Find books on things your child is interested in, like dinosaurs, dogs, or airplanes. If your child does not want to read, reward them with one episode of a cartoon for reading for a half hour.
For example, you can use the writing prompt “Write a story about your favorite superhero,” or “Write about vacation. " If your child refuses, suggest to read a book instead.
Have your child pick out the art supplies with you to get their imagination going. If your child refuses, try other art supplies until something clicks and seems fun.
Show your child some options of places to go and have them pick out the place that interests them most. If they refuse, take your child to run errands with you, like to the mall, grocery store, or gas station. Getting out of the house and doing something else will help cut back on TV time. [1] X Research source
Have a reward destination in mind, like an ice cream shop or arcade. This will help motivate the child to do the activity and reward them for choosing something other than watching TV. [2] X Research source
Let your child pick out the game to make sure they enjoy it. If you child refuses, make it necessary to play one game before they can watch an hour of TV. [3] X Research source
Have your child pick the activity that seems the most fun. Take them to meetings once a week even if they don’t seem interested. [4] X Research source
Give your child a few suggestions of instruments to play, and let them pick. If they refuse, try another hobby they may like better, like karate or tap dancing.
Your schedule could start with only two hours of television a day. You can also make your TV time at a specific time every day, like after dinner at 6:00 pm. [5] X Research source
Also try doing this for just a week or over the weekends to limit television time but not cut it out cold turkey. This will give your family a break from depending on technology, especially if your child has a serious addiction. After your TV break, your child may not want to watch TV quite as much. [8] X Research source
You can say something like, “Hey Nicholas, see that? That is a commercial, something that shows you something to buy. This is not part of the show, okay?” After the show, say something like: “When that guy hit the guy in the blue hat, that is not something you want to do in real life. Hitting strangers is not okay. "
Be mindful to not have them watch TV during the hour before their bedtime, to give your child a break from the screen and help them sleep better. [12] X Research source
