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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

I did it - it took away the TV! Anyone else gone cold turkey for 2015?

34 replies

atonofwashing · 06/01/2015 16:26

DS (8) didn't think I would, but I have removed the 2 TV's in the house, in a bid to encourage more reading.

So far he's decamped to the Ipad, but that will be given out sparingly...

His after school schedule is full on so I am hoping he might not notice, although he does know about iplayer etc...

Anyone else done anything similar?

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MinimalistMommi · 06/01/2015 17:32

If he just swaps it for iPad or gaming there is probably little point? How sparingly is sparingly? We didn't get rid of the TV but my DC only watch a family film once a week and don't watch TV for the other six days in a week. It's been like this for about six years and my eldest is a huge bookworm and my youngest is just getting into reading to herself now at six. They are great at entertaining themselves too. GOODLUCK!

Original poster

atonofwashing · 06/01/2015 17:54

Thanks.
The ipad has a battery that runs out and the tv doesn't, and he's pretty good at giving that up once the battery is dead.

I am only planning on doing this to the end of January, but I am hoping it might encourage more reading... there are a few great readers in his class and they have no telly, so thought i'd give it a whirl.

Dare say dh will be pining for the football!

Fingers crossed we last the month! :-)

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ZeroFunDame · 06/01/2015 18:01

Ok ... Unhelpful - but you've chosen the wrong time of year. I haven't had a TV this century but even I am spending more time with iPlayer atm.

Wouldn't it work more painlessly if you waited till the summer? Lots to do outside, helping in the garden if you have one, in addition to his own stuff.

And it only works if everyone else in the house is enthusiastic about keeping him occupied as well ...

usualsuspect333 · 06/01/2015 18:05

I don't think you can make him read if he doesn't want to.

3bunnies · 06/01/2015 18:08

Bizarrely the one dc in our house who can't read fluently is also the one who doesn't really care for the TV. I think both are linked to her vision, although she is getting better at reading. Hope it works for you.

ZeroFunDame · 06/01/2015 18:09

That's true usual - but anyone will find themselves doing other things including reading once leasure time no longer revolves around the TV.

FairyPenguin · 06/01/2015 18:10

Like Minimalist, we also rarely watch TV (well, DH and I do in the evenings when the DC are in bed). Most of the year, the DC watch tv perhaps 1-2 hours a week at most. In winter though, it does increase to about 3 hours a week as we just don't get outside as much. My DC know that they are not allowed to switch it on themselves and in fact I find that, same as the iPad, if I start letting then watch they want more. If they go a whole week without, they barely notice. It's nice as a treat though. Good luck!

ZeroFunDame · 06/01/2015 18:10

leisure ...

TweeAintMee · 06/01/2015 18:11

If you want him to read, the best thing you can do is read to him loads and loads (regardless of how well he can read by himself). He will then love stories and books and start to pick them up himself.

PureMorning · 06/01/2015 18:13

You cant really force him without making him hate reading more.

My now 12 year old son hated reading and couldn't read properly until he was in year 5. Constantly being told to read at school and how others were ahead of him really killed his confidence
We bought him a variety of books from comics to the classics and left him to it. He was allowed to stay up 30 extra mins at bed tome as long as he was reading, sometimes he did and sometimes he didn't

He's in year 7 now aNd reads 2 big books a week. He plays a lot of xbox and watches tv too. Everything is fine as long as theres a. Valance

haphazardbystarlight · 06/01/2015 18:17

We haven't had a tv for about three years.

Do watch things on the iPads but it stops 'mindless' watching.

AliceInHinterland · 06/01/2015 18:26

Well done! I would love to do that, just need to persuade DP! Ignore the naysayers - so much easier to just get rid so you don't have to spend time & energy debating the issue.

Original poster

atonofwashing · 06/01/2015 18:53

Good point Zerofundame, that is kind of what I am after...and it is hard in the winter when the kids can't get outside so much after school.

