Fourth Grade: Children and the Media

Help Your Child Become a Good Consumer of Television

The impact of TV on children and families continues to be hotly debated. Even a quick glance at the importance of TV in daily life explains why.

• Almost all homes today (98 percent) have at least one TV set.
• The average TV set is in operation more than seven hours a day.
• Children as young as 9 months of age already are watching TV as much as 90 minutes a day.
• By age 4, children average four hours a day watching TV.
• By the time young people graduate from high school, they will have spent more time watching TV than on any other activity except sleeping.

The time your child spends watching TV can, if structured appropriately, be a positive experience. The following suggestions can help.

1. Make TV time family time. Identify TV programs that the family can watch together. Spend time talking about what happened on a show. What feelings do family members have about a character or the way a show/movie ended? How would your child change the show/movie? These types of questions can lead to an evening of sharing that can strengthen your relationship with your child and pass on your values.

2. Turn the TV off when a program is over. Model this selective viewing for your children.

3. Discuss family values. Ask your child to identify the ways in which a family on a TV program is different from your own family. Discuss why your family has its own values, beliefs and home rules.

4. Check your child's level of understanding of a program. Is your child able to tell the difference between the stunts used on TV programs and reality? Be sure to explain that the stunts shown on TV may be dangerous and should not be attempted at home.

5. Plan follow-up activities to watching TV. Trips to the library, zoo, museum, lake or even the backyard can expand the meaning of the many TV programs that deal with animal and plant life, math, music and most any subject area.

6. Challenge your child to be a good consumer. Spend time listing products shown in TV commercials and decide with your child which of these products to sample. Compare the products with the TV commercials. This activity works best and is least expensive for TV food commercials.

7. Identify TV snack foods. Many parents worry about the junk food their children choose to eat while watching TV. Work with your children to identify a list of approved TV snacks. Post this list on the refrigerator door. While you may not always be able to enforce the list, its presence will at least remind your children of the family agreement regarding TV snacks.

8. Plan alternative activities to watching TV. As a family, plan one or more nights a week to do something other than watch TV.

Alternatives to TV

• Walks and talks
• Creative play and games
• Exploring - nature, your community, the attic
• Visiting -  social interaction, conversation
• Letter writing - pen pals, relatives
• Reading aloud or silently
• View photo albums -  family histories
• Radio
• Storytelling
• Board games
• Family meetings
• Gardening
• Exercising
• Singing and musical activities
• Crafts, hobbies, experiments

Consider About TV Programs

• The level of violence.
• The potential impact of stereotypes.
• The potential impact on school performance.
• The potential impact on physical health.
• The potential impact on language development.
• The potential impact on behavior and imagination.
• The balance in your child's life.

Children who watch TV in moderation (less than 2 hours each day) do better in school, are less likely to be obese and have better social skills.

Media Violence

Media violence is another critical concern for many parents. Facts are highly debated on both sides of the issue.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children has a brochure on the topic of media violence. “Media Violence and Children” is adapted from the NAEYC position statement on the topic. Specifically written for parents and a general audience, the brochure discusses why children are especially vulnerable to the effects of media violence, describes these effects and provides suggestions for parents to make television viewing a constructive activity.

Single copies of the brochure “Media Violence and Children,” NAEYC #585, are available for 50 cents each; 100 copies are $10. Call 1-800-424-2460 (Resource Sales) to order.

Reading Books Together

Reading together can be a highlight for both children and parents. Often adults read regularly to younger children but quit once they can read on their own. School-age kids enjoy snuggling up to a good story with you. Try to take time to read together a chapter from their current library book, share a favorite poem or read newspaper/magazine articles that are of interest to your children. Happy memories surround a variety of books, magazines and poems. Keep reading together!