television viewing

**terrydoo73** · 05-01-2010, 09:07 PM

First of all let me state I am a bit old fashioned in my attitude to tv and minding children - I don't like it! I know I know there are educational points watching some programmes but not all! The fact too that CBeebies repeats their programmes after 12 midday drives me nuts - and I know repetition is good for young children but I just don't get the point of some of these programmes.

I have 2 little mindees who returned to me yesterday after 2 weeks off for Christmas/New Year holidays. The eldest is 4 and attends playgroup every morning for 2 1/2 hours and will recommence tomorrow again. Her little brother is 2 1/2 years of age. It is obvious they have spent the holidays with the tv on all day every day despite all the snow we have had!! The first thing they have said when they come in today and yesterday is "put the tv on". The youngest just sat there on the couch both days - never touched a toy at all but his sister did play a bit but with the same things over and over again but I don't mind that too much.

I want to put a stop to this tv watching but don't know how to approach it without causing hurt - I want to get the youngest in particular to mingle with the others in my setting and enjoy specific toys again but don't know what to do.

Any suggestions anyone?

**mama2three** · 05-01-2010, 09:10 PM

erm..... .lie?

break the habit by telling them youre telly is broken for a few days! ds3 is a bit of a tellyhead but knows its not on while the mindees are here , infact he switches it off when he sees their car pull up outside.

**Twinkles** · 05-01-2010, 09:13 PM

It's amazing how often my TV breaks

Surprisingly it is often fixed again for quiet time after lunch when I want to eat my lunch in peace

**madasahatter** · 05-01-2010, 09:13 PM

Unplug it, take the fuse out, if it won't work then it can't go on. That's what I've done in the past, but with older children who rudely have gone straight to the TV after returning from school and put it on without asking. LO's usually accept 'it's not working today' without questioning LOL.
I rarely have the TV on during the day for LO's, though if I do it is when they are tired (but don't have a nap) or occasionally one of my LO's wakes up in a right grump and a bit of ITNG just before the afternoon school run gets her in the right mood for the walk.

**Hebs** · 05-01-2010, 09:15 PM

i have a kids music channel on, and will allow some kids tv, i even had the tv on when i had my ofsted inspection, my inspector had no issue with it

**little miss chatterbox** · 05-01-2010, 09:15 PM

I have different views on my own children watching it and minded children watching it!

When I am working, the tv is on for 10 mins in the morning before school, then we have it on for around 20 mins after my youngest gets home from nursery so that she can chill out and then it sometimes goes on after school for a little while (no more than half an hr) while the school age children chill out but sometimes they don't want it on so they don't have it!

My tv is in a different room to the playroom though and one child in particular isn't allowed to watch tv so I can usually have the little ones in the playroom while the older ones chill out and watch a bit of tv.

Although I do think some tv can be educational - my children were talking french the other day because they'd seen it on peppa pig and can count to 10 in spanish from watching dora!

**The Juggler** · 05-01-2010, 09:29 PM

mine rarely ask but I tell them we don't really have it on in the day at Nikki's do we, we're too busy playing. It's on before school run and after school for 30 mins but during the day it's rare - maybe 5 mins of night garden whilst we wake up/get our coats on.

They know it works but we don't have it on and they don't ask for it on any more.

**Tatjana** · 05-01-2010, 10:11 PM

Mine is rarely on during the day, I will put it on after dinner, 5.30pm, for wind down time and/or for my eldest son who's been at school all day and wants to chill out.

xx

Pipsqueak · 05-01-2010, 10:23 PM

i think you need to tackle the root of the concern - parents. Perhaps you could do a theme/activity with the kids about fav tv programmes and finding linking books, mags, other media etc. Discuss the benefits and cons with them etc and draw up a 'timetable' of acceptable tv usage if you feel its right

you could perhaps then back all this up (so perhaps it feels like you aren't targeting indiviudal parents) with sending home some interesting literature about the pros and cons of tv - what we watch, how long we watch if for etc and a list of alternative things to do.
Unless you feel you can tackle them more directly?

TV has become a babysitting solution sadly

**Daftbat** · 06-01-2010, 09:15 AM

I try to encourage watching TV for limited periods only, especially for the littlel ones - the older ones after school are often fit for nothing other than the tv. I am a bit old fashioned too and find the word "no" when they ask for it to be on is effective. I remind them of all the other things we can be doing instead.

**Bananabrain** · 06-01-2010, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by Twinkles

It's amazing how often my TV breaks

Surprisingly it is often fixed again for quiet time after lunch when I want to eat my lunch in peace

Mine does that too,Twinkles.
I can't possibly entertain children for 12 hrs a day,so especially in the hols,we do have the telly on sometimes. Usually only for a little while while I clear up or cook.

