TV and Toddlers

A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine finds that prolonged exposure to television during early childhood years contributes to developmental risk in academic, psychosocial, and health behaviors at age 10.

The study concludes that for each additional hour a toddler spends per week in front of the television, the likelier he or she exhibits lower levels of classroom engagement in the fourth grade, even when controlling for family status and other individual factors.

As pediatricians at Healthychildren.org note, “(When) sitting in front of a television set, children are giving up opportunities for more active intellectual, emotional, artistic, and physical growth.” Indeed; it is important to recognize what children are NOT doing while they are watching TV:

• Asking questions
• Solving problems
• Being creative
• Exercising initiative
• Practicing eye-hand coordination
• Scanning (useful in reading)
• Practicing motor skills
• Thinking critically, logically, and analytically
• Practicing communication skills
• Playing interactive games with other children or adults (helpful for developing patience, self-control cooperation, sportsmanship)

AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter Schools provide these critical developmental opportunities to 3- and 4-year-olds on a regular basis (7+ hours per day, 5 days per week). Our mission is to provide accelerated early language and literacy programs to the under-served pre-schoolers of Washington DC, thereby raising the trajectory of their future learning success. It is important to emphasize that the program is NOT a traditional “day-care,” where children of various ages might, for example, sit and watch cartoons. Our classrooms are grouped according to age, and led/facilitated by highly-skilled, professional instructors. Children learn and explore lessons based on a developmentally appropriate curriculum that is tied to DC Early Learning Standards.