|
|
Tot's TVSep 18 '07 (Updated Nov 20 '07) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line How do you make the best of TV viewing for young children? I grew up watching a lot of TV as did my husband. Within recent years we have dramatically cut back on the amounts of TV we watch as we came to the realization that there is little on that is of a positive nature. When our son started to become aware of the entertaining box in the living room, we had decisions to make regarding what he watched as well as how much he watched. There are many schools of thought regarding the use of television with young children. One side states that TV viewing from 9 months is fine and yet others say not television at all. Somewhere in the middle is where we fall as a family as well as myself as an educator. There are definitely pro's and con's to children watching television. On the negative side, the longer children are in front of media (TV, computers, video games etc...), the less time they are participating in physical activities (Yes, there are more negatives, but that is not the focus of this article). On the plus side, there are some good educational shows available. At work we use various clips from PBS shows in the classrooms, for example showing a letter clip from Sesame Street that correlates with the letter of the week in the classroom. Additionally, we use these clips in parent trainings to assist them in talking with their child during the show to further expand the learning. The rest of this article will focus on recommendations for TV viewing practices as well as a quick description of some of the types of children's shows available. This information is primarily targeted for younger preschoolers and toddlers as I see most things from my two-year old's perspective most of the time. How Much is Enough? The general consensus in the education field right now for all media (TV, video games, computer etc...) use is: none for children under 2 years, one hour (or less) for children 2-4 years and up to 2 hours for children over 5. Does that mean my 2 year old does not watch any TV? No... He loves watching shows - too much sometimes - but we try to limit how much he watches. Recently this has been more difficult as I have been laid up with both morning sickness and a fractured ankle (and I have had to use a program or video as bribery to get him to go upstairs). But, we usually have set times during the day Little Man can watch a show, which includes first thing in the morning, the afternoon, and in the evening to help wind down for the day. Again remember the more time kids are in front of the tube, the less time they are actively exploring which is how young children learn best. Is there an Art to watching TV? Seems like such a silly question, but there is actually an effective way for children to watch TV in order to get the most out of the show. Know what the show is about - What is it teaching?...Is the content fairly realistic? Is the show something you want your child to be exposed to? There are several children's shows I have watched recently that my jaw just dropped, thinking did I really just see that (and it was a show meant for young children)? Watch the show with your child - Another nickname for the TV oftentimes is the electronic babysitter. Yes, we have used TV in this manner as I really like to get a shower in the morning, but many-a-time I, or my husband, watch the shows with him. Extend the learning - If your child is nine months or nine years, you can extend the learning that comes from a TV show. For little ones, this may be more in the form of talking to the child. When we were watching simple shows like Baby Einstein, I would talk about the colors, shapes and actions happening on the screen. The basic idea is, talk about and ask your child questions about what is happening on the show. Obviously, the questions you ask will depend on the age of your child. Examples could include: "What color is the bouncing ball?" "What is Clifford doing?" "What do you think they will do next?" "Was that right or wrong what ____ did? Why/Why not?" Right now I will primarily comment to my son if something a character does is right or wrong since he is just learning that concept. For instance, a while back there was an episode of Caillou where I felt Caillou "got away" with being whiny and mean to his sister, so I talked about how it was he not nice and what else he could have done at the time. Tot's TV... What's out there? There are several varieties of children's shows currently on the air. Is one style better than another? No, not really. This more depends on the actual content than the style of delivery. Also, just because a program is on a kid friendly network such as Disney, Sprout or Nickelodeon does not mean it is an appropriate program for your child. Interactive - Many programs geared toward toddlers and younger preschoolers fall into this category. These are shows where the characters try to interact with the child by asking questions or having them "help" by completing some action. Oftentimes, parents and/or caregivers will feel the interactive part is down grading toward children. I thought this same thing until I began to look at it from my child's perspective. My main question was "is this similar to how I would speak to my child?" In many of the cases, the answer was yes. I believe shows utilizing a short pause (5-10 seconds) for children to answer a question are a little better than those that leave a larger space. But as children get older and truly begin "thinking" through the answers a longer pause can be useful. Prime examples of interactive shows include Blue's Clues, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Dora the Explorer, Barney, Mister Rogers, Big, Big World, and Go, Diego, Go. Variety Show/Semi-Interactive - This includes shows with short segments that may be cartoon, live action or puppet style shows. These all usually revolve around a common theme such as shapes, friends or dinosaurs. The most common example of this style is Sesame Street. Others could also include shows like Teletubbies, Reading Rainbow, and Word World (new to PBS). In addition to these set shows specialized children's TV channels like Sprout and Noggin offer what would be considered "variety show" material that runs between scheduled shows. A few that are currently running include The Goodnight Show and The Let's Go Show playing on Sprout. Noggin also plays interactive clips featuring a character named Moose A. Moose. Our local PBS station has a similar style for in between their shows as well. These are interesting concepts as it keeps the traditional consumer commercials out of children's programming. Storyline Show - As one of the most common style of children's show, the story line show is the "classic" cartoon show. As storyline usually runs 20-30 minutes, tells a story and attempts to teach a lesson usually revolving around social/emotional skills. There is a wide variety of storyline shows available and are ones a parent will want to preview prior to a child watching. Examples of storyline shows available for preschool children include Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank, Dragon Tales, Angelina Ballerina, Jakers!, Bernstein Bears, Franklin and many more. Each of the styles, as well as each show above has listed has its pros and cons. In the weeks to come I will be doing full reviews of some of our favorite (and not so favorite) children's shows. The Bottom Line Ultimately, TV watching comes down to knowing what your child is watching and assisting them in learning from the show. Now... Before I get a ton of e-mails and/or comments on this show is great/sucks or no child should ever watch TV, I want to put out this disclaimer that... Each family has their own values and opinions as to what is acceptable for their children to view and for how long. What we may have as an acceptable, favorite program, may not be for your family. Know why a show is alright for your child to view, besides the fact that it is entertaining and/or funny. Spongebob Squarepants may be a very entertaining show, but personally not a show I want my child to watch due to the content.  |
| Read all comments (10)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