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 06-01-2010, 09:50 AM

Turn the tv off at the wall and say that it is not working when you turn it on and that you will call the man out to fix it

**Tink** · 06-01-2010, 11:18 AM

I have it on first thing in the morning. I have a Lo who likes to watch Fireman Sam it settles him straight away.
He only watches it for about 5 mins, but mum goes to work knowing he's ok and that's fine by me.
I tend turn the TV off then and we play.
I then let the children watch it after Lunch, it's rest time so the Lo's have a nap and the older ones have quiet time.

I don't see any harm in a bit of TV but I like the idea of saying it's broken

**Heaven Scent** · 06-01-2010, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by Hebs

i have a kids music channel on, and will allow some kids tv, i even had the tv on when i had my ofsted inspection, my inspector had no issue with it

Which one is that??? Is it on Sky - if so what number???

**Heaven Scent** · 06-01-2010, 12:41 PM

i very very rarely put the TV in the playroom on - I do sometimes for older mindees before school and maybe if they are late collections at the end of the day - or when a new older mindee starts but I gradually wean them off it and its amazing how quickly they stop asking to have it on!!! Its just a habbit and it can be broken very easily if they are kept busy.

I must say that I put the TV on in the living room for me just after lunch when all LO's are asleep and its my time to relax and eat my lunch but once I've watched Loose Women and Doctors - which I record because they are on too early for me - if I manage that much that is - if I don't get to see them then I watch it just after the last mindees leave when I sit down with a cuppa for my break before I do my round of homework help, cooking dinner and being a taxi for out of school activities. shush don't tell parents that we have a life and take time out to unwind if we get a chance - this laptop is on my lap while I'm doing it too - multi tasking.

**terrydoo73** · 06-01-2010, 03:34 PM

Thanks for your replies - very interesting as I was told by another childminder that I was being unfair in not letting my mindees watching the tv - it was very educational. I do not agree entirely especially when you have 2 who purposely get up at 6 am to see 2 hours before they come to me in the morning and then go home for another 2 hours in the evening!

The little boy came in this morning and it was a sing song for the first hour "put the tv on". I did put on Jo Jingles CD which seemed to settle him. I also enclosed all my children in the living room with 2 boxes of toys to try and get them all to play, mingle, interact etc. It seemed to work.

I need to look up some info for my own personal interest to see the pros and cons of watching tv. I do have some tv character books which the mindees are very interested - it might be interesting to do a them with them based on their favourite characters and put it into a book for parents along with research that I do just to give them a few hints!

**helenlc** · 06-01-2010, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by Hebs

i have a kids music channel on, and will allow some kids tv, i even had the tv on when i had my ofsted inspection, my inspector had no issue with it

When I had my inspection, me and LO played for an hour or so and I was talking to the inspector at the same time.

About 20 minutes before she left, my LO said Can I watch CBeeBies? I was like Oh lets play this. And inspector said Its fine.

LO laid on the sofa watching CBeeBies and fell asleep 2 minutes later! My inspector said You have obviously worn her out!

There were no comments about it in my report - good or bad.

As with most things, it has its good and bad points.

**mushpea** · 06-01-2010, 03:52 PM

why dont you just say no? dont see the need to lie,,, just tell them that they can watch ie bob the builder, then the tv goes off and we play.
I dont bother with the tv as the children i have during the day ask for it to go on then would play with toys whilst it was on, in my oppinon if the tv is on you sit and watch it otherwise whats the point of having it on, I do have children come that have it on 24/7 at home but they know they dont at mine and often we will have the radio on as back ground noise because they are so used to the tv's background noise they dont know how to play when its so quiet.

**Zoomie** · 06-01-2010, 05:11 PM

I let the children watch TV for about 15m whilst I prepare lunch.

I also let the children watch a little when I had my inspection last month. It was the only way I could give the inspector all my attention whilst she ran through my judgements.

**youarewhatyoueat** · 06-01-2010, 07:39 PM

I sometimes put the tv on after lunch and then again for a bit after a sleep but I also use dvds so I can put on a tumble tots dvd so we can do all the actions, i've also got a nursery rhyme dvd and we all join in saying them.
If i've got the tv on I tend to sit with the children (with my coffee) and talk about what we are watching, most children love the nature programmes, I like something special and the one with the dog that visits the factorys.
I also use bbc iplayer and the childrens radio station, and there are loads of books that have short dvds with them, they are short and sweet.