S/O For those whose LO's don't watch (much) TV

From the TV thread, it sounds like there are a lot of moms like me who feel bad/guilty about the amount of TV their kids watch. If you've successfully limited/eliminated TV and videos, what are some of the activities or ways that you entertain your kids throughout the day? I resort to TV/videos when mine are fussy because they're bored (and I don't have any ideas on more ways to enertain them). I also use TV/videos when I need a break from them. If you also feel you need a break sometimes, what do you do instead of putting on a video or show?

 

I've always let mine have a little bit of tv, but it has always been by conscious choice. I also had some good activities for keeping them busy. I would tape large sheets of paper down to the kitchen floor and turn them loose with washable markers. I would put trash bags on the floor and set them up with washable paints and papers on top of them. I would also let them play with playdoh. The first couple of time I did it with them. I let them know that they had to stay on the trash bags or paper or the activity would be taken away. Just the threat of loosing their beloved playdoh was enough to keep them controlled.

Something else that I figured out (it might have been obvious to you, but it wasn't to me) was that the kids needed very specific instructions. If I told them "go play", the results were kids wandering the house aimlessly. If I told them to "pick a book" or "please color me a picture" they did much better.

That's also about the age that I started putting on silly kids music and singing while I cooked. They were happy that I was singing and interacting that way and I could get things done. I also involved them in things. I would put mixing bowls down on chairs and let them stir things nicely in. My mom made them aprons so they could "help". They had a toy vacuum that they used while I vacuumed.

Hope some of these help.

Marissa

 

Dancing around with them to music.
Arts and crafts.
Building a fort.
Playing in a different room in the house (they love playing in mommy and daddys room).
Taking out toys they haven't seen in awhile.
Playing with things that aren't toys (plastic bowls and wooden spoons).

 

we'd go for walks, to the park, or just play outside (digging holes or in the summer in the blow-up pool). Mine liked stacking cans and knocking them over. At this age, they are learning a lot by interacting with you: focusing on one thing and listening to you "narrate" what is going on, so it's not so important what you are doing as it is that you are doing something jointly. This is how they learn language

I always limited their tv time to while I was fixing breakfast and while I was/am fixing dinner (my boys are now in school, so we don't have tv in the mornings anymore, just in the evening while I'm fixing dinner: 5-6pm). So, the tv is off for the majority of the day. Your kids are at a tough age -- not quite old enough for independent play, and wanting lots of attention. It gets easier, but for now don't worry too much about making every activity completely exciting, and remember that it's not about what you are doing as much as it is about doing it with you. My boys seemed to enjoy looking at leaves and making piles of sticks with me as they did something "fancier" like baking cookies.

 

I agree that when they are bored is when they start getting a bit cranky. I think yours are 18 months, right? I remember that being a very difficult age because you still had to watch them constantly.

We are quite lucky because we have a decent sized house with three different levels to play on. They have a huge playroom in the basement with a bunch of toys. They also have some toys on the main level in the family room. They don't have actual toys up in the bedrooms but they bring stuff up there sometimes or they play with clothes or other stuff in our bedroom. If we find them getting bored, we go to another level of the house. It is also easier at this age because they can go up and down the stairs by themselves without supervision. I am usually waiting at the bottom of the stairs but lately I have been more relaxed about that so sometimes one will go downstairs to get something and come back up on their own.

Here are some of the activities we do throughout the day at home:
- colour - they like to scribble but they also love when I draw pictures or letters for them and they guess what they are
- puzzles, games
- read books - we could spend 3 hours a day reading books - they love them!
- put music on and dance - we also have maracas and tambourines for them which they love to make noise with
- play "Simon Says"
- play outside (weather permitting)
- they help me clean - for example: I give them a mini broom and dustpan (from dollar store) and they help me sweep the floor or I give them a little cloth and they help dust
- dress up - take a basket or bin of hats, mittens etc and let them go through them - or give them some articles of clothing (theirs or yours) to try on and play with - we also have a bunch of crazy hats that they like to parade around in
- we chase each other around the house
- hide and seek
- taking pictures - our girls love to take pictures - well, they don't take them, they just look at the screen on the digital camera and get a kick out of seeing the pictures - one day we took pictures of the dog and their dolls in different rooms etc (when they went to bed I deleted most of them but kept some really cute ones).

What do I do when I need a break?
- I colour with them (seriously, I find this so relaxing)
- set them up at the table with a book each - this way they are strapped in their chairs and out of trouble
- if they are acting up I find if I sit down on the floor with them and read a book it calms everyone down a bit

Hope this helps a bit!

 

my youngest are 3 y/o and are just starting to watch TV. They really have had no interest in it before, probably because we don't let them watch it alot. They would watch maybe 5 minutes then walk away. Yesterday they actually sat and watched about 30 minutes of a movie before they got bored. I love that we have limited TV with all our kids.

That said, what else do they do? Lots of different things. Legos, arts and crafts, leapster, building blocks, lincoln logs, books, dollhouse, sports (kicking throwing etc of balls) help mommy around the house....so many things.
When I need a break, that's called nap time around here. The only break I get until dh gets home. Then my next break is called making dinner (dh watches them while I do this most evenings).

 

I have no idea what they do all day. That's not really true, but I sure don't spend all day trying to entertain them. The big ones get to watch a movie (some long ones, mostly shorter half hour to forty-five minute ones) when the babies are sleeping, but otherwise we don't have the TV on. Ironically enough, they do spend a lot of time reenacting whatever they have watched recently-lately it's the princesses, and Andrew is the Mean Wicked Fairy and Kaitlyn is Sleeping Beauty. We always have crayons and paper available, and if they ask I'll get out the Play-Dough. Otherwise they're pretty much on their own-and I think they prefer it that way, because they usually get agitated when I try to pretend with them (unless specifically invited).

 

I got a few books with read-along CDs and it REALLY helped. "Over In the Meadow" is a great one because it's music!! I'll read the book and put the CD on. Or just read, or just turn on the music. Turning on the music in the background, even while they play with other stuff really helped wean from the noise and chaos of the TV. They started asking for "song" instead of pointing to the TV and saying "ON!"

I'm not anti-TV though. Sometimes you just gotta turn that TV on, especially if it's a safety issue. If you have to be out of the room b/c something's on the stove, or you have to use the bathroom, or whatever, having the TV while they're mesmerized by it, is a LOT better than having them climbing the furniture or fighting. IMHO.

 

mine are only a year so i don't know how it will be later on, but so far i have no need to turn on the tv for them (and i'm so afriad to start!). they mostly entertain themselves w/all their toys. aside from all the regular stuff, they love balls and boxes, those seem to keep them busy the longest. ... when i'm w/them we dance, sing songs, read books, chew on books, play 'climb on mommy,' etc. they have learned to entertain each other because i pump about 2 hours/day when i am w/them, and at that time it's hard for me to do much to keep them busy.

like i said, though, it might change later on. i think it's best not to start the habit but if you do and you want to break it, i geuss just do whatever other things you do when you want to change their behavior (i have no idea what those things are, but ijust got lots of books to help me figure it out!).

tv watching really isn't supposed to be all that great for kids under 2, so if you can find just a few other things for them to do w/their time, it would probably be worth it!

~~jl