I was sick and tired of picking up my kids after a long day at work, coming home, and barely getting inside the house before immediately having to cope with the blare of the television as my then seven-year-old ran to tune into whatever show happened to be on. (At the time, we didn't have cable and satellite dishes were in their infancy, so we had only two channels to choose from!)
One day, I had had enough! The sun was shining; the weather was warm; we lived in a safe, small town; there were toys in the back yard and a public playground just down the street. I turned off the TV and decreed a No-TV Month starting July 1, 1988. Did it work? You bet it did! It worked so well that 24 years later, I still instigate a No-TV Month each and every year (my youngest will turn 14 this year).
Benefits? Definitely way more exercise and fresh air for the children. Less mindless noise for the adults to put up with. More family time and better connection between family members - we filled time with board games, family performances of silly little plays and talent shows, cookie baking sessions and other activities on the rainy days.
And after the month was over? The No-TV Month meant there was a carry-over effect of a lot less television watching for some months afterwards. For months, everyone was much more discriminating about what they watched. The TV wasn't turned on simply for the sake of being on, but only for the express purpose of watching a specific show. It was close to nine, 10, 11 months before the television watching had crept back up to where my children were turning it on as soon as they got home - almost as if they had forgotten how to amuse themselves again. That was all right. After all, after 11 months it was anniversary time and time to turn off the TV and start another No-TV Month.
But the biggest and initially unexpected benefit? The benefit that ensured I have turned off the TV for one month each and every year for the past 23 years?
My kids have all become good and even great readers. Some read more avidly than others, but they are all capable readers. And there are benefits of reading well. I firmly believe their reading abilities contributed to their school success. The four who have now completed high school were all consistently on the honour roll. The youngest, now in her second year of high school, has made the honour roll each term thus far.
The little seven-year-old who complained so bitterly when No-TV Month was first instituted? She started Grade 2 at the end of that summer, reading at a mid-Grade 4 level. She is now 31, a successful writer, and happy stay-at-home mom. Her family product review blog, in little more than a year, has over 4,300 subscribers. Living proof of the benefits of reading, she now reads about 50 books a month to her own young children.
If you want to turn off the TV and start your own No-TV Month, then you will need to be prepared. Many children today have completely lost the ability to amuse themselves, so be ready to help with ideas and suggestions, especially in the first week. As the benefits of reading will last a lifetime, do encourage them to read by having books - suitable to their ages, reading ability and interests - available. Of course, you will want to make sure you have lots of sports equipment and outdoor toys on hand as well. And whatever offline, non-screen hobby or interest you may have, this is a great opportunity to share it with your kids (e.g., baking, scrapbooking, gardening, photography, woodworking, sewing - the list is almost endless).
Tips for having your own No-TV Month:
it definitely does help to choose a month of good weather; living in Saskatchewan, I would never choose the month of January where we may get house-bound for three straight weeks of -30 or -40 C weather;
if there is a favourite show or season on television, I try not to pick a month during the time the original episodes run (reruns don't count, in my opinion); and because I personally enjoy watching the drama, glory and tragedy inherent in the Olympic competitions, I also make sure I never pick an Olympic month. (Oh yes! Did I forget to mention that the No-TV Month rules apply to the adults in the household too? Of course, or you will find it almost impossible to withstand the initial week and its onslaught of whining and complaining. You will also find that you have far more time to spend actually interacting with your children, enjoying your hobbies, and - dare I say it? - you can find a good book to read too.);
trips to the library can take up the better part of an afternoon or evening and you will find your children are much more excited about going to the library by the end of the month than they were at the beginning;
have a tub of craft supplies, some simple craft books and an area where you don't mind a mess;
once you have played with them once or twice and taught them the basic rules of traditional board and card games, they can usually play on their own; even only children or children without siblings close to them in age will sometimes play a board game or cards against themselves (sounds silly, I know, but I can actually remember doing this myself a long time ago);
assigning chores for the "I'm bored" complaint will eventually result in less complaints of that nature.
When we started our annual No-TV Month, computers were not yet common in the average household. Here are some suggestions for additions and changes to the No-TV Month rules, based on current use of media:
1) Video games - I would add this to the No-TV rule and not allow video games either (we don't actually own any, so I don't personally have to deal with this). An alternative is to allow one evening a week of either movies or games.
2) Computers:
a) for kindergarten and younger children: again, I would just add this to the No-TV rule and ban all screen time of whatever kind for this age group. Don't worry, they will have plenty of time to catch up and become computer literate once again;
b) for ages six or seven to 12: I might (and have allowed) one or two hours a week of computer time, especially if the child has their own email account through which they correspond with friends or family members not in the home;
c) for teens: with the burgeoning popularity of social media, and the fact that today Facebook is a primary form of communication and connection for teens (and teens do need to stay connected to their peer group, it's part of the growing up process), I am now allowing around one hour a day most days on the computer for the teens in the household. I am still inclined to make at least one day each week during the No-TV Month totally screen-free, however.
Help your children become better readers. Start a No-TV Month tradition of your own!
Helena Long is the author of the children's book, The Underwater Mystery and creator of the www.best-loved-kids-books.com website, where you can download the free report, 11 Tips to Make Reading Aloud More Fun.
