There has been some new information recently published regarding the use of screens to help parents teach their young children. Let me start by saying, all information is valuable whether we agree or disagree. The purpose of this post is not to argue or debate the information, but rather provide parents additional information from the perspective of a professional who helps families teach their little ones.
With over 20 years of experience, I have seen many shifts in how children learn. Also, I have seen shifts in how their caregivers learn. While I come from a generation that did not have constant access to screen time, or information in the palm of my hand at any given moment, I can see how it can be a useful source for parents. However, especially over the last 10 years or so, in some situations a screen has replaced very important face to face interactions between young children and their caregivers. There are a ton of shows out there that have wonderful teaching/learning opportunities. It is crucial to remember that young children learn best through PLAY. This means, they are exploring their environments utilizing all of their senses. If a screen is always on, what senses are they using? Vision and hearing. Two senses. Common sense should tell you, this is not a good thing.
Children need social interaction. Guess who the first people that provide this are? You, the caregivers. Learning faces and non verbal language is a crucial part of development. They need to learn not only about their own feelings, but the feelings of others. How do we typically show our emotions? Through our facial expressions. An excess amount of screen time can not replace this.
Look, I get it. Parenting is hard, it’s exhausting at times. Sometimes, we need to get things done without a tiny human hanging on us. It is entirely possible to have a balance. When you feel like you need to use it, just be sure to limit the amount of time they are watching it alone. When you need to veg out, try talking with your little one about what is happening in the show. It is also important for them to learn to disconnect from the bright vibrant colors and fast moving images to attend to you and then go back to what is happening on the cartoon, and back to you, and back to the show. So on and so forth.
Overall, a screen should not be used as a replacement for you or the primary way they are learning. It has been a proven fact for many, many years. Children learn best through play and exploration. Also, you are the most important play partner in their lives and their first teacher. Make the best of learning to be a kid again with your kid(within reason, haha!).
