A lot of parents object to kids watching TV. They think TV corrupts and robs the family of quality time together. Personally, I don’t think TV is the issue. The problem is the lack of parental control and supervision. Parents sometime use TV to “baby sit” their kids by letting it go on for hours. Some parents also don’t use enough discretion to limit what the kids are watching.
My daughter likes to watch TV. My wife and I kept her TV time to a minimum, and only with select shows without the commercials. I always use the DVR to play one 30-minute shows at a time, and not live TV. While watching, there will be either my wife or I supervising her, interacting with her by asking (or responding to) questions. We also evaluate the shows, to make sure they have positive content and full of educational materials, such as reading, writing, counting, dancing, and singing. I’m sure, with common sense and discipline, TV watching can be a pleasant and beneficial family time.
I have a list of recommended shows that my daughter likes:
- Hi-5 (The American Cast)
- Dora the Explorer
- The Wonder Pets
- Sesame Street
- Mickey Mouse Club House
- Go, Diego Go!
- The Backyardigans
All of these shows spark creativity, as well as telling positive values of sharing & helping. Her current favorite is The Wonder Pets, a show where a group of pets goes out to help other animals in trouble. Her all time favorite is Hi-5 because she loves to sing and dance. Actually, Hi-5 is kind of fun to watch for us too, because the performers are talented singers and the song lyrics are smart.
I have no doubt as my daughter grows older, her selection will change. There are new shows like Sid the Science Kid and Imagination Movers, that she’s starting to warm up to. With so many selections to choose from, I think we have to start to be even more picky. It may be a difficult task because they’re producing more and more quality children shows these days. When we sat down to preview some, she tends to like many of them! Her mind is like a sponge – absorbing them like water. We just have to make sure the water is clean and refreshing.
Image Credit: Wallcoo.com
Tags: education, fun, kids, shows, television
Building IT
Jot It Down
hey Rudy,
Thanks for the plug. I believe that most things are OK in moderation, though my kids and I seem to differ on how much “moderation”. 🙂 Dora and Diego are very popular here, and I think they are fine role models (though hearing the songs over and over, and over and over, for an adult can be trying, but it doesn’t seem to bother kids). As you point out, for all the grumbling, there are some fine kid shows and movies out there. I support anything that has my kids singing and dancing! ~ Steve (aka “trade show displays”)
Hey Steve,
Yeah, my kid wants to watch TV for hours, but we won’t let her. Amazing how they can watch these shows and listen to the songs, over and over, without getting bored of them.
I like that you added that you have to make sure that the water is clean and refreshing. The watching of most televisions shows molds younger individuals into people that are less energized to take risks and go against others. However, presenting shows to children as a creation that they can analyze, in order to view it as a producer would, instead of as a viewer, can provide them with a higher-level understanding of that which mesmerizes a large amount of individuals.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog post..Your Main Source of Competition is Yourself
I grew up watching a lot of TV. In hindsight, I think that’s not good. I didn’t learn anything by watching people shoot or beat up each other. I can’t say for certain how I’ll turn out (smarter? genius?) if TV programs were much more educational back then. But, I still believe being exposed the good stuff at an early age seems more beneficial.
On the flip side, I got to watch a lot of Kirk and Spock with Star Trek. Left a lasting impression there. 🙂