Help your children get the most from TV viewing
Posted in:
toddler
How can you ensure your little ones get the best from their TV viewing?
We ask Nancy Kanter - mum and senior vice president at Disney Junior
Worldwide.
How can you enrich your child's TV viewing?
Watch the shows your kids watch. It can have a very important benefit in terms of learning, as well as become a gateway for conversations about the storylines and themes that are presented.
What is appropriate TV for children?
Good television that is fun, entertaining and learning-focussed is appropriate as part of a mix of activities that help children develop. How much or how little they watch is really an individual/ family decision.
How can TV play a part in children's learning?
Learning takes place in the usual academic areas like literacy and maths, but more importantly, learning also includes socio-emotional education (feelings, emotions, sharing, caring and relating to peers); learning about the world they live in (observing natural events, seeing animal habitats and learning daily routines); and in physical development (movement, exercise, dancing and the acquisition of motor and fine motor skills).
When television engages kids through story and character, there is real opportunity to promote these skills.
How did being a mum help you develop children's shows?
I have three kids who are no longer in the preschool demographic, but (in creating and producing new children’s shows) I draw on what made me excited about being a mum and the kinds of things I wanted to introduce to my children.
There was nothing I loved more than sitting on the couch with my kids and either reading them a book or watching something that we could all enjoy together. When you see your child engage with a character or a story, and you hear them laugh or they ask you a question based on what they see, those are the moments I try to put into the programming for Disney Junior.
Nancy Kanter is senior vice president at Disney Junior Worldwide. She not only leads the development and production of Disney Junior's creative vision, but has worked on other children's shows such as Sesame Street, and is a mother of three!
How can you enrich your child's TV viewing?
Watch the shows your kids watch. It can have a very important benefit in terms of learning, as well as become a gateway for conversations about the storylines and themes that are presented.
What is appropriate TV for children?
Good television that is fun, entertaining and learning-focussed is appropriate as part of a mix of activities that help children develop. How much or how little they watch is really an individual/ family decision.
How can TV play a part in children's learning?
Learning takes place in the usual academic areas like literacy and maths, but more importantly, learning also includes socio-emotional education (feelings, emotions, sharing, caring and relating to peers); learning about the world they live in (observing natural events, seeing animal habitats and learning daily routines); and in physical development (movement, exercise, dancing and the acquisition of motor and fine motor skills).
When television engages kids through story and character, there is real opportunity to promote these skills.
How did being a mum help you develop children's shows?
I have three kids who are no longer in the preschool demographic, but (in creating and producing new children’s shows) I draw on what made me excited about being a mum and the kinds of things I wanted to introduce to my children.
There was nothing I loved more than sitting on the couch with my kids and either reading them a book or watching something that we could all enjoy together. When you see your child engage with a character or a story, and you hear them laugh or they ask you a question based on what they see, those are the moments I try to put into the programming for Disney Junior.
Nancy Kanter is senior vice president at Disney Junior Worldwide. She not only leads the development and production of Disney Junior's creative vision, but has worked on other children's shows such as Sesame Street, and is a mother of three!
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