MASKED THE PLAY

Children love to go to the cinema, so they’ll gladly take responsibility for planning which film to see next. Take advantage of their enthusiasm by suggesting some reading tie-ins. First ask your children to read aloud mini-reviews of films they are interested in seeing, perhaps after dinner while everyone is still at the table. These short synopses usually appear somewhere in newspapers or listings magazines. Agree on one or two films that appeal to everyone in the family. If you come across a full review, ask the children to read that aloud, too.
When the children decide which film to see, give them the task of checking listings for cinemas and times. If the film they choose is based on a book, encourage the family to read the story before seeing the film so you can make comparisons. It might be fin to read the book aloud together, although in this instance you may not want to wait until you finish reading to see the film.

How do your children know what’s on television? Do they ffip channels or do they read the schedule of programmes in a television guide?
Encourage previewing what is on offer by reading the listings with your children in the newspaper, a television guide or magazine. Reading the listings gives the whole family a chance to think and to make decisions about their television viewing. You may also want to establish some guidelines ahead of time, for example no TV until homework is finished, only a set number of programmes per week, or only between certain hours. You may wish to sit down and work out a set of rules with your children.
The following activities can give your previewing some direction.

Family Guide. Sit with your children and read through the weekly TV listing in the Sunday paper. Divide a piece of paper into sections for the days of the week. In each section, list the shows you agree to watch. Or you may want to circle program mes in the newspaper listing.
Previewing the week’s offerings serves a few purposes: you can make sure your children know about a TV special they wouldn’t want to miss; you can resolve conflicts before viewing (Jonathan gets to watch his program me Tuesday night, and Ian gets to watch his on Friday); you can influence what the children watch by discussing their choices; and it gives you a regular opportunity to limit their viewing.
In addition to their regular favorites, help your children find shows that feature their personal interests or parallel what they are learning at school.
From TV to the Library. Cut out articles and help your children find books about tcpics treated in TV shows and films. Tape an article on the fridge or near the phone where passers-by will h notice, or put it inside your child’s lunch box. A show’s subjector star, or even the place where it was filmed, could lead your children to reading. TV Categories. Ask your child to list programme categories as headings on a piece of paper: situation comedy, news, dramatic series, documentary, soap opera, sports, cartoons and so on. While reading through a day’s scheduled programmes in a television guide or newspaper listing, your child writes the names of as many shows as possible in each category. Which categories are most represented? Which are least represented?