TV for kids? We all know that it is B-A-D? Right? If you even let your kids see a TV, you are in trouble. They are gonna be zombies from the beginning.
And don’t even get me started on video games. Once you get a console, you lose your child.
I am being sarcastic. My kids (and I) love tv.
Too much tv for kids is bad. Too much of anything for kids is bad, but of course, tv and video games can be beneficial.
It is important to recognize that our kids can learn from TV because homeschool parents are often under much more pressure than parents of traditionally schooled children.
TV for Kids: Moderation is Key
But let’s be real, too. Screens, in the form of educational games and TV, can add great value into our school for several reasons. The key to using them responsibly is simply moderation.
The Benefits
Academic Benefits
First, these programs can be a reliable and fun way to get kids to be independent. This means that parents can work with another child or grab a quick shower.
There is evidence that quality educational programming like Sesame Street helps prepare kids for school in an effective way.
According to a 2016 meta-analysis(a definition), children who watched Sesame Street had significantly better outcomes in literacy and numeracy, social attitudes, and health/safety knowledge.
These results were consistent across 15 different countries, with representatives from all socioeconomic statuses and research methods. This meta-study reviewed 24 studies and 10,000 children.
Social Benefits
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, an reimagination of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, has been shown to be beneficial in teaching our kids social lessons and in promoting emotional intelligence.
According to a study released by University of Texas, preschoolers who watched the show were better able to understand the emotions of others. They had higher empathy scores.
In this study, kids who were engaged in conversation about the material did the best on the tests, suggesting that parental reinforcement of these ideals was still a major factor in the benefits.
Parents can engage in these shows with our kids and make sure they reap the benefits. Of course, I am still going to turn on Daniel Tiger and slip away to change the laundry or change a diaper, because we are not perfect.
Our kids get plenty of time to play other things as you can see in this trip to the park where we hid letters inside of eggs then let the kids hunt them!
Literary Benefits
So often in the homeschool world, we forget the power of the moving picture story. Kids can glean many of the benefits of sharing our favorite childhood shows, in terms of bonding through shared experience.
They can also learn the importance and sequence of narrative story through movies and TV shows.
Of course, as I have stated before, the importance of books shouldn’t be underestimated either, but I am not above using Fern Gully to talk about important parts or the sequence of a story. Getting to re-live part of my childhood and sing some favorite songs with my kids is just a perk.
Video Games
You had better believe I am going to include educational video games, too.
According to this 2002 study by a researcher who focuses on gambling addiction studies, his review of the literature showed that those who were negatively affected by video games where almost always those who played video games too much.
This study of video games designed for educational use showed that games improved student learning and motivation to learn in the classroom.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) takes the position that video games, when used appropriately and within reasonable time limits, can make meaningful additions for the experiences and learning outcomes of young children. Here is their in depth position paper.
Head Start in Tech
Last, teaching kids to use technology from an early age is a good thing.
Our society has come to rely on technology for even the simplest daily tasks like keeping a schedule. I know plenty of people who keep their calendar on their phone, using their Alexa or Dot to schedule things hands-free.
My doctor’s office has done away with paper records altogether, replacing forms with a tablet.
Computers and their uses will be an integral part of my homeschool for years to come. My kids will learn to type and to code.
I would like to conclude that while I am definitely not going to base all of my preschool curriculum around TV, games, or computers, I do not pretend they are nothing but bad.
I am going to use them to my advantage, both as a legitimate way to teach and reinforce skills, a way to bond, and as a way to keep my kids entertained so I can shower or load the dishwasher without guilt or fear that my kids resort to tearing out each other’s hair in my absence.
Thanks for a different side of the conversation. Based on a lot of the reading I’ve done, we chose not to have any tv for ours until after 2 years old. Our oldest is now 2 and we just haven’t found the time to introduce a show. I do think that there are some great options and benefits. And as you said, too much of anything is bad- I just happened to see the bad side of too much TV a(a nanny for a decade) and didn’t want to immediately fall into our TV being a babysitter. We do want to start introducing our child to some positive, educational and fun shows, so I appreciate some options that have been shown to have positive benefits. We’ve been considering Mr. Rogers, I hadnt heard of Daniel tiger, I’ll have to look into it!
I completely agree that TV should not be a babysitter. First, there is evidence that too much TV delays speech development. And without interaction, children will not learn interpersonal skills they need to function.
I completely agree that TV should not be a babysitter. First, there is evidence that too much TV delays speech development. And without interaction, children will not learn interpersonal skills they need to function.
All of these can be beneficial to young children, but in moderation like you said. It helps for young children to have a variety of learning tools, since their focus shifts quickly!
Exactly! The more we can keep them engaged, the better they do! We balance our TV/game time with plenty of outside time. My. kids love digging for worms and working in our garden.
Thank you for this! My daughter loves Sesame Street but you hear so many bad things regarding children and watching tv. I appreciate you showing us the good!
Thank you for this! My daughter loves Sesame Street but you hear so many bad things regarding children and watching tv. I appreciate you showing us the good!
I am so glad it helped you! Sesame Street was originally designed to help close the educational gap between socioeconomic classes. Low-income children often don’t attend daycare or preschool, so they entered Kindergarten without basic literacy skills like left to right directionality and basic phonics.
I loved this perspective. As a mom of 6 there’s no way I can cover all of the things I feel need to be covered without the use of electronics and TV.
And I don’t think we should have to. If someone chooses to abstain from TV, that’s great. But there is a lot of pressure in the homeschool community to write screens off as all bad.
How cool that there are so many benefits to careful and moderated television watching for kids!
I know right! So many people just write screen time off as bad, but it can be beneficial to many kids.
You hear so much that screens are so bad for littles, it’s nice to have a different perspective to look at!