How Can TV Interfere WithYour Child’s Learning?
Does TV Help or Hinder?
Most homes nowadays have more than one TV screen. They are part of the furniture and have been for two or maybe three generations. My dad was a TV repair man, so we were never without one when I was a child!
However, at our education centre we advise parents to take the TV out of children’s rooms. For children to develop vocabulary, expression and story telling skills they need to read and hear stories. Our experience is that TV does not help this process.
Some researchers have found that watching television can result in delayed development, emotionally and mentally. In fact it is recommended that before the age of 2 children should not watch television at all! Let’s look at why;
- TV replaces interactive learning experiences which are vital in the early years.
- TV overloads the visual part of the brain, depriving other areas such as, creativity and imagination.
- TV uses too many fast paced images, which means children find it difficult to be patient and focus for any length of time.
- TV does not need a response, no skills are needed and so none are developed. Important skills such as planning and judging are neglected
- TV interferes with building relationships and interacting with real people.
- TV replaces physical activity with sedentary, leading to unhealthy lifestyle habits.
This is hard for us parents to take because as we all know TV is also the best babysitter the world has ever known! So what can we do? Well, here are some suggestions;
- Keep under twos away from the TV!
- Limit viewing, no more than one or two hours a day
- Choose programmes and DVDs which you think are suitable (monitor the violence and content).
- Absolutely no TV in any bedrooms as this has an impact on sleep.
- Watch and discuss together, promote a critical approach to what they see.
- Think of alternative activities.
As children grow and learn they need interactive experiences with their physical surroundings and people. A screen wastes precious time and does not provide these experiences. Children who watch television before the age of two often experience language delay and perform poorly later on at school.
