A new study confirming what was already known

[conuly]

Young children don't learn new words from TV.

(And yes, that includes TV as "background noise" - what that seems to do is prevent children from fully focusing on the world around them, again, keeping them from learning to their full potential. Just because your kid is playing while the TV is on all day, as some people claim, does not mean it's harmless.)

Comments

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

That's very strange, because my family tells me I went around repeating words I heard on shows like Sesame Street all the time when I was a toddler.

[stexgirl2000.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, interesting. There have been some words that my daughter has learned that came from t.v., mostly lyrics to songs on Sesame Street. But then again I reinforce everything by talking about it with her and giving words different contexts.

Still, the t.v. isn't on all day and we're pretty picky about what we let her watch. And we tend to talk to her about what's going on as we watch it with her.

[silantro.livejournal.com]

I don't know about when I was really young, but when I was 4-5-6 or so, my dad used to make me watch television on mute with captions on to help me practice my reading skills. Sadly, I watched a lot less television when I was a kid than I do now, though. So many wasted hours...

[(Anonymous)]

I beg to differ with this article for two reasons. My son has definitely picked up new words from TV (and yes, he knows what they mean/what the word is associated with) Shows like Baby Einstein, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Ni Hao Kai Lan, Bunnytown, Thomas the Tank Engine, Word World, and every animated movie we've let him watch. Sure, it takes him a couple times of watching sometimes before he makes the connection with a new word, but he always gets it.

The other reason I disagree is they only surveyed/researched the effects of Teletubbies. I mean, come on! Teletubbies? No wonder none of the kids learned anything.

Above all, I do believe that kids don't learn anything without parental reinforcement. Like if I plopped him in front of the TV and did nothing to interact with him and the program, of course he wouldn't learn anything. But that's not to say he hasn't ever picked up stuff on his own.

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

That's very strange, because my family tells me I went around repeating words I heard on shows like Sesame Street all the time when I was a toddler.

[stexgirl2000.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, interesting. There have been some words that my daughter has learned that came from t.v., mostly lyrics to songs on Sesame Street. But then again I reinforce everything by talking about it with her and giving words different contexts.

Still, the t.v. isn't on all day and we're pretty picky about what we let her watch. And we tend to talk to her about what's going on as we watch it with her.

[silantro.livejournal.com]

I don't know about when I was really young, but when I was 4-5-6 or so, my dad used to make me watch television on mute with captions on to help me practice my reading skills. Sadly, I watched a lot less television when I was a kid than I do now, though. So many wasted hours...

[fieryminge.livejournal.com]

I beg to differ with this article for two reasons. My son has definitely picked up new words from TV (and yes, he knows what they mean/what the word is associated with) Shows like Baby Einstein, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Ni Hao Kai Lan, Bunnytown, Thomas the Tank Engine, Word World, and every animated movie we've let him watch. Sure, it takes him a couple times of watching sometimes before he makes the connection with a new word, but he always gets it.

The other reason I disagree is they only surveyed/researched the effects of Teletubbies. I mean, come on! Teletubbies? No wonder none of the kids learned anything.

Above all, I do believe that kids don't learn anything without parental reinforcement. Like if I plopped him in front of the TV and did nothing to interact with him and the program, of course he wouldn't learn anything. But that's not to say he hasn't ever picked up stuff on his own.