TV Moves Me is a children’s book to help families think about activities that can be done when watching TV (besides eating). Instead of advising to simply turn off the TV, this book suggests ways to incorporate physical activity into TV viewing time. The parent’s pages comment on healthy food (as do the pictures).
A pilot test was conducted with English-speaking low-income Hispanic mothers, to determine the books clarity, and whether parents would repeatedly read the book to their child.
Two-thirds of the mothers stated that the book related to being physically active. One-fourth of the mothers (those with the youngest children) thought their child would only like the pictures, while almost half believed that their child would understand the message. Almost all mothers said they would participate and believed their child would like the book. Also, 38 of the 40 mothers would be comfortable repeatedly reading the book to their child.
The story features “the Couch family”-“mother Mrs. Milly Couch, and children Conner, Clyde and Clara Couch” as their television comes to life one day and encourages them to move around during the commercials. The children in the book do a variety of different activities during the advertising breaks, and at the end, their mother joins them in moving around during the commercials. The resonating theme of the book is “Don’t just sit and sit and sit, Keep on moving to stay fit.” At the end of the book are parent pages, which include facts and recommendations about television viewing and children. The books also imparts seven activity suggestions (including games, exercises, and fun things to do) to get children moving while watching television.