How can parents manage TV viewing during the school year? - Too Much TV
Answer: Once a year in April, schools have programs to turn off television for a week. If you go online to the TV-Turnoff Network's Web site at www.tvturnoff.org, you will find solid suggestions for controlling the tube in your home.
You need to realize that there are negative effects on schoolwork when children watch television more than 10 hours a week. It's really a matter of quantity of time spent with television rather than the quality of the programs watched. Here are some tips on how to TV-proof your home from the TV-Turnoff Week organization:
1. Designate certain days of the week as TV-free days.
2. Keep the television off during dinner.
3. Remove televisions from your children's rooms.
4. Replace "You can't watch television" with "Let's turn off the television so we can... ."
5. Place clear time limits on TV viewing. Try to restrict it to a half-hour per day or one hour every other evening.
6. Don't use television as a reward or punishment.