Use these eight expert-approved strategies to outsmart the marketers and nurture an engaging, resourceful, creative, curious, and considerate child.
by Paul Scott
Boost Your Kids’ Test Scores and Physical Health
Most doctors recommend no screen time for kids under 2 years old, and no more than two hours a day for everyone older. This includes computers, video games, and DVDs. But most parents inadvertently undercut this recommendation by putting TVs in their children’s bedrooms. Kids between 1 and 14 years whose bedrooms are TV-free have lower rates of obesity, score higher on standardized tests, go to sleep at least half an hour earlier each night, and fall asleep easier, according to research. “The best place for a TV and a computer is in a space shared by the whole family,” says Susan Linn, EdD, a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School.
Build Immunity to Consumer Culture
Science has demonstrated a link between increased exposure to ads and increased rates of children consuming high-calorie foods, abusing alcohol, and smoking. “You can work with your child from the age of 4 or 5 to build up resilience to consumer culture,” says Tim Kasser, PhD, a psychology professor at Knox College in Illinois and a father of two boys, ages 9 and 11. When his family watches TV, Kasser mutes the commercials while his sons make up their own dialogue. “Now if you ask my children what an ad is, they will reply, ‘They want your money!’ ” he says.
Inspire Your Kids to Be More Active
Making a contract with your 8- to 12-year-old child to watch less television will make him or her more active, according to a study at the University at Buffalo. “Give your kids points for spending time outside,” says Leslie Sim, PhD, a child and adolescent psychologist at the Mayo Clinic. “Then let them exchange those points for special activities with Mom or Dad. Make the reward whatever is going to be meaningful to the child.”
Be a Player
Brain development research shows that infants learn best through human interaction, manipulation of their physical environment, and open-ended, creative play, says Michael Rich, MD, PhD, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Yet a host of “educational” videos and shows have been created for babies and toddlers. “Time in front of a screen takes away from more developmentally optimal activities,” says Dr. Rich. Sim offers these simple tips to enhance play: Don’t instruct, don’t question, do praise, do imitate, and be enthusiastic and verbal in how you describe the child’s play. In fact, fathers have a greater effect than mothers on their children’s language development in families with two working parents, according to a study in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.
Bond at the Dinner Table
Eating in front of the TV is associated with increased time spent watching TV, according to a University of Washington study. On the other hand, family meals are associated with smarter, healthier kids, says William Doherty, PhD, a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota. To make family meals work, Doherty recommends the following: Involve kids in the preparation and cleanup, start and finish meals at the same time, keep the TV off, don’t badger the kids about finishing their peas, and talk about topics the kids feel good about.
Show the Love
The temptation is strong to give your children another hour of Nickelodeon or the latest Transformers model. Give them your time instead. “This is a particular problem for fathers,” says Joe Kelly, fathering author and anti-children’s marketing advocate, “because we are told that our primary role is as a provider, and we have a narrow definition of providing: money and stuff.” Follow your children’s lead and show them you’re interested in what they want to do. Studies show that kids who receive more one-on-one attention grow up more secure.
Free Your Child’s Inner Hemingway
At age 5, kids prefer timeless toys such as generic dolls, stuffed animals, and cars, yet only two years later, these preferences are replaced with brands such as Dora and SpongeBob, according to the child marketing research group KidSay. Licensed characters stifle the imagination and increase materialism, say child development experts such as Linn, who recommends buying only unlicensed products. “Inundating children with branded stuff deprives them of opportunities to create imaginary worlds and to develop a sense of self.”