A study led by Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute found that exposure to television has implications for learning and brain development in very young children. The key finding:

“Adults typically utter approximately 941 words per hour. Our study found that adult words are almost completely eliminated when television is audible to the child,” added Christakis. “These results may explain the association between infant television exposure and delayed language development.” Christakis further adds that this may also explain attentional and cognitive delays, since it has been posed that language development is a critical component of brain development in early childhood.

Study information can be found at the Children’s Hospital site. Children's Television Study This study emphasizes much of what is known about early childhood learning and brain development in young children.

The Illinois Department of Education has a handbook, which describes early learning standards. Early Learning Handbook A key finding is that children learn through active engagement and exploration of their environment. Television watching is passive. Sean Brotherson has keys with examples for enhancing brain development in children. Enhancing A Child's Brain Development

1. Respond warmly and quickly to a child's cues for support and attention

2. Hold, touch and snuggle with your child

3. Beware of overstimulating your child

4. Create a safe environment and reduce your child's stress by removing any physical threats.

Christakis and others recommend that parents consider the following suggestions regarding television viewing by children:

For babies:
Avoid TV for babies under age two. Choose activities that promote
language development and brain growth such as talking, playing, reading,
singing and enjoying music.

For children over age two:
If you allow TV time, choose age-appropriate programs. Involve older
children in setting guidelines for what to watch. Use guides and ratings to help,
but beware of unproven claims that programs or DVDs are educational. Even
cartoons produced for children can be violent or over stimulating.

Limit TV time to no more than two hours per day. Less is better.

Keep TV off during meals.

Set “media-free” days, and plan other fun things to do.

Avoid using TV as a reward.

Turn off TV when a chosen program is over. Don’t leave TV on as
background filler or while engaging in other activities. When no one is actively
watching, turn TV off.

Watch TV with your child. Talk about what you see and engage with
your child about the content.

Keep TVs out of bedrooms.

Parents should read aloud to children who have not started reading. Families should become familiar with their local library. At least once a month families should visit the library and parents should help children select appropriate materials. Many libraries have children’s activities and storytelling time. Take your children to these activities. Often children are rewarded or praised for helping with chores or other activities. Praise your children for the number of books they read each week.

The Foundation for Early Learning has excellent resources about how parents can prepare their children for school:

Getting School Ready!® Booklet

This helpful guide shares tips on what you and your child should know about to succeed in kindergarten. Over 600,000 copies of the Getting School Ready!® booklet have been distributed in 9 languages.

View online or request a free copy

For additional tips, visit the Getting School Ready!® website.

Ten Simple Ways Booklet

Did you know that children are born learning? Ten Simple Ways to Encourage Learning

The booklet offers simple tips on how you can support your child's during his or her early learning years.

View online or request a free copy

Ready to Read, Ready to Learn

Download today

This publication was produced by the Early Learning Public Library Partnership.

Visiting public libraries is the perfect way to support your child's learning - even before they can read. Attend a library event or check-out books and music for free. This brochure highlights some of the fun and free early learning opportunities libraries provide.

The best teacher a child can have is a committed caregiver like a parent. Television is a horrible substitute.

Dr. Wilda says this about that ©