet connections out of bedrooms. Turn the TV off during meals. Dont allow kids to watch TV while doing homework. Treat TV as a privilege to be earned — not a right. Establish and enforce family TV viewing rules, such as TV is allowed only after chores and homework are completed. Try a weekday ban. Schoolwork, sports activities, and job responsibilities make it tough to find extra family time during the week. Set a good example by limiting your own TV viewing. Check the TV listings and program reviews ahead of time for programs your family can watch together. Preview programs before your kids watch them. Come up with a family TV schedule that you all agree upon each week. Then, post the schedule in a visible area (e.g., on the refrigerator). Watch TV together. If you cant sit through the whole program, at least watch the first few minutes to assess the tone and appropriateness. Talk to kids about what they see on TV and share your own beliefs and values. Offer fun alternatives to television. If your kids want to watch TV but you want to turn off the tube, suggest that you all play a board game, start a game of hide and seek, play outside, read, work on crafts or hobbies, or listen and dance to music. For more information about this topic please check kidshealth.org kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html#
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 21:38:57 +0000
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