Tips on controlling excessive TV watching the summer
This morning I felt myself wishing there were fewer TV options for kids. When I was growing up there were times and days when I could honestly complain: “There’s nothing good on TV.” Then I went outside to ride my bike or read a book in my room.
But now, there’s always something good on TV.
The average American household receives 118 cable television channels and the new digital over the air television signal now allows people without cable to view more than twice as many television channels as before, according to the Smart Television Alliance.
“Now is a perfect time for families to think about their televisions and be honest about who controls who in that relationship,” said Susan Scanlan, Co-Chair of the Smart Television Alliance, and Chair of the National Coalition of Women’s Organizations, in a press release.
Parents can feel like they are under attack from the electronic devices in their homes, the TV, Internet, cell phones, and gaming systems but hiding from them is the worst thing to do.
“Watching TV is not the only way to learn, but it is one way to learn. Rather than banning TV this summer, parents can use carefully selected shows as a springboard for a creative summer learning program,” said Claire Green, President of the Parents’ Choice Foundation.
Here are their tips for parents on how deal with excessive summer television viewing:
1. Have a Plan - Reduce Impulse TV Watching
· Find and select great kids programs on TV by visiting the STA Smart Summer Campaign
· Schedule your family’s TV time by using cable channel guides or locating quality programs online
2. Take Control - Use technology to your advantage
· Use your TiVo, DVR, or On Demand as a library for great television the family can view on your schedule
3. Make it Educational - Use Great TV to Learn
· Quality programs and specific episodes can assist in learning concepts and skills
· Complement a child’s learning by viewing movies, documentaries, and programs on their interested subjects
STA’s tools and resources for can be found at http://www.smarttelevisionalliance.org/
Aisha covered education and breaking news for nearly ten years before joining the Lifestyle staff where she writes a "Dirty Laundry" parenting column. She is the home and family editor and wastes too much time on Facebook and political blogs. 
you mentioned everything but canceling the cable. the family budget will be up $750-1000 a year and you can still tell the kids to get out of the house. cable is crap and is being replaced by internet viewing which can be much more selective.
I have to agree with St. Louie here.
I am cheap.
My husband had satellite before we were married, but, we’ve resisted the urge since then.
Sometimes I really really wish I had the Discovery Channel or something with good classic movies or cartoons… but, we get along ok without it, I suppose.
My Son watches channel 9.2 mostly, and occasionally we watch stuff on hulu and youtube together. I adore 9.2 (well, for him, I adore 9.4 for me
).
We might eventually break down and get some sort of cable, but, we’d definitely have to get a DVR so we can have our choice of the shows when we have time to sit down and watch.
Great link above, I’m bookmarking that.
The most important thing when considering which TV programs your children watch is the educational value of the program. You don’t want your kids sitting around staring at nonsense TV. Use public television for the best educational programs on TV.
Turn off the TV. Get out a deck of cards and some board games. Read books out loud together. There are so many things to do instead of watching TV.