Get your child away from TV

Getting away from the idiot box is hard enough

What happens when the task is to get your child to tear their eyes away from the TV? Tears! Tantrums! Tiring sermons! TV has been linked to obesity and eye strain. Not to mention it distorts a viewer’s sense of reality. Get your child away from TV may sound like a herculean task. But it isn’t. Not if you follow a few simple steps.

Try these simple methods to Get your child away from TV

  • Family Game Night

Family game night does not mean vegging out in front of the TV watching highlights of an old cricket game. It means time to pull out the old Scrabble or Monopoly game or encourage your child to think about some new school project ideas or go total old-school with carrom. “Rani toh Pappani!”

Get your child away from TV-family-game-night

Get your child away from TV-family-game-night

  • Camping

Who wants TV when you can watch stars? No matter if you are not in the woods. Set up your tent in your backyard and tell spooky stories around a campfire and encourage him to think about some interesting  school projects ideas through nature. It doesn’t have to be a huge tent even, just a barbecue sort of fire would do well enough!

Get your child away from TV-camping

Get your child away from TV-camping

  • Get Out

When the weather is warm and the sun sets later in the day, get out of the house. It’s okay if you don’t go far. Just the park around the corner will do. Play Frisbee with your kids and dog. Go for a walk or a long drive. An evening in the pool is also a great way to spend the evening.

Get your child away from TV-get-out

Get your child away from TV-get-out

  • TV reduction plan

There’s no point in putting a blanket ban on TV. It will lead to rebellion doing more harm than good. Sit with your kid and plan TV viewing time slots. Let them choose the shows they really like and allow them to watch only those. Ask them what they’d like to do during their free time. Encourage them to think new school project ideas that they can create.

Get your child away from TV- tv-reduction-

Get your child away from TV- tv-reduction-plan

  • Take TVs out of bedrooms

Just because a TV is affordable and keeps the kids out of your hair does not mean that you install a TV in every room. Having TVs in bedrooms is unacceptable. Bedrooms are for peace and quiet. Keep the TV in the living room which is easy for you to monitor. It helps when there’s only one TV and monitoring what your kids watch is easier.

Get your child away from TV-tv-outside-of-bedroom

Get your child away from TV-tv-outside-of-bedroom

 

  • Provide alternatives

What is the point of only watching someone do science experiments on TV?  School project ideas should be taken from these shows and implemented. Erupting volcanoes and 3D models look so cool on TV. Imagine how much cooler it would be to implement these school project ideas. Kids should read book aimed at their ages, find out new science project ideas to try out. They can even use project kits to experiment with new school project ideas.

Get your child away from TV- provide alternatives

Get your child away from TV- provide alternatives

  • Kindle the sporting spirit

Keep a good supply of balls, shuttlecocks, bats, rackets, and games handy. Be active together. Don’t sit on the sidelines like a slob. Play with your kids. The benefits will show on your physique as well.

Get your child away from TV-kindle-the-sporting-spirit

Get your child away from TV-kindle-the-sporting-spirit

 

  • Go on outings together

Plan study trips. Check out your nearest museums, aquariums, zoos and science centres. Study trips needn’t be only through the school. For example my college tech fest had an ISRO exhibition that many school children came to see. This will inspire them and give them new school project ideas. They may even end up making friends, even those older than them. Believe me or not I am currently mentoring three kids who visited the tech fest and made me their friend and is a better way to get your child away from TV.

Get your child away from TV-go-on-outing-together

Get your child away from TV-go-on-outing-together

Do a variety of things that encourage the kids to explore their world through all five senses. Let them see, touch and hear everything for themselves. Not before long, you will realize that your kids are free of the addiction!

Angry Teenagers (Dealing with your child’s anger issues)

Angry Teenagers – Channelizing it

through activities 

When your teen is angry and screaming at you, it is very tempting to scream louder so you “win” the argument. But what does that do? In addition to prolonging the argument yelling back also means that you’re giving up your power. Giving in to the temptation can be quite costly in ways you probably didn’t realize. When you yell at your child, it simply escalates the argument and it turns him into an angry teenager.

Angry Teenagers (Dealing with your child's anger issues)

Angry Teenagers (Dealing with your child’s anger issues)

What not to do

  • Curse or name-call:  

    There’s no excuse for abuse—not by your child and not by you. Being verbally abusive to your child only makes things worse, both in the short-term when the argument escalates, and in the long-term when your relationship with your child becomes strained.

  • Attempt to control that angry teenager:

    This is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for parents. We hear from parents every day who, without realizing it, are trying to control their children. Holding your child accountable does not result in a child who is obedient all the time. Accountability means that you set the rules and you provide a consequence when your child decides to break the rules. You’re not a puppeteer; you’re a limit-setter. Let your child make his own choice. When a child experiences this unpleasant outcome, he can use that information to help him think about things next time he is considering breaking the rules.

  • Get physical:  

    A beating is not the way a teen will learn to do the right things. Often parents beat their children to the extent that they simply become immune to the punishment. In other cases, teens can be severely affected emotionally by it. Fear can set inside their mind.

Angry Teenager

Angry Teenager

What to Do

  • Walk away and calm down:  

    Ask yourself if the issue needs to be dealt with right now? Should you take some time to calm down before you address it with your child? Think about the situation carefully and allow things to cool down. You can address it later if you still feel the issue is important after you’ve thought it through. Teach your child the same technique.

  • Use a business-like tone:  

    When things are turbulent, address your child in the same tone with which a professionally-mannered boss would address an employee with poor performance. Stay calm and neutral, and stick to the facts.

  • Be honest:  

    Let your child know you’re having a hard time communicating with them when they fly into a rage. It’s perfectly okay to say things like, “When you scream at me, it doesn’t help any of us.”  This is a simple way to let them know their behavior isn’t working.

  • Channelize anger:Get your teen to work on different projects for school. Anger can be easily controlled with some constructive distractions like projects for school. Here at Projects for School, India, we have many science project kits which will help children educationally. Projects for School aims to provide children with educational and fun projects which will help channelize their energy in the right direction.
Angry Teenager

Angry Teenager

Visit www.projectsforschool.com and choose from among a wide range of science kits.

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