As families become more and more affluent, it is very common to find families to have at least 1 television set. We all know what a good ‘baby-sitter’ the TV is. It keeps your child quiet, occupied and staying out of trouble. I heard of many mothers that when they got sick and tired of their children making noise at home, they will switch on the TV set and let it occupied them. They added that this method never fails to quiet them down.

We should not let this happen. We should not let the ‘black box’ take over as the baby-sitter. Though I have nothing against watching TV, in fact, I watch a lot of TV programs during my childhood days as well. But parents should monitor the types of programmes that their children watch as well as the hours they spend watching.

An overdose of violence and sleazy images can prove detrimental to children, especially at a young age. Try to make them watch more cartoons and documentaries. I love them when I was young. Cartoons open up their imagination while documentaries open up their knowledge.

Monitoring the length of time they spend watching is important too. Some parents let their child watch up to 6 hours a day! That is insane! Parents need to set a limit to the hours of TV watching a day. The best method to do this is to make TV watching a reward or an incentive for children after they have done their homework or studied for some time.

Reading is one of the best habits to cultivate when your child is bored. It exposed your child to more vocabulary and increases his reading speed when studying for exams. Here are 3 Effective Tips to cultivate reading as a habit.

1. Start reading early to your child

Set aside time each day for it. Start with picture books and talk about the pictures to him. Then move on to reading with him. After reading, encourage him to share his views about the book, and when he is ready, encourage him to read to you.

2. Stock up a wide variety of reading materials in the house

Books, magazines, newspapers… etc Make sure they are all ready in your house. Have a variety of them, as not all will interest your child. If you don’t have enough, bring your child to the library.

3. Set an Example

Children always look upon parents as their role models. If they see you reading constantly, they will see the value of it. Hence, it is wise to make reading your interest as well.

Article by Study Grandmaster.

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