How do media impact the 7 building blocks?
by Carol Braun
September 05, 2008
Source: National Institute on Media and the Family
Sense of Curiosity - As you know, children are naturally curious.
If a child spends the national average of 44 hours a week in front
of an electronic screen (screen-time), there isn't enough time to
be curious.
Don't use screen-time as an indiscriminate babysitter. It's
guaranteed to be less discriminating than you.
Imagination - Your child's imagination is a powerful learning tool.
Overexposure to TV and many other electronic media stifle and
restrict a child's imagination because they don't ask for
participation. Make sure your child watches electronic screens in
moderate amounts.
Instead of screen-time, help your kids play games, make projects
and read books.
Ability to Focus Attention - Children need to be able to focus
attention so they can learn what is being taught. Many TV shows,
video games and Internet sites require a very limited amount of
attention from the viewer. Make sure you provide activities for
your children that require them to pay attention. Reading, art,
science and building projects, as well as outings, are all
activities that reward your child for paying attention.
Ability to Maintain Attention - Too much fast-paced media trains
children to always expect constant sensory stimulation. Their
attention wanders when they don't have it. Avoid extremely
fast-paced programs, movies and games, especially when children are
very young.
Persistence - Sometimes it takes real persistence to complete a
school assignment. TV, video games, and other media provide instant
gratification. Too much media affects a child's ability to stick
with an activity when things get frustrating.
Language - The ability to use spoken and written language well
is essential to school success. Video games, movies and TV programs
are not language-based. They are picture-based. Engage your
children in conversation, read to them and expose them to the
wonder of books
from their earliest days.
Inner Speech - The ability to reflect and to have a private
conversation with ourselves helps us think things through and
control our impulses. Even though some of them are interactive,
most electronic media do
How do media impact the 7 building blocks?
Post your feedback on this topic here
| Date | Subject | Posted by: |
|---|---|---|
| No feedback has been posted yet. Please post yours! | ||
