For Everyone
For Parents
For Teachers
Activities
Watch This Ad
Learn about TV ads, then make one of your own.
Materials
- Favorite toy
- Large cardboard box
- Cutting tool (for adult use only)
- Markers and stickers
Directions
Talk with your child about TV ads he or she likes or remembers. (See Talk About It for ideas.) What parts of the ad grabbed your child's attention: the music, the action, the cartoon characters or actors, a catchy jingle or slogan? Invite your child to make his or her own TV commercial about a favorite toy or stuffed animal, describing why it is the best, and making kids everywhere want to own one just like it. Your child may want to make up a song or jingle as part of the ad, or just choose some cool background music.
Make a "TV set" by cutting the bottom out of a large cardboard box, leaving a thin cardboard frame around the edge. This will be the "TV screen." (Your child may enjoy decorating the cardboard TV with markers, stickers, et cetera.) Turn the box on its side so your child can perform his or her TV ad. Other family members might want to take turns performing their original TV ads, too.
Talk About It
As you watch TV with your child, help your child notice the difference between ads and programs. How quickly can you and your child figure out what an ad is trying to sell? What parts of the ad made it appealing: the music, the action, the cartoon characters or actors, a catchy jingle or slogan? Remind your child that the people on commercials are actors whose job is to say the lines the ad writers write. For toy advertisements, talk about what really comes in the box, how big it is, and what it can do. (Often advertisements will show a toy in combination with other toys or props.)
You and your child may want to check out Don't Buy It: Get Media Smart at PBS Kids Go!, an upbeat, interactive Web site that give kids behind-the scenes insights into advertisements tricks and techniques and helps them become smart consumers.
You can also visit the PBS Parents Guide to Children and Media, another resource to help you create a media-literate household.
Related Books
Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest by Marc Brown
Bea and Mr. Jones by Amy Schwartz
Mouse TV by Matt Novak
Age Range: 4-6
Skills/Subjects:
- Creative Expression
- Media Literacy
Related Episodes:
