Studies have made the news again regarding television and our children.
What are they saying? Too much television is not good for our kids. The
very presence of a television in your child’s room can be a determining
factor in how well your kids do academically. Kids today are continuing
to be “plugged in.”

What is the solution? Limit television viewing. Move the TV out of you
kids’ rooms. Be involved in what they are watching.

Okay. We move the television into a common and give our kids time limits.
Now what? A comment I hear often when people ask me about the Tokens for
TV program is what do my kids do now? Our kids are so used to being plugged
in they don’t know what to do. They’re bored.

It doesn’t matter if your children are 6 or 16, the answer is the
same. It’s time to teach our kids how to play again. Having a time
for quiet and play are important life skills. How else will their imagination
start working on its own again?

Start with the following ideas to help your kids in their unplugged play:

• Play a game. Dig out your board games. Checkers, Chess, Monopoly
and Sorry! are all great games.
• Dig out the playing cards. Go Fish, Old Maid, War… There
are even other specific card games such as Uno out there. You can also
teach your children how to play solitaire.
• Be a bookworm. Go to the library in your home or your community.
Scour the thrift shops and yard sales. Be a part of a book exchange. There
are also some great audio books available at the library. You can also
purchase audio books at thrift stores, department stores and online.
• Hands-on fun. Bring out the clay or play dough. Your teenagers
may roll their eyes at this one too, but you would be surprised at how
they will sit down and keep themselves entertained with this one. (And
you don’t have to go out and buy your dough – have them help
you make a batch. A recipe is included below.)
• Build something. LEGO’s, Lincoln Logs and K’nex. How
many of our kids still have these in the back of their closet? Don’t
have these construction pieces? Try creating structures using toothpicks
and connecting them together with green peas. Sounds funny, but it works!
As the structures dry they become sturdier and you can keep them around
for awhile.
• Go outdoors. Outdoor games like marbles, jacks, hopscotch not
only occupy your kids, they will also strengthen coordination skills.
Too hot or cold out? The garage, basement and/or kitchen floors will work
fine too.
• Become an outdoor artist. Buy a tub of colored chalk from the
local discount store and give your kids a theme to create their own masterpieces
on your front or back sidewalks. Take pictures of them for your family
album.

Are these new ideas? Of course not. But when our kids are given a choice
of any of these “offline” activities or the chance to plug
in to their TV or games, what are they going to choose? When you unplug
your kids, they will learn how to play again simply because they have
nothing else to do. They will find other activities to keep themselves
entertained.

Be prepared for a little bit of whining or frustration on your kids’
part. It’s normal. It’s so much easier to sit in front of
a screen with mindless entertainment. It won’t take long and your
kids will be able to find other things to do instead of plugging in and
tuning the world out.

* * * * * * *

There are many variations of homemade play dough. The Internet or any
kid’s craft book are great resources if you would like more ideas.
There are edible versions as well (less clean up!). The following recipe
contains items commonly found in most kitchens.

UNCOOKED SALT DOUGH
Ingredients:
3 cups of flour
1/4 cup of salt
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
1 cup of water
food coloring (liquid is best)

Instructions:
1. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add water and oil slowly.
3. Add desired amount of food coloring.
4. Store dough in air tight container.
Add water (a little at a time) if dough is too stiff. If dough is too
sticky, add more flour.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Workman is the author of Tokens for TV: A Sensible Approach to Balancing
Television, Video Game and Computer Activities. How much time does your
child spend “plugged in” to some sort of electronic device?
Get your FREE worksheet at
www.tvtokens.com