Kids and the Television

One study of children ages 2-18 found kids spend an average of 5 hours and 29 minutes per day watching television, playing video games, and using various other types of electronic media.

You can increase your kids' physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior with the following simple switches.

Remove TVs and computers from children's bedrooms. According to Kaiser Family Foundation research, two-thirds of children ages 8 and older have a TV in their bedroom, half have a video game, and one-third a VCR. Almost half of children live in a house where the TV is on at all times, even when no one is watching it. According to research done at Johns Hopkins University, a child's weight increases with the number of hours he or she watches television.

Place active toys such as jump ropes, mini-trampolines, Sit 'n Spin, and hula hoops within easy access in kids' bedrooms or playrooms.

Require that your kids exercise during commercial breaks.

Put a curfew on electronics. For instance, nothing that requires batteries or electricity may be used until 5 p.m. on school days.

Set a tit-for-tat rule. For every 30 minutes of television watching or Internet surfing, your child must do 30 minutes of physical activity.