Houston Daycare Academy

Your Toddler or Preschooler and TV

How much screen time should your Toddler or Preschooler have? Are you ready? The latest research on the effects of TV on the developing brain indicates that young children's brains are irrevocably changed, for the worse, by screen exposure. So in my opinion, no daily time on an ongoing basis.

Of course, screens are a terrific babysitter. If you have a new baby in the family, or you're trying to get some essential alone time with each of your kids, or if you're easing an airplane trip, it's my vote that screen time is totally worth the risk. But if you routinely use TV so you can get stuff done, you're actually shaping your child's brain so that he will be LESS able to entertain himself over time.

In my opinion, it's better to find a babysitter or a preschool program for a few hours a day. Risking your child's brain development is too high a price to pay for keeping him busy.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is more open on this. Drawing from the research, they suggest that children under age 2 not watch any TV and that kids over age 2 be limited to an hour or at most two, daily, of quality programming.

That comes out to about ten hours per week. And yet, toddlers and preschoolers in the US watch an average of 32 hours of TV every week.

Why is this a problem?

• TV changes brain development. Dr Dimitri Christakis will blow you away with this talk about brain development and the effects of TV.
• TV can sabotage kids as they learn to read, and keep them from becoming good students. Why? Click here.
• Toddlers and preschoolers have other, very important developmental work to do. This is a huge amount of time spent with screens, that should be spent on the things that are better for their brains - blocks, art, running around, engaging with other people. These activities teach kids self-regulation, and are the foundation for the next stages of learning.
• TV is addictive and this sets up a habit for life. Every child growing up today will have enough trouble with screen addiction without us setting their brain up to make it more likely.

source: Aha! Parenting

Nutcrackers Daycare Academy We are a family owned and operated academy that provides children with a strong foundation to begin their lives. Our teachers are highly trained and extremely attentive to support your child’s desire to explore and discover. Our passionate staff values the relationships we have with our families and work hard to involve them in all our activities and decisions. Our facility provides an openness inside and out for a child to feel free to explore, create, and learn in a safe, loving and developmentally appropriate environment. Contact at 713-842-7796.

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Houston Daycare Academy

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