Benefits Of TV For Children

Television viewing is an unavoidable part of the current modern culture. Most people depend on their televisions for news, education, weather, culture and sports. Under parental supervision and limited viewing time, television can provide numerous benefits. If you want to discover the benefits of TV for children continue reading below.

Develops analytical skills

Through asking questions and determining what may happen in a certain program enables children to learn how to think, predict and solve problems. This also makes television viewing an active experience and enables them to develop analytical skills that will be of benefit for a long time to come. In addition, television time can be considered like a learningexperience where the children can discuss programs and compare shows or characters.

Positive influence

Kids are largely influenced by the people and things they watch on television, particularly other children. This can either have a positive or negative effect on them. Recently, children’s TV programs have started to promote some positive topics like environmental awareness and healthy living. As children see their beloved characters making good choices, they will also be influenced to perform similar actions.

LONDON – Television, when appropriately managed and supervised, can be a positive influence in a child’s life, and its impact is likely to be improved through the use of a digital TV recorder, according to a report by top psychologist Dr Tanya Byron

In the report, Children and Television today, commissioned by Freeview, the clinical psychologist applies the term “Viewtrition” to the support that should be available when it comes to managing kids’ TV experiences.

Despite the negativity often associated with children watching TV, eight out of 10 parents questioned believed it has a positive effect on their child’s development, including helping them to expand their imagination (63%) and broaden vocabulary (60%).

The research also shows that 50% of parents said having a digital TV recorder has revolutionised their child’s viewing in a positive way, and parents recognise that having one, makes it easier to control and plan what their child watches around busy family routines.

Byron said: “I, too, believe that television has a positive role to play in a child’s development, but it does need to be monitored and managed responsibly.

“Each parent knows their child best and the Freeview Viewtrition Guide is about giving parents information and advice that they can then adapt and use to help provide their children a balanced TV diet.”

Other key findings include 66% of parents identifying the positive effect TV is having on their child’s numeracy and musical skills.

The research includes surveys with 1,880 parents of children aged between two and 11, courtesy of Mumsnet.com.

Television does, in fact, have a positive influence on children, because it is quite educational.

There’s no denying that television has a potentially damaging influence on children in teenage and college years, if it leads to sedentary lifestyles. But, in early years, it can really help. Educational programming, like Sesame Street and related shows, can help teach kids letters, numbers and important concepts that will help them thrive and take care of themselves later in life. Also, much of children’s programming can help stimulate and develop their imaginations, leading them to lives of creativity.

I believe that television can have a positive influence on children, when the parents are involved.

There are several educational programs on television today, including Sesame Street and Super Why, that do teach children numbers, letters and other subjects. When a parent is able to sit with a child and use these shows as a teaching tool, then children can benefit positively from the use of television.

Positive Effects Of TV On Children

Preschoolers can learn the alphabets, colors and numbers from television.

Children can get information on wildlife and expand their knowledge with quiz contests and others games on TV.

With television, children can keep a track of the latest happenings and the current events.

Television comes across as an excellent form of entertainment for kids, in the form of cartoons and kids programs.

Learningopportunities

If there is a subject your kid enjoys, it is highly likely there is an entertaining and educating movie or TV show that explores that subject in depth. Actually, you may be amazed to find that most children love and watch educational TV programs aimed at grown-ups. For instance,nature and documentary shows are not only entertaining, but they are also very educational for children. Furthermore, through watching television shows, children can discover animals, things or places that they could not have seen otherwise.Nonetheless, children should not watch too much television, instead they should engage in active things such as sports and other hobbies. Excessive TV watching can cause weight problems like obesity and also affect the intellectual skills of children.

Educational and Informative – With cable channels such as Discover, National Geographic and the History Channels, watching TV can be as educational as going to school. Plus, how many times have you learned something while watching a regular TV series? If it weren’t for all the police and lawyer shows on TV, would anybody other than lawyers know what Miranda rights were?

