Growing Miracles: CognitCognitive development & preschoolersive development & preschoolers
Growing Miracles: Tricia Miller - Children's Health and Developmental Services
The preschool years are an important and vibrant time for learning. Children now know they are separate and independent beings, so they want to experience and do things for themselves. Indeed, preschoolers learn best by doing. Your preschooler may seem happy watching the same cartoons dozens of times or drawing the same stick person every time she puts crayon to paper. However, she needs you to provide variety in her activities - both indoors, outdoors, and increasingly with other children. Preschoolers also need quiet time to learn how to entertain themselves and play on their own.
Children, Media, and Setting limits
Television, videos, DVDs, computers, and electronic games play a growing role in our daily lives.
Media content has a powerful effect on preschoolers, because children this age like to be involved with what they see and hear, and can't always tell the difference between make-believe and reality.
Canada's Media Awareness Network offers this advice for the parents of preschool children:
• Start practicing responsible TV viewing habits before your preschooler starts school. It's harder to infl uence their choices or enforce rules as they get older.
• Limit screen time-the amount of time your preschooler spends in front of TVs, computers, and video games. The Canadian Paediatric Society advises parents to limit screen time to one hour or less each day for preschoolers. Alberta Children's Hospital recommends no screen time before the age of two.
• The Community Education Service of Alberta Health Services is pleased to present the following session taking place on March 8th 2012: Active, Passive & Touch Screens and Your Young Child: The Impact of Screens on Child Development
http://fcrc.albertahealthservices.ca/course_registration/session_ fi les/01-27-2012_10:24:55_Mar%208%20Screen%20Time.pdf>.
Screens are easily accessible for children of all ages. Common thought is no more than two hours per day, and no screen time before the age of two.
• Tune into public television. Canadian and American public networks have many quality programs geared to preschoolers.
• Watch TV with your child when you can. Use the opportunity to talk about what she is seeing and comprehending. Ask what and how questions: "What do you think he is going to do?" or "How does that doll work?"
• Turn off shows you fi nd unsuitable or offensive. By making such decisions now, your preschooler is more likely to accept them later.
• Make sure others who care for your preschooler know and follow your TV, computer, and video game rules.
• Your preschooler won't watch what he can't see. When your children are little, put the TV, computer, or video games in a separate room from where your family spends the most time.
• If you're not watching it, turn it off. Make TV viewing special by turning it on for a specifi c show and turning it off when it's over. This also sets the stage for good viewing habits in later years.
Adult shows containing sex, violence and swearing are not appropriate for young children. You may think they don't understand, but they are forming images and ideas about how people relate and solve problems, and they may act out or repeat what they see and hear.
This article can be located at:
www.albertahealthservices.ca
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41073642•02/28/12
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