Tips for raising a media-smart family

(NC) Content is everywhere. Kids are growing up in a fundamentally different media environment than their parents did—just like their parents before them. With media having such an influence on children’s development, it’s more important than ever for families to be media literate. Here are some ways to start at home:

Take time to discuss the media your kids consume with them. Most kids enjoy it when their parents take an interest in the things they enjoy. Make the conversations can fun, not every child is ready to fully tackle the messages in their media. Getting them thinking about what they watch is important for building media literacy.

Older children can have more substantive conversations. Take TV as an example: Try focusing less on what you think of their favourite show, and more on ways for them to look beyond what they’re seeing. Talk with them about the creative decisions that went into the story, characters, setting, outfits—who made those decisions, and why might they have chosen what they did? Try asking how the show makes them feel. That can be a jumping-off point for discussing a show’s themes and ideas and help your kids consider how they process them.

Encourage critical thinking and engagement with media. Encourage your kids to think through the messages and subtext in their content. Then open a conversation with them about it so they can start to build tools for engaging more independently with those ideas, as well as the ideas of their peers, adults in their lives and even public figures.

Turn screen time into learning time. In food as well as content, a balanced diet is a healthier diet. Educational and community-focused programming, such as that offered by public broadcasters like TVO, helps provide learning opportunities for both kids and adults, while supporting accessible media across Ontario. Exploring a mix of content that informs, inspires and connects people can make screen time feel more enriching.

Helping your kids build their media literacy can be a rewarding experience for everyone. Your kids can engage with their favourite stories on a new level, while also getting valuable practice in thinking for themselves and forming their own views. You can learn more about content that supports children’s critical thinking at tvokids.com.

Source: www.newscanada.com