- As we get closer to TURNOFF WEEK, more and more people ask about alternatives
to the screen. TRUCE, an organization based in Massachusetts, has come up
with ideas and the many reasons behind them. This material can be copied and
shared and is great for teachers, parents, care givers and anyone who is
interested in doing right by the children in their life. Click here to get
the PDF version of this material.
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Study after study continues to
show that parents are the number one factor in a child’s life. This makes role modeling vitally important
and puts greater pressure on parents to “do” as they say, not merely act as they
might like. This is true in all aspects of
life, overweight and obese children are often the children of overweight and
obese parents, children who read have parents who read and the list goes
on. How often have we faced ourselves in
the mirror and discovered we have become our parents! This has happened because we “do as they do,
not as they say.” For that very reason,
parents have a responsibility to as active in their children’s lives as
possible. Screen time reduction is a prime
example of how parents can set a good example.
By reducing your time in front of the television, computer or electronic
game; by spending less time with your PDA or being plugged in to an iPod, you
become available to your children and family.
By encouraging and participating in family activities, meal times and
other events, you show that the family unit is important to you, making it more
important to them.
Numbers of researchers have
proven that family meal times are a key ingredient to improving grades,
limiting experimentation of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes and all but
eliminating risky and early sexual behaviors.
For those who do not have meals together, we hope you will take this
time to select one night per week, ideally the same night each week, and set
that as family meal time. It does not
change.
If everyone in the family knows
that this night is reserved, it adds value to the night and increases the
respect for the family. The meal should
be followed by family activity, board games are good, a family walk around the
block, or open discussion on a topic of interest to all are all ways to keep
the evening family-centric.
There are no screens on family
nights, not even to check email and no cell phones or texting. It is time for the family to be engaged with
one another and not be sidetracked by gadgets.
These ideas and more will be
found in our upcoming Organizer’s Kit, which will also include Turnoff Week
information for the home. We also hope
you will comment on this and other information you find on our site on our
Forum pages.
We will update this page on a
semi-regular basis.
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