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Teach your kids to be consumer conscious
In this issue, Leah Dobkin, mother of three teens, writes about losing control of her kids to corporate America, a fear many parents share. Find tips on how to regain control by teaching your kids about advertising and consumerism.
| April 2008 issue2) Marking Commercials
When your children watch television, be sure that they know when the commercials start and stop. Young children may consider the commercial to be part of the program, so it is a good idea to "mark" the commercials for them. At the beginning of a commercial, say:
"Oh it's a commercial. After the commercials, we'll be able to go back to the story."
Help your child to recognize when the commercial starts. There will be a brief "black-out" or other indication of the shift from program to commercial. There is an announcement: "We'll be right back to our program after this . . "
3) Explaining How Ads Work
Parents should strive to keep their discussions about advertisements on a level that their children will understand. To do this, use terms, analogies and concepts with which your child already is familiar. For example, you may wish to say that:
- Advertising makes a product into a "star." A commercial dresses up the product, puts make-up on it, shines bright lights on it, and makes it look larger than life. The advertiser hopes that the commercial will make consumers want to have the "star" in their home.
- Advertising makes a product "stand out in a crowd." It's difficult to be seen in a large crowd; things tend to get lost and blend in together. However, if one person in the crowd is wearing a brightly-colored outfit, or a large hat, that person will stand out. An advertiser wants its product to stand out in your mind, and, as a result, highlights the product in a way that attracts attention. One way to demonstrate this is to take your child to the supermarket. Ask your child to point to the boxes, cans or bags that feature artwork that is the most noticeable on the shelf. Packaging is one type of advertising for products.
- Advertising is like a "bicycle reflector." A commercial works like a reflector on the back of a bicycle at night; it makes the product more visible, so that it can't be missed.
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haha wow. I want to meet the person who made this... okay yes i do agree on talking to your kids about advertising and money when they are little, but remember to keep it simple and not scary. but my main issue is how out-of-date this article is: "For pre-teen youngsters, "prime time" does not mean "Roseanne" and "Cheers." Instead, children are most likely to settle down in front of the television to take in the exploits of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or the Ghostbusters." okay obviously you don't have kids who watch television, because these shows are about a decade and a half old. Children nowadays like to watch cartoons like: spongebob squarepants, ben 10, ect. These shows may be what you would think of as "violent" and "graphic," but they are also VERY educational. Even though the kids,(and maybe even you), don't know it., there are MANY life lessons and educational value to these shows. Next time your kid is watching t.v. watch it with them, yes i know this will be a drag, but just do it and look for all the "good" things that are in a t.v. show or commercial or cartoon, instead of always looking for the negative things. You will be very surprised
posted by JordanLaurie on 9/11/2008 10:29 pm