Benefits of Television for Toddlers and Preschool Children

I don't believe ALL TV is bad. I've watched my 2 year old learn Spanish, the alphabet, colors, counting and more from television &/or videos. At a very young age she was able to communicate with us via sign language thanks to some signing videos. While I certainly don't condone sitting your child in front of the television all day, I do think you can follow the steps below to get the benefits of television for your toddler or preschool-aged child. I'll use the pronoun "she" below but obviously this applies to both boys and girls. I just find using he/she everytime interrupts the flow when you're reading it.

1. Be picky with the shows you allow her to watch. Choose only shows that teach good morals or have educational value.

2. Limit the amount of time she watches TV or videos per day. 1 hour is plenty of time to sit and soak in TV. That's not to say there are days when my daughter watches more than 1 hour but this is a good limit to try to stick to.

3. Choose videos that teach sign language. Our daughter was learning to sign by 6 or 8 months of age! She could tell us when she wanted more and when she was all done. It was helpful for us to understand her needs and also for her to avoid being frustrated. Babies know what they want and often can't tell us. Learning sign language is a great way to increase their vocabulary before they can even speak! Our favorite was Baby Signing Time. They have a website, www.babysigningtime.com.

4. Choose multi-cultural shows like Dora, Diego & Ni Hao Kai Lan for your child to learn a few words in a different language. Our daughter can both count and she knows her colors in Spanish and English. They also have great shows that teach the alphabet and shapes.

5. Get a DVR and record only shows that you want your child to watch. This will help you avoid just having her sit and stare at the TV for hours and will also avoid having her see a show you'd rather she not watch. It's also a time saver as you can fast forward through commercials and only allow her to watch the actual show. Once you have several stored on your DVR you'll always have an option of something she's allowed to watch for those moments when you need to turn on the TV and there's nothing on. We also only save the Dora & Diego's that are educational and you can delete the rest so as to not take up space.

6. I mentioned Ni Hao Kai Lan above, I recommend this show as well. It's great for social skills/lessons that toddlers deal with such as sharing, being patient, and staying positive. Each lesson has a song that you can learn and then when you find your little one struggling to share you can sing Kai Lan's song and if she's like our little one she'll immediately remember the show and the positive effects of sharing. It's like it snaps our daughter out of her frustration and back to the reality of the situation and the fact that it's not the end of the world.

7. It's easy to get addicted to TV so definitely set limits and try to get into a routine. I don't recommend having your child sit in front of the TV all day. As much as we enjoy television I highly recommend getting out to the park or to the mall on rainy days to play and be active at least once a day, of course there are days we play all day outside. Everything needs to find a balance.

In conclusion, I love reading to her and as a teacher understand the positive effects reading has on children but TV isn't all bad, there are benefits of television for your little ones. Just choose wisely and you'll see that as bad as TV can be, it can also be just as good!