#1 Turn off the on-Screen Media (TV and Tablets)

Is your child ready for preschool? We asked four of our most seasoned teachers to give us their insights on how parents can prepare their kids for that big transition. In this post, the combined voices of 4 experts in child education say “Definitely turn off the TV [i.e., any on-screen media] or limit it dramatically.” These are not merely opinions, but observations from over 75 years of combined  classroom experience!

Your Child is Getting Little Out of Screen Media

Often parents feel that TV is OK for their child if the program is “educational.” But studies have shown that there is little gained from watching TV, and it is usually at the expense of real activities that would better serve the young child. Sitting in front of the tube does little to strengthen anything… muscles or mind.

Young Children Learn More Deeply through Experiences

Young children learn and understand deeply from real life experiences. They cannot experience the joy of learning what an elephant is, for example, through the TV.

One of our Pre-k/Kindergarten teachers, puts it this way:

“Children need “real” experiences so they can develop vocabulary, problem solving and understanding on how things work. TV is very abstract and children at this age do best with concrete realistic information. As they grow and mature, they can begin to better understand such abstract thoughts.”

On-Screen Media Becomes an Obstacle to Learning

In general, screen media is a BIG obstacle to a child’s ability to learn, especially children under 6. The material in the classroom offers very little “entertainment” for children that are accustomed to being entertained by media.

Montessori veteran Michele observes that “the ability to stay on task is quickly deteriorating because of the amount of time children are spending in front of screens.” Too much TV affects the child’s ability to concentrate.