| Most children plug into the world of
television long before they enter school: 70% of child-care
centers use TV during a typical day. In a year, the average
child spends 900 hours in school and nearly 1,023 hours in front
of a TV. According to the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch
about 4 hours of TV a day - even though the AAP guidelines
say children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2
hours a day of quality programming.
And, according to the guidelines, children
under age 2 should have no "screen time" (TV, DVDs
or videotapes, computers, or video games) at all. During the
first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, TV can
get in the way of exploring, learning, and spending time interacting
and playing with parents and others, which helps young children
develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically,
socially, and emotionally.
Of course, television, in moderation, can
be a good thing: Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet
on public television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife
on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events
on the evening news. No doubt about it - TV can be an excellent
educator and entertainer.
But despite its advantages, too much television
can be detrimental...
(Mary L. Gavin, MD)
A good substitute for TV Watching is building with LEGO building
blocks... Check out www.lego.com
and get your children some LEGO sets and watch them have fun
while expanding there creativity! |
