I have two boys who are one year old and almost three years old. We spend a lot of time outside and a lot of time playing and doing crafts but the TV is almost
always on in our house.
I knew that TV time should be limited but I never really gave it much serious thought. They do not use computers or Ipads so the only screen time they get is with the TV. They also only watch little kids' TV channels so there is no risk of watching violent or sexual content.
The TV is in the living room with all of their toys so they play while the TV is on. My almost-preschooler has started requesting the same TV show over and over.
Toopy and Binoo, my readers in Canada probably know them well.
My husband and I got in the bad habit of PVRing the episodes for him so he just wants to watch them repeatedly. My 1 year old doesn't really pay attention to the TV yet.
I've come to notice that he does not play with all of the toys he owns. The living room is overflowing and he seems to just dump his toy boxes out and not really play with them, often getting distracted by the TV.
I debated conducting an experiment. I want to see if I cut out the TV time, if he will play with his toys more. While thinking about this idea, I started doing some research on the effects of too much TV on children.
On
KidsHealth.org I found some interesting and startling information.
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.
The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain
development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of
exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which
encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.
I have decided to implement a TV-Free Summer for my children. My goal is for the summer to start, since it will be much easier to transition away from the TV by playing outside as much as possible. I am hoping that by the time Fall rolls around they will have gotten out of the habit of watching TV.
I know that it is NOT going to be easy. I often use their TV time to do the dishes, cook a meal or just sit down and actually drink a hot cup of coffee without being interrupted every 2 minutes. I also enjoy snuggling with them on the couch while they watch cartoons.
My goals:
- Keep the TV off throughout the day
- Read more books to my kids
- Spend as much time outside as possible
- Do more arts and crafts
- Have play-dates without having the TV on in the background
- Ask my babysitters to not put the TV on either
My lenience:
- I might cut back gradually depending on how my oldest reacts to no more Toopy.
- If we have been stuck inside because of the weather for days, I might allow one movie. At which time I will make an event of it with popcorn, pillows and blankets.
- They can "maybe" watch TV while being babysat.
Everything I have read lately says that TV should be a privileged not an all day, every day occurrence. That is something that my husband and I are going to have to implement. It is going to be as much of a change for us as it will be for our children.
I will keep writing blog posts throughout the summer to let you know how it is going. Wish me luck!
I have huge boards filled with
Kids' Activities and
Artsy Play on Pinterest that I will be digging into regularly this summer. Check them out if you need Pinspiration.
Do you limit your kids TV time?
How many hours are they allowed per day or week?
Will you join me for a TV Free Summer?
