Children and media

易曉輝

導讀：創造性地讓孩子們使用好各種媒體，以利于他們健康成長。

How children use media has a lot to do with who they are. Although no two kids are exactly alike， children generally go through the same stage of development. Knowing these stages can help you encourage your child to use media in new and creative ways.

1. Im often on the go. I am energetic and may have trouble sitting still.

What parents can do： Your child may be losing interest in TV， so now it is a great time to encourage other kinds of activities， especially physical ones. When you are helping your child with homework - perhaps on the computer - build in “get up and move around” breaks.

2. I may feel very strange about myself and how my body is starting to change.

What you can do： Use the Web and TV to help your child solve questions that he/she may have about his/her body and personal development.

3. When it comes to eating， I may seem like a bottomless pit.

What you can do： Talk to your child about the food that he/she sees advertised on TV and why it is - or isnt -what your family eats.

4. My friends are very important to me， even though I am sometimes envious of what they have.

What you can do： Help your child understand that what his/her friends get to do or have - like staying up late to watch a TV show or buying the newest video game - may be different from his/her own experience. Help him/her understand the reasoning behind your media decisions.

5. I love a good story — whether its real or nonsense. I tend to like current events more than history and may like using a map to find places I hear mentioned.

What you can do： Help your child find interesting TV shows and useful Web sites. Try not to surf channels or sites aimlessly. Instead， look through program listings to see what will be on TV and ask a librarian for help to find out the Web.

6. I may be more interested in going to the movies.

What you can do： Ask your child questions about movies that interest him/her. Find out why certain movies are interesting by starting a conversation about the actors， story or something special.

Vocabulary

bottomless pit n. 無底洞

envious adj. 羨慕的，忌妒的

current adj. 當前的