Where kids are concerned, TV and movies get a bad rap, but with healthy viewing habitsand parental supervision, limited “screen time” can be a positive experience for children. Here some ways children can benefit from watching TV and movies:

TV can help kids learn about a variety of subjects.

If there’s a subject your child enjoys, more likely than not, there is a TV show, movie, or educational DVD that explores the subject in detail. You might be even be surprised to find out how many kids watch and love educational shows aimed at adults. Rachael Ray, for example has a huge following among kids and tweens, and herprimetime show often features kids in the kitchen.

Children’s shows, whether they bill themselves as “educational” or not, may offer opportunities to spark learning. For instance, was your child wowed by the Red Eyed Tree Frog on Go, Diego, Go!? Go online to look at pictures and read about the frog. In this way, kids are able to see how fun learning can be and establish a habit of finding out more when things interest them.

Documentary and nature shows are also entertaining and educational for kids. A great example: Meerkat Manor, on the Animal Planet, makes a soap opera out of meerkat life and has kids hooked on the drama.

Through media, kids can explore places, animals, or things that they couldn’t see otherwise.

Most kids are not able to visit the rain forest or see a giraffe in the wild, but many have seen these things on TV. Thankfully, educationally minded producers have given us many shows and movies that allow viewers to see amazing footage ofnature, animals, society, and other peoples. Kids and adults alike can learn from this type of media and gain a greater appreciation for our world and the animals and other people who inhabit it.

TV shows can inspire kids to try new activities and engage in “unplugged” learning.

When kids see their favorite characters engaged in fun learning games, they want to play too. Kids also like learning activities more if they involve beloved characters. Preschoolers’ shows are especially effective for generating ideas for learning activities and using characters to motivate kids.

If you have a child who loves Blue’s Clues, for example, you can create clues and a riddle for them to solve at home, or challenge your child to create the riddle and clues. Or, turn a regular activity into a challenge and encourage your child to solve it like the Super Sleuths do.

TV and movies can motivate kids to read books.

Of the new movies that are released each year, you can bet that several of them are based on books. Parents can challenge kids to read a book with the promise of going to the theater or renting the movie when they finish it. Or, kids may see a movie and like it so much that they decide to read the book. Discuss the differences between the book and the movie to help kids develop thinking skills.

Kids can build analytical skills by discussing media.

What do you think will happen next? Who did it? What will the result be? What could that character have done instead? Asking these types of questions as you co-viewwith your children will help them learn to think, problem solve, and predict, making TV viewing a more active experience. More important than just memorizing facts, developing thinking skills will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Also, remember those compare/contrast tests in school? You can help prepare kids for this type of literary thinking by discussing programs with them. Compare and contrast characters or shows. Who is the main character? Describe the plot. What was the setting and main idea? What was the conflict and how was it resolved? Use TV time to help kids practice for all those essay tests, and they might find that talking about this stuff can be interesting and fun!

Parents can use TV to help kids learn the truth about advertising.

Advertising may be annoying, but it does present yet another opportunity to develop kids’ thinking skills. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, young children may not even know the difference between programs and commercials. They are just soaking it all in and applying it to their reality. As a parent, you can explain the purpose of advertising to your kids and alert them to any deceptive tactics. Allow them to analyze the methods used by advertisers to sell a product.

Good role models and examples on TV can positively influence kids.

Children are influenced by people they see on television, especially other kids. Obviously, this can have a negative result, but it can be positive too. Lately, kids’ TV shows have begun promoting some positive agendas such as healthy living andenvironmental awareness. As kids see their favorite characters making positive choices, they will be influenced in a good way. Parents can also point out positive traits that characters display and thereby spark valuable family discussions.

Daniel Anderson, a prominent researcher on the subject, sums up the situation with children and media perfectly stating, “I hope the broader impact of my research will increase awareness at many levels so that we can be cognizant of both the promise and the peril of what we are doing.” Media truly can have a positive effect on children, but it is up to the parents, caregivers and educators in their lives to ensure that kids’ viewing experiences are enriching and not damaging.

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