Watching television is a habit that is synonymous with the current society. This has been considered to be the best way through which guests can be entertained and keep people busy as well as obtain vital information. The accessibility of television and the fact that it is available in every household makes it a perfect source of information for most people who cannot access the internet or afford to buy newspapers every day. However, as households enjoy the information that comes with television, there is another danger being posed to children who get caught up in the tradition. Apart from the fact that children get addicted to watching television at a younger age, there is also the issue of their parents concentrating so much on television that they have less time to bond with their children. Some parents and even caregivers who find themselves with a lot to do around the house even find television watching to be perfect as it keeps the children busy and hence giving them a an ample time.
The modern society has made television watching to be more acceptable to children with the introduction of children programs as well as video games. After earlier researches revealed how television watching affected the morals of growing children, parents found consolation in keeping children completely from adult based programs and replacing them with video games and other videos and programs that excite children. In as much as television watching in moderation may not much affect the development of children, excessive indulgence may affect the child’s psychological development as well as their learning capabilities (Christakis, Zimmerman, et al, 2004). When it comes to early growth, it is more about the mental ability of a child to decode images in relation to the environment rather than the message displayed. This hence implies that general television watching, irrespective of the program will ultimately affect a child’s mental growth compared to those who engage in other activities.
In a research that was conducted on children that were exposed to early watching television to those who engaged in normal play and reading, it was realised that the latter had higher capabilities of adjusting well to school and class work compared to the former. The study revealed that children learn better and faster from physical interaction with people and the environment rather than from television and video clips. Parents who have been desperate to see their children grow and develop faster as well as adapting to language bought video tapes and games that can teach them how to talk. However, the fact that such are not real images affect a child’s mental growth by redirecting their thinking and reasoning capacity. Watching television may over stimulate the child’s brain and hence not giving him or her the pace needed to develop and learn things.
When a child gets used to television watching, they tend to ignore other outdoor activities especially as they mature. This is because of the quick pace and variety of images that they are exposed to which the real world may not offer in such a limited time. The ages between the age of zero and three are vital to a child’s mental growth. This growth should be allowed to happen naturally rather than artificially as it has become common with modern households (Anderson & Pempek, 2005). Allowing a child to play with natural toys and basically interact with physical images will ensure they establish a strong foundation that will enhance their learning capability. Allowing children to play and interact with other children will also help them develop vita communication skills that will impact on their later social life.
The difference between television and physical interaction is all about reality and imaginary. It should be noted that children below the age of five are just trying to learn more about the environment and hence they do not understand many things. When they are made to watch television which definitely has fully developed objects and language will affect how fast they learn basic terms. This is because there is no television program that understands a child more than a physical person would. This is simply because television involves one way talk where the child will least participate in the activities happening rather than just engage their eyes. They are hence only left with the option of trying out on what they watched or straining their young brains to decode what is actually happening. However, when they are allowed to play with things around the house, they are able to be helped to understand what is right and what is wrong. With the television, they may not be able to point at some specific thing and inquire what it is for or what it is due to how quickly they move and pass. This means that they may not understand which images are harmful to them and which one are good.
Parents and caregivers tend to assume the capability of a child’s brain to tap images from a television screen with the assumption that they are innocent. In as much as this is true, it should be noted that a child is a living human being with a brain that will try to reason out with the images and words around them. The only difference here is that adults engage in actions with a lot of consciousness while children do it unconsciously. They may hence also not understand what is being implanted into their brains and only realise it at a later age. Knowing that children are helpless and need to be guided should make parents adopt means through which they will also guide their mental development. Just because they are not able to see or feel what goes in the minds of children should not make them ignorant of the consequences.
Within the busy schedules of the parents and caregivers, they should allow children participate in their day to day activities. For instance, when an adult has to concentrate in reading, they can spare some little time to engage their children in the reading habit by reading out to them and allowing them to read or simply draw. However much useless and meaningless drawings they may be drawing, it should never be a bother as it keeps them busy and occupied (Hulit & Howard, 2006). When in the kitchen, children can also be given things such as tomatoes or carrots to play with them as they engage in the kitchen activities. The most vital thing that children at this particular age need is attention from their parents or guardians. Teaching them to read, write and naming objects around them even when it makes no sense will help their brain develop systematically and hence having less language issues.
Various researches done on child development have revealed that physical engagement is the best form of foundation that children especially under the age of five can be given. By playing and running around, they get to learn and engage their brains to what is happening around them such children will not only grow mentally strong but also physically capable of differentiating objects around them. Even though parents fear physical engagements of children because of possible injuries, this should never be an issue. When children are adequately monitored and have selective areas of play, then they can avoid any major injuries. Minor injuries are part of a child’s growth which should not scare the parents. As they get such injuries, they learn what to engage in and what not to as well as boosting their immune system.
References
Anderson, D. & Pempek, T. (2005). Television and very young children. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(5), 505-522.
Christakis, D. Zimmerman, F., DiGiuseppe, D. & McCarty, C. (2004). Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children. Pediatrics, 113(4), 708-13.
Hulit, L. and Howard, M. (2006). Born To Talk: An Introduction To Speech And Language Development. London: Pearson College Division,.
