how much TV do you think children should watch?

Loopy_Lobes

TV can be a great learning tool. I have a 3 year old daughter and we watch Cbeebies everyday. It's an excellent channel. I pick out the shows I think she'll benefit from and sky+ them. We've learned Makaton and about people who are different to ourselves from Justin Fletcher and Mr Tumble (Something Special). We've learned lots about the world around us from Aunty Mabel and Pippin (Come Outside). We've got great ideas for art and cooking from Mister Maker and I Can Cook. We've danced along with Boogie Beebies and we've done our groovy moves with Show Me Show Me. We've learned numbers from Sid & Andys's number raps (excellent) and Numberjacks. We've learned a little about other cultures from 'Lets Celebrate' and we watch 'Grandpa In My Pocket' simply because we love it

So, I think if you choose quality programmes it can enhance their learning. Time wise we probably watch about 2/3 hours a day if we are in the house for the day, less if she has preschool or we are out and about.

Loopy_Lobes

neneromanova wrote: »

The funny thing is, the posters who have said that TV is detremental to their mental state should have seen her dancing away to prodigy yesterday. She loves heavy metal music aswell, will that hurt her?

Hah love it my 3 year old loves Lady Gaga

Loopy_Lobes

angelfairy wrote: »

hi skintchick

i dont have an answer for you i'm afraid. my LO, nearly 15 months isn't much of a tv show fan. the only thing she does like is adverts, well a few anyway. she will watch the ad she likes and then pay no more attention to the tv.

looking at forward what comes up on the thread

When my little one was that age she was obsessed with the Dolmio ads that were on before the ads breaks on 'This Morning'. She loved them so much we made a montage of them for her :rotfl:

mrcow

skintchick wrote: »

I reckon she probably 'watches' around an hour a day, which by the comments on the other thread would undoubtedly be considered shocking by Mr Cow

For the record, I don't think that an hour or even five is a shocking amount of tv to watch in particular. Certainly my children have often sat and watched tv for several hours in front of a film or two. My son is slowly getting through the extended Lord of the Rings trilogy with me - 12 whole hours of it!

My concern is when it's a regular and prolonged part of their day. For example, a typical primary school child will only have about three or four hours at home after school before bed (bearing in mind you have to fit dinner and bath etc in that time too). If that child is then spending two to three hours sat in front of the tv, then it is taking up a massive amount of their home time - time that should be spend doing other activities than just sitting staring at a screen.

I do understand that perhaps my household is different to others in this respect. The tv rarely goes on before 7pm on a weeknight unless the kids have asked to watch something specific and I've agreed to it.

I think watching specific programs because you enjoy them is different to just sitting and watching anything just because it's on. A child spending 16 hours per week (just over 2 hours per day) watching television is spending 1/5 of their waking hours in front of a television screen.

Those who then also play Wii, Playstation or XBox games, even more so.

It's not hard to see that that is not a productive use of time for any kid under the age of 12.

Or is it?

My_Fathers_Daughter

Better an hour of children's TV to get you both through the end of the day than letting her 'watch' Jeremy Kyle or any of the other vacuous crap that is on during the day. I wouldn't worry - as you say, she is not really watching it, it is just there as background mostly.

Benjamin is 15 months and whilst he 'loves' ITNG and a couple of other programmes he rarely actually watches more than the first few minutes and then he dances along to all the songs whilst he is playing.

Jo_F

When both of mine were young, we had the tv on as back ground noise, they were never plonked in front of it, like I say just back ground noise while they played or whatever we were doing (I too can't be doing with silence), but, we never had any of the 'children's' channels or programes on, it was usually one of the news channels or something like Nat Geo (I like to listen to that while working or making jewellery). Never had a problem with the developement of either of them, no problem with their speech, and I do think that a lot of what they have heard has gone in (my son has astounded us with comments and knowhow that he just comes out with)

Saying that, we always talked properly to the children, there was no baby talk and cootchy coos, and have always explained things/answered questions in factual way on a level they could work with.

Though I do remember explaining what grit/salt on the roads is for when my son at 18 months asked me 'whats that?' I don't think at that point he needed to know about freezing points!

Mips

mrcow wrote: »

For the record, I don't think that an hour or even five is a shocking amount of tv to watch in particular. Certainly my children have often sat and watched tv for several hours in front of a film or two. My son is slowly getting through the extended Lord of the Rings trilogy with me - 12 whole hours of it!

My concern is when it's a regular and prolonged part of their day. For example, a typical primary school child will only have about three or four hours at home after school before bed (bearing in mind you have to fit dinner and bath etc in that time too). If that child is then spending two to three hours sat in front of the tv, then it is taking up a massive amount of their home time - time that should be spend doing other activities than just sitting staring at a screen.

I do understand that perhaps my household is different to others in this respect. The tv rarely goes on before 7pm on a weeknight unless the kids have asked to watch something specific and I've agreed to it.

I think watching specific programs because you enjoy them is different to just sitting and watching anything just because it's on. A child spending 16 hours per week (just over 2 hours per day) watching television is spending 1/5 of their waking hours in front of a television screen.

Those who then also play Wii, Playstation or XBox games, even more so.

It's not hard to see that that is not a productive use of time for any kid under the age of 12.

Or is it?

My little girl plays Dora on the Wii and various computer games I have, like Sonic the Hedgehog.

This is a recent thing with her, and one I really want to discourage.

I find her getting agitated, annoyed with 'dying' - frustrated that she can't 'do it' on some levels and anxious to 'win'.

These are definitely not emotions suitable for a 4 year old child.

I could really kick myself for letting her get involved with these games - the Dora one isn't so bad, she is good at it and less agitated. However, half an hour every now and then isn't so bad.


She will draw alot though and colour things in, dance or want to help me do things...

.. I would say she is a very bright well behaved child most of the time, and computer games have no part in her life.


She loves Mr Maker on the TV and will often want to make things crafty, which I encourage (they were always the programmes I hated as a child - probably because my parents never encouraged me to make things - as for finding a fairy liquid bottle and glue in our run down property in the 80s.. I'd have had more chance of finding Willy Wonkas golden ticket)...

... anyways, Cbeebies IS educational for the most part. They discover numbers, colours, maths, vocabularly - but this should be to reinforce what they have already learnt. NOT teaching them.


TV has its place in this house, it gives me half an hours peace - in winter its worse. I always let the children watch movies in winter, we have movie time and we like watching them with them.

Films like 'Up' and 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' - nice family movies we can all enjoy.

neneromanova

mrcow wrote: »

It's not hard to see that that is not a productive use of time for any kid under the age of 12.

Or is it?

I do agree with you, but only to the point of I think there is a lower limit aswell. I totally agree that when they are like 5, 6, 7 etc and can entertain themselves and read and don't need things like TV to help teach as that's what schools for

But then again Mine is only 2 1/2 so I don't know which lower limit yet

But yeah, I agree in someways

Oldernotwiser

AzimScot wrote: »

I personally think 3 hours per day is enough and you should try and watch things together its more fun and enhances relationship with your family and kids.

Three hours' television a day - good grief!

Morgan_Ree

When I was a kid (and I'm only 24 so not that old!!) the best Sundays were spent laying about in pj's watching cartoons all morning.

It never did me any harm so it's safe to assume it's not going to do my 4 year DS any harm
He loves it!

During the week he watches cartoons in the morning before nursery, then he watches Simpsons at 6. So that's probably about an hour, maybe just over an hour a day then all morning (sometimes afternoon too) on a Sunday