CMCH Suggestions: Use Media With Your Children

Using media with your children offers a great chance to discuss what you see and hear. Studies about co-viewing have shown this practice has a number of good results:

• Young children understand television and movies better when their parents talk about it with them while they watch.
• Talking about scary scenes together can reduce children's fear.
• Co-viewing can reduce aggression if parents make comments about the violence they see that is unacceptable. When parents see violence that is rewarded, they should point it out to their children. If a person is hurt but the consequences are not shown, it is helpful to say things like, “Wow, that person must have been really hurt. How do you think you would feel if that happened to you?”
• Young children learn better from educational media when watching with their parents. Parents can point out things on screen and label objects. With a pre-recorded program, parents might pause the VCR or DVD and ask children “What do you think will happen next?” Parents can also elaborate on lessons from TV programs or videos by pointing out similar things in the child’s own environment. Another way to increase their learning is to take children to see things they have only seen on TV, such as barnyard animals.
• Parents of older children can use the content they see, especially violence or sexual behavior, as a starting point for discussion about these topics. Using other media with older children is also beneficial. Playing video games or listening to music with teens can open up lines of discussion about how the game is played or what the lyrics to a song mean. The children will enjoy "teaching" you about the media they know so well, and you will have a better sense of the kinds of content they see and hear.