Toddler Times
February Challenge: No TV Month!
My kids and I are embarking on a challenge for the month of February. No TV for the entire month!
And I want to challenge you to join with us!
Basically, all you have to do is commit to not letting your kids watch TV (unless for a very special and specific reason – like the Super Bowl on Sunday) for the whole month, with the intention of spending more time together doing fun and interesting activities.
Our family did the same challenge last year, after I realized that I had gotten into the habit of letting my kids watch more TV than I was comfortable with in January.
So, we took a break from the TV in February, and by the time March rolled around, we had ditched our daily habit of TV consumption.
Well, pretty much the same thing has happened this year. It must just be the winter time, when it’s cold and dreary out, and honestly all I want to do is snuggle with a blanket on the couch and watch my favorite show (or shows). So I don’t really blame my kids for wanting to do the same thing.
But, I’ve found that once you create that habit and expectation, it’s really hard to just cut back on television watching. How do you decide which days they can watch and which days they can’t? Because, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s just easier to give in and let them watch something, than come up with an alternative activity for them to do.
So, we just turn the TV off for the entire month!
Turn off the TV month is as much to help me get back in the habit of providing fun, interesting, and entertaining activities for my kids, as it is for them to get out of the habit of too much screen time.
In preparation for our no TV month, I’ve been gathering ideas of things to do with the kiddos. I’ll share lots of fun ideas for making your own homemade toys tomorrow, some of them using things you already have around the house. And I’ll also post a great list of fun indoor activities for toddlers later this week.
So don’t worry, if you decide to take this challenge with us, I’ll help to provide you with lots of great things to do to fill the time that used to be spent watching TV.
What do you say? Will you join with us and take the challenge to turn of the TV this month?
Top Photo Credit: Mykl Roventine/flickr
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1 Comment
Rebecka commented on Feb 02 12 at 2:05 pmGreat idea! Hope you have loads of fun getting creative with your kids :)
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