Guide your child's TV viewing

Your child may be devoting less time to reading because he or she is watching too much television. But TV watching and reading don't have to cancel each other out. Recent studies show that watching television in moderation (up to 10 hours per week) can actually contribute to school readiness and be slightly beneficial to reading abilities.

However, watching more than 10 hours a week can have a negative effect on a child. The key is for parents to enrich the experience by carefully monitoring, limiting and guiding TV viewing.

The first step toward ensuring that watching television contributes to your child's education is to limit the amount of time your child spends in front of the TV each week. This should come as no surprise. But how can you change your child's behavior without causing too many of your own headaches?

Start by talking to your child about how much TV he watches. Together, you can decide how much is enough television each week. There's a big difference between watching TV for entertainment and watching out of boredom. Your child can start to eliminate extra TV time by watching only the programs he really likes. Ask your child to choose his favorite shows and add up how many hours of TV he actually looks forward to. Then, talk to your child about other fun activities that can fill up unnecessary TV time.

If it comes down to it, you may need to sit down with your child and tell him exactly how many hours of TV he is allowed to watch each week. Then help him plan what to watch and when. Dig out the TV Guide and a calendar or daily planner and set up a schedule, remembering to factor in daily activities such as homework, chores and, of course, a daily spot for reading. Try to incorporate some educational shows into your child's repertoire: your child may be surprised by what the Nature Channel has to offer.

If you can afford it, a VCR (or digital television recorder such as TiVo) can be a tool to limit TV in your home. These devices give you greater flexibility in scheduling television viewing as well as greater control over what your children watch by previewing recorded programs to ensure quality and appropriateness. Another benefit of viewing prerecorded television: you can skip annoying commercials and limit your child's exposure to them as well.

Setting a good example for your child means limiting your own TV intake. Is the TV on while you eat dinner, iron or go about other regular activities? Why not try turning on the radio instead? When the TV is on, be sure there is a reason for it. Consult the TV Guide and decide what to watch before flipping endlessly through each channel. This extra step will help you and your child begin to think critically about how you spend your time in front of the television.

Talking about what you watch on TV can add tremendous value. Watch TV along with your child as often as you can so that you can talk about it later. If you miss an episode, ask your children to fill you in on the details.

Children and adults can build critical thinking skills that extend to reading. This starts by asking questions about characters' motivations and conflicts or by making predictions about what might happen next. Ask your child how the program relates to real life. Has he ever been in a similar situation as one of the characters? What would he do differently? Be sure to answer any questions your child may have and encourage him to express his own opinions.

Television and reading can be linked in more ways than you might think. Many popular children's TV shows are inspired by and based on books. Check these books out of the local library. Many children enjoy comparing books and TV shows. Talk to your child about the differences and encourage him to think about why the setting or characters are changed.

If your child is interested in a particular sport or hobby, surround him with books about it. Television may serve as a starting point for some of these interests, but no matter what the topic-sports, friendship, nature-you can always find articles or books from which your child can learn more about the subject. Take out the encyclopedia to follow up on inquiries your child makes, or better yet, ask a librarian to recommend resources for you.

TV programs can also inspire creative projects. Once a program is over, switch the TV off and provide your child with arts and crafts materials. Ask him to respond to what he saw in words or pictures. He can, for example, write a letter to a favorite character to react to a specific episode or to ask a question about what is to come.

The key to finding the educational value of watching television is to turn a passive activity into an active one by stimulating thought, discussion and creativity. By guiding your child's TV viewing, you can help to make sure that television supports your child's reading experiences.