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May 19, 2011

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Effects of TV on Children


Toddler Ideas is the insightful ezine delivered to your inbox monthly from clever-toddler-activities.com

May 2011 Issue 19

Featuring:

  1. Opening Thoughts – Does TV Educate Toddlers?
    2.
  2. Wise Words – What are the Effects of TV on Children?

  3. Featured Page – What Else Can Help Us Get Chores Done and Give Us a Rest?
    4.

Opening Thoughts

Does TV Educate Toddlers?

TV has such a common place in most households, especially in the West, that we’re very used having it on. It’s so wide spread that now there’s a choice of TV programs and DVDs for every age and interest! It seems programs especially designed to appeal to babies and toddlers are becoming very popular. Many of these programs boast their educational content and the ability to hold a baby or toddlers attention.

Well, having a busy little one stare at the TV while cute characters or fun adults entertain them, does free us up to either do chores, work or take a much needed break, doesn’t it? And isn’t a bit of TV time relaxing for kids?

Yet do you ever wonder about how much little ones actually learn from TV? As babies and children move they build pathways in their brains. They learn using all their senses simultaneously with ease. Well, considering how passive watching TV is, I wondered about how the screen effects toddlers development. I did lots of research and here I've quoted just a few of the studies on the effects of TV on children with pediatrician’s advice on a new page which you can find in the next section.

I do hope you find the information on the effect of TV on children useful in this issue of Toddler Ideas. If you're wondering what to do instead, then do check out my easy activities for toddlers, to free you to do chores or have a break.

Wise Words

Here are a few quotes that represent the results of the research I did on the effects of TV on children from studies and pediatricians. BTW, the bolded words are my own emphasis.

Want kids who are smarter and thinner? Keep them away from the television set as toddlers. A shocking study from child experts at the Université de Montréal, the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Michigan, has found that television exposure at age two forecasts negative consequences for kids, ranging from poor school adjustment to unhealthy habits.

"Between the ages of two and four, even incremental exposure to television delayed development," says Dr. Pagani.

"We found every additional hour of TV exposure among toddlers corresponded to a future decrease in classroom engagement and success at math, increased victimization by classmates, a more sedentary lifestyle, higher consumption of junk food and, ultimately, higher body mass index," says lead author Dr. Linda S. Pagani.

A total of 1,314 kids took part in the investigation, which was part of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development Main Exposure. Parents were asked to report how much TV their kids watched at 29 months and at 53 months in age. Teachers were asked to evaluate academic, psychosocial and health habits, while body mass index (BMI) was measured at 10 years old.

Source

Interested in more studies on the effect of TV on children?

Read about
....a definitive study that showed that the introduction of television to a community who previously had none: made kids more aggressive, harmed the acquisition of reading skills, decreased creativity scores, and cut participation in non-TV leisure activities.
....and why watching a lot of TV before the age of two is in fact harmful because it actually rewires an infant's brain.
....and how the claims that certain TV programs and infant-aimed videos such as "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby" are advantageous for the developing child are definitely not based on scientific evidence.
....and that insistent noise of television in the home may interfere with the development of ‘inner speech’ by which a child learns to think through problems etc.
....and watching TV creates a higher chance of developing attention problems that could be diagnosed as ADHD by age 7
....and more.... Read all about it here.

Featured Page

What Else Can Help Us Get Chores Done and Give Us a Rest?

Looking for things to do with toddlers? Check out these easy toddlers activities and distraction tips that can help you to do the chores or have a rest while caring for your little one! You can also rest-assured knowing that your child will be learning and developing while they are enjoying these activities.

What Do You Think?

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I would be happy to answer any questions you have about toddlers. I'd also love to read a cute/funny story about young children, a parenting tip, a great toddler activity or a comment you have about Toddler Ideas at our Contact Form.


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