April 19, 2010 kicks off National Turn Off TV Week, and HIP HOP the Kangaroo, the official mascot of the Genesee Valley Health Partnership’s (GVHP) childhood wellness initiative, is encouraging families to take up the cause. Kids at Cornell Cooperative Extension’s After-School Program in Mt. Morris are helping to spread the word and have designed posters with messages like “Don’t be a couch potato!”
The key to limiting children's screen time, says Jean Angililli, Certified Wellness Program Coordinator, is not only shutting off the TV, but also replacing screen time with plenty of stimulating activities. The goal is 2 hours or less of screen time every day. United States Average? FOUR HOURS! Studies have shown that none is best for preschoolers. What is screen time? Screen time= TV, Video Games, Computer, Handheld Electronic Games, even some phone applications like games and texting.
Here are a few simple tips to help your children reduce their screen time and increase physical activity in order to maintain health:
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Talk to your family. Explain to your children that it's important to sit less and move more. Set a good example by limiting your screen time and increasing your physical activity, so you will all be working toward this goal together.
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Set a house rule that your children may have no more than two hours a day of screen time. More importantly, enforce the rule once it's made.
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Minimize the influence of TV in the home. Do not put a TV or computer in your child's bedroom.
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Make meal time, family time. Turn off the TV during family meal time. Better yet, remove the TV from the eating area if you have one there.
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Provide other options and alternatives. Watching TV can become a habit for your child. Provide other alternatives for them to spend their time, such as playing outside, learning a hobby or sport, or spending time with family and friends.
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Don't use TV to reward or punish a child. Practices like this make TV seem even more important to children.
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Be a savvy media consumer. Be aware of the influences on the family of television advertising of snack foods, candy, soda, and fast food.
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Make screen time, active time. Stretch, do yoga, lift hand weights while watching TV; challenge the family to see who can do the most push-ups, jumping jacks.
For more information on Turn Off TV Week, visit www.gvhp.org or email gvhpwellness1@aol.com. |