Beyond TV Turn-Off Week

By Sharon Miller Cindrich

Q: Our family participates in TV Turnoff Week each April. The kids spend the week playing board games, riding bikes and talking, but once the week is over and the TV goes back on, my little zombies are once again glued to the tube. Is there really any way to find a happy medium?

Watching television is one of the least interactive, least creative, and most passive tech activities around, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can use television to spark great family discussions and even learn a thing or two. A DVR (digital video recorder) and a little pre-program planning can make this easier.

Try one of these ideas to make the most of your family’s TV viewing experiences:

Organize a film fest!
Pick a theme: westerns, animals, musicals, horror flicks... Let each family member choose a movie to sponsor for the festival, learn about the movie they are sponsoring, and introduce it. Make a special family meal to kick off the event (spaghetti guts and meatballs for a horror theme or hot dogs and baked beans for old Westerns), plan a few nights to cozy up and view a few favorites together. Rate the movies using a homemade scorecard or a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down rating. And don’t forget the popcorn!

Use your TV as an encyclopedia.
Think of television as the Internet- with a schedule. There are many educational programs on every day, and with a little planning you can take advantage of them. Is your sixth-grader working on a report about rain forests? Is your teen looking for a topic for his cultural arts report? You can search for programs days in advance of the broadcast using your local TV listings guide. When you find a match with your kids’ school assignments, record any shows that might better their understanding and help them with research.

Create your own miniseries.
Instead of sacking out in front of the tube to watch a full-length movie, record it on a DVR and split it into several viewings. Watch 30 minutes each night as a family when everyone’s schedule permits, and discuss what will happen next.

Play TV trivia.
What color is the main character wearing? What is the name of the dog in the show? Who was wearing a bandage on their finger? Pick a family show to record and while you’re watching, have each family member write down a trivia question about the program. At the commercial, pause the program and take turns challenging each other with TV trivia. Don’t believe the answer? Go to the tape! A quick replay of your recording will confirm the results.

Sharon Miller Cindrich is a mother of two and the author of E-Parenting: Keeping Up with Your Tech-Savvy Kids.