Children Learning VS Watching television and Learning

954 Words4 Pages
There are so many television shows that designed to help children. As a parent of two young children, I let my kids watch shows like Dora, Diego, and Yo Gamma Gamma. Most parents think that letting their children watch only educational programs are okay. I have to say that my children have learned a lot from watching educational shows. My daughter will look at Dora and count because Dora is counting something on television. This made me wonder if television hurts or help children learning. Children in the United States watch an average of three to four hours of television a day. By the time of high school graduation, they will have spent more time watching television than they have in the classroom. While television can entertain, inform, and keep our children company, it may also influence them in undesirable ways. Time spent watching television takes away from important activities such as reading, school work, playing, exercise, family interaction, and social development. Children also learn information from television that may be inappropriate or incorrect. While my son was watching Ben 10, he started talking about killing aliens and making them die. It started making me think about if he knows the difference between real and fake. Children often cannot tell the difference between the fantasies presented on television versus reality. They are influenced by the thousands of commercials seen each year, many of which are for alcohol, junk food, fast foods, and toys. Educational psychologist Jane M. Healy, PhD, who is the author of Your Child's Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence, stated that even well-respected kids programs use fast paced camera moves, color splashes, and special effects to captivate young viewers. "Children's programs have a lot of loud noises and silly sounds and funny-sounding voices

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