Make TV Watching Educational

I would love to say that I was one of those wonderful parents who don't allow my kiddos to watch TV, but that couldn't be farther than the truth.  Luckily, my boys are pretty active and don't choose to watch much television, but when they do, I would like it to be educational and useful.  Here are some ways to engage your child in learning when they are watching TV:

1. During a commercial, ask your child to make a prediction about what is going to happen after the commercial break.  Children are taught in school that good readers make predictions as they are reading.

2. Ask your child to think about the setting used in the show they are watching.  What do they think the setting might contribute to the storyline?

3. After watching a television show, ask your child what the problem in the show was.  How was it solved?

4. Ask your child to classify what they are watching as fiction or non-fiction.  Why did they say that?

5. Ask your child to tell you about the characters in a show they are watching.  What type of person are they?

6. Have your child write a summary of what they watched.

7. Keep a chart of the number of commercials on a show.  Have your child record what fraction or percentage of the show was advertising.

You can print out this form to keep track

8.  Do some research on something interesting they learned from the show.

9.  Keep track of interesting vocabulary words they hear.  Have them look up the meaning and give them "points" anytime they use that word during the day.

Those are just a few suggestions... Could you think of any others?