Title: Ways that can stop your child from becoming
1ways that can stop your child from becoming a
couch potato and lead an active lifestyle.
2The sound of the last bell, followed by swirling
crowd, with the sweat swamping the body
regardless of the weather. The incredible
struggle to reach the panic room before the
apocalypse breaks out exactly matches your
childs situation when they get off school.
Except that the Apocalypse means your kids
favorite TV show. They wont even change, freshen
up or at least take out their lunch box to be
washed. For them, the mission is clear and
simple. They know only one road, and that road
leads them straight to the TV or video games for
that matter. Nothing can come between their path
to victory. Well, except for power cut, that one
time you must feel triumphant, but its
temporary. You cannot always wish the power was
out. And, you obviously cant afford to scold
them every day or sell the TV on Olx. It will
only infuriate them which is not good for their
development. This must leave you in utter
bewilderment as to what could be done to stop
your child from becoming a couch potato
3 Set rules in your home
- If you think setting rules drive a wedge between
you and your kids, youre wrong. Rules backfire
only when youre not being careful while
conveying them to your kids. You have to be their
friend and tell them, that everybody in the house
follows rules. Daddy has to go to work every
morning, mommy has to prepare food for everybody
(or any other work), and you (kids) have to
study- (now the important part) as well as have
fun. Rules should not feel like rules, it should
feel like roles. Every person has a role to play,
and kids role is to study, play, and have fun.
That way, your kid will know when its time to
turn off the TV and do something else (study,
outdoors sports, sleep etc). And if they dont
turn off the TV, they will obey you when you tell
them to turn it off.
4Set rewards for prioritizing studies or any other
thing to do
- If they like watching TV straight after coming
home from school, tell them they can only watch
it after they change and take out their lunch
box. If they like watching TV shows, make them
earn the same. Tell them, just like parents work
hard to make money, you (kids) have to work hard
to earn your TV time. Give them daily tasks in
terms of studies, outdoors sports, eating, etc.
Only after achieving those tasks, they get a
refill of their TV time. If you want to stop your
child from becoming a couch potato, do it the
right way so that they learn something from it.
The lesson being, everything has to be earned.
5Put a daily limit on the screen time
- There is no limit of cool TV shows. There is
always something good going on the TV which is
loved by your kid. That does not mean they can
sit all day and do just that. Make them
understand the importance of balance in the
activities that take up your day. You decide, and
if you think 2 hours of TV time every day should
be sufficient, then tell your kids that they have
to pick their TV shows, so that screen time does
not exceed 2 hours.
6Improve your own habit of watching TV a lot
- When parents love watching TV, kids will also
learn to love it. Indian women, after preparing
the dinner, spend most of their time watching TV
serials. One cannot possibly expect their kids to
obey when they are constantly being tempted.
Instead, try covering your TV serials in the
afternoon when kids are at school. During the
night, make sure the kid has done all his days
work, and he went to sleep. After that, you can
afford to watch TV.
7Encourage them for outdoor sports
- Not only to stop them from being a couch potato,
but also for other various reasons you should get
them to play outdoors. I need not enlighten the
fact that obesity is touching the new highs
around the world. Repercussions of obesity are
countless diabetes, high cholesterol, blood
pressure, to name a few. Also, lack of proper
nutrients and exercise does not really help your
children in their brain development. Make sure
studies and outdoors sports top the list of to-do
things in your childs day