Caregivers are constantly looking for ways to enhance a child’s development and with the introduction of programming meant to teach and entertain, or Edutainment, many have seemingly found a way to help a child learn as well as keep them engaged. Some educational shows such as Sesame Street and Caillou help children develop both social and learning skills but not all of these shows are completely effective. While parents and caregivers have the best intentions when picking the programming their child watches , some shows aimed towards children can in some cases cause them to become socially aggressive and farther behind in learning; children can inadvertently learn the wrong types of social skills which in turn alienates them from their peers.
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Reading aloud to a child builds their vocabulary and enhances their listening skills. (Koralek, pg. 4) Rather than children seeing words presented to them on a screen their learning experience is varied by what they have read and the pictures they view in books. Children are also better able to stretch their imaginations by visualising the events they hear. While word learning videos such as Baby Einstein do poorly in teaching children new words due to lack of repetition, children have the benefit of listening to and eventually reading a book multiple …show more content…
Children use their imagination to turn plain objects into a fun toy or to imitate real life situations. Playing with both peers and caregivers help children develop social skills needed to interact with others. With peers, children learn how to negotiate, share, or be assertive while forging their own narrative with pretend play. (Wallace, pg. 1) Not only is play important for skill building but it helps them work through emotions. If a child experiences something they don’t understand, such as having a toy forcibly taken by a peer, they will repeat the experience through play. Caregivers can help a child by showing them the correct response—asking for the toy politely—before making the child laugh to lighten the mood. (Wallace, pg. 2)
An alternative to hands on learning would be the introduction of interactive games that children play online. However, this method of interactive play can be just as detrimental as too much television, especially for those who are younger. Most of the time children are left alone to play these games and are unable to understand what they 're meant to be doing. They are essentially enjoying the game for the sake of entertainment without the benefit of
Reading aloud to a child builds their vocabulary and enhances their listening skills. (Koralek, pg. 4) Rather than children seeing words presented to them on a screen their learning experience is varied by what they have read and the pictures they view in books. Children are also better able to stretch their imaginations by visualising the events they hear. While word learning videos such as Baby Einstein do poorly in teaching children new words due to lack of repetition, children have the benefit of listening to and eventually reading a book multiple …show more content…
Children use their imagination to turn plain objects into a fun toy or to imitate real life situations. Playing with both peers and caregivers help children develop social skills needed to interact with others. With peers, children learn how to negotiate, share, or be assertive while forging their own narrative with pretend play. (Wallace, pg. 1) Not only is play important for skill building but it helps them work through emotions. If a child experiences something they don’t understand, such as having a toy forcibly taken by a peer, they will repeat the experience through play. Caregivers can help a child by showing them the correct response—asking for the toy politely—before making the child laugh to lighten the mood. (Wallace, pg. 2)
An alternative to hands on learning would be the introduction of interactive games that children play online. However, this method of interactive play can be just as detrimental as too much television, especially for those who are younger. Most of the time children are left alone to play these games and are unable to understand what they 're meant to be doing. They are essentially enjoying the