What I have noticed already this evening is that he's already up in his room playing with his toys and actually using his imagination, instead of just sitting in front of the tv watching anything...

it really is just finding the balance that works for the family. I just got fed up of nagging him about turning off the tv and come in for tea/ lets look at homework etc, as you say AliceinHinterland.

I absolutely love watching the telly in the evening, and thankfully ds has not discovered the live tv streaming app on my ipad that I intend to use once he's asleep in bed! That and of course finish reading my book :-)

OP posts:

morethanpotatoprints · 06/01/2015 19:01

Haven't done anything similar, but when our 2 older ds were similar age to your ds we didn't have a tv at all. No gadgets and technology like today, all they could do was play, read, and life was brilliant.
Good for you OP, I don't blame you at all.
We have 2 tvs now but have never been the type to have it on in background, or look what to watch.
If something is worth it we watch, which isn't very often. Otherwise it doesn't go on.
I think once you have the environment you want you are able to introduce small amounts again and they don't take advantage.

Original poster

atonofwashing · 06/01/2015 19:31

Morethan - ah yes, those were the days. Perhaps I am subconsciously trying to recreate my childhood ;-)

Life seemed much less chaotic back then.

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mrscumberbatch · 06/01/2015 19:37

No tv in this house either but we have netflix.

Means no drivel playing in the background as we have to actually select what we want to watch.

Dd is 5 and is a big reader, I'm not sure if its down to lack of alternatives but I'm not complaining

flexibleworkinghours · 06/01/2015 19:47

no tv in this house, kids watch a film a week on my computer. no computers for kids either. ever.

if i gave them the chance they'd watch tv all day.

kids massive readers - reading in bath as I type - and i've actually been told by teachers (who didn't know about tv) that both kids are 'really good at playing' (!).

morethanpotatoprints · 06/01/2015 19:58

I must add though, the improved lifestyle wasn't as noble as you OP, we were just skint and convinced ourselves that life would be better without.
It is great that it was though and would recommend to everybody.
It even brought dh and i together more too. We had to talk or at least find something good to do together DD came much later btw when we had the tv back again.
I still can't imagine us both sitting watching tv at night, why do people do it who have been at work all day? I talk his head off and likewise if we haven't seen each other all day.

Original poster

atonofwashing · 06/01/2015 20:15

Morethan, you are right, it's already paying off (I think!). we were much more chatty with each other this evening. We finished off his paint-your-own pirate ship and did get our bedtime reading done.

From all the posts, I get the feeling that the less tv in a household, the better.

Let's see how it all pans out.

OP posts:

ZeroFunDame · 06/01/2015 20:37

The lovely thing is that nowadays it's not an all or nothing choice. You can still save up a bit of TV for weekends or whatever. But you will, in general, have more fun without the imperious box in the corner.

I'm rather excited for you.

howtodrainyourflagon · 06/01/2015 20:47

We have a zero-screen-time on weekdays rule during school term time. It works pretty well. It gets the dc playing with all their toys rather than just zoning out in front of the tv or computer games.

footallsock · 06/01/2015 20:59

I am very tempted. Not not turning it on unless we defo want to watch a certain thing

Original poster

atonofwashing · 06/01/2015 21:02

Zero - you have given me an idea. He's mad keen on the school's house points system, so might try and encourage a house TV points system once the month is out.
it's all a bit obvious really, but it's often great to sound these things out.
Thank you, I am excited too!

howtodrainyourflagon (love it!) turning off the gogglebox does pay dividends... well done you :-)

OP posts:

ZeroFunDame · 06/01/2015 21:11

Mmmm .... Except that you would be giving the impression that TV is a reward for doing other, less interesting things. Which is surely the opposite of what you intend.

What you want surely is for him to independently come to the conclusion that TV is the least appealing of all the options open to him. (Unless there's a particular thing he wants /needs to see.) Not a treat, cruelly withheld. DYSWIM?

noseymcposey · 06/01/2015 21:35

I am jealous! I was on the verge of getting rid of my tv, then I met DP...

I just cannot imagine him ever agreeing to give up TV.

I just asked him and he said 'err, it's not something I can envisage at the moment'. But asking when he's watching football is possibly not wise.

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