The American Association of Pediatrics has released numerous reports stating that television viewing by babies should not exist and television viewing by toddlers and young children should be very limited. Proactive, responsible parents should make time to read to children and engage in interactive play. The AAP does not go as far as to forbid television watching by children, stating that, “…there are potential benefits… (eg. Sharing, manners and cooperation)…” (http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;107/2/423), because they do understand that there is indeed quality children’s programming available.
With our crumbling economy and the fast pace of today’s society, there are moments in every parent’s life where ya just need more time! As parents, our jobs are to facilitate an environment conducive to learning how to become a functioning member of society, in all senses of the term. We want our children to be happy, healthy, bright, charitable, productive, self-sufficient and content. We want to groom them to be able to succeed in land of today and the land of tomorrow.
A huge component of success in the lands of today and tomorrow is the ability to multi-task and to make the tough choices about what works for the team; because, we have to remember that a family is a team and we are all trying to make it. We don’t make kids go to daycare because we don’t want to see them. We send them to daycare because we have to work to make money to support them and, of course, ourselves. It’s a necessary evil but, it’s not all bad. Children go to daycare and learn how to play with others and how to follow rules.
The various media (both television and the internet) potentially contain an infinite amount of hazards and, just like the bully in the playground or the foul mouthed derelicts sitting in the next booth at McDonald’s, it’s our job to be vigilant so that our children are not adversely affected by the negativity.
That being said, as long as we do our jobs and remain attentive to what our children may be absorbing from television programs and take action to direct our children towards tv shows that reflect the values and information, there are far worse sins of parenthood than letting your child watch a television show or two.
So, what’s good on tv?
I used to be very anti-television, where my children were concerned and then, my 2 yr old got diagnosed with a moderate speech delay. After working with my son and his speech therapist, she got me to start looking at things from a completely different perspective. Within reason, what I (as a parent) needed to do was to find what would engage my son to try to speak by any means necessary. In other words, find what works for MY child – which is really what all parents must learn to do. So, I started doing research on speech development books, dvds and programs and discovered some really great finds. But, of course, for a two year old, boredom comes fast so, I had to keep one step ahead and that led me on my quest for programs that would engage him to speak, embrace his curiosity and expand his horizons.
And this is what I found…
Sesame Street (PBS) is, of course, a perennial favorite. Elmo was probably one of my son’s first, intelligible words. The release of the most recent season of programming shows a lot of changes with both cast (lots of new characters) and technology, especially with their use of green screen technology but, somehow, watching Sesame Street with my children still evokes that feeling of coming home again. They teach manners, letters, words, numbers, colors, communication skills and so much more. They also have more than thirty years of trustworthiness. If you need to put the laundry away, having Sesame Street on your DVR is probably as good for you as it is for your child.
Between the Lions is another PBS favorite of mine that seems all too hidden, at least on my local affiliate. It has that Jim Henson feel but, according to my research, has no connection. The live action show takes place in a library run by a family of lions and focuses, most specifically, on phonics. They use various skits and readings of storybooks to emphasize the sounds letters make and how they work together. The show is fast moving and the characters are clever and engaging. Like Sesame Street, the skits are strewn between a main storyline that teaches a lesson, all sandwiched between a catchy, “Announcer Bunny” opening and the reprise of the bop-evoking theme song that closes the show. This show’s high level of energy is great if you need to get groceries put away or get dinner started!
My next choice in the current BEST SHOW EVER in our household (again, please remember the attention span of a 2 yr old!) Upon a recommendation of a mommy friend of mine, I let my son watch Super Why!, also on PBS. I was cooking lunch while my husband watched the show with our children (of course, I always recommend previewing new shows with your children) and heard my son belly laughing at the antics. The main character, Wyatt, younger brother to Jack of the Jack and the Beanstalk fame, lives in a storybook house in a little storybook village. His best friends are a Little Piggy, Red Riding Hood and Princess Pea. When one of the children has a dilemma, they contact each other on their Super Why Computer (Blackberry kind of device) and plan their solution along with a classic children’s story line. Then, they become Super heroes with powers to read, spell and the like. And, of course, they include your child as a super hero that has the power to help. It’s cute and lots of fun. Throughout the storybook dilemma, children have to help the Super heroes to find the super letters to find the super solution. Super Why! involves it’s audience from the very beginning to the climactic ending. My son is up off the couch with his blanket as his super hero cape and a dollar store calculator as his super computer. He dances and points out all the letters and has become obsessed with the alphabet. Even my one year old daughter has started trying to name letters. This show is probably my favorite boredom buster when Mommy and Daddy are just too exhausted to come up with something clever for a half hour.
The programs I have mentioned, so far, have dealt with shows that focus heavily on communication skills but, I also know how important other areas of learning are as well. Musical understanding and comprehension is a huge skill that should not be overlooked.
Noggin provides an excellent introduction to the joy of music with Jack’s Big Music Show. This show teaches children about musical instruments and how they help make music. It’s yet another program that pulls kids off the couch so they can dance with the silly characters to fun, energetic songs. This show is great for an afternoon dance party that even Mommy and Daddy can enjoy.
Speaking of music education, Playhouse Disney really does a superb job of incorporating often complex classical songs (that, heard on their own would lose a typical toddler after say, 30 seconds) into magical, action packed storylines that move right along so nicely that toddlers don’t even know they are learning. Little Einsteins manages to take the seemingly complex topics, such as rhythms, tempo and recognition of various instrument sounds, and put them on the level of a toddler’s understanding. Albert Einstein himself would be impressed. This is a great show to put on while you might be preparing breakfast, as it gets the creative juices flowing for a day full of learning.
The most important thing that any parent can do for their children is to instill a love of learning. The best way to do that is find ways to learn while playing, reading and even during daily chores like grocery shopping and putting toys in their place. There’s no reason, however, that we can’t also use our modern technologies as learning tools as well. Television has been around since 1927 (invented by Phil Farnsworth) and we, as adults, use it every day to learn about the world with news shows. We try new dishes after watching cooking shows or new yoga moves after watching fitness shows. You can even check out the international channel offerings to brush up on your high school Spanish. To completely avoid learning opportunities for toddlers just because they happen to be on television would be a disgrace. Let’s teach them to use all the learning tools to their advantage as well. Someday, they may just thank you for it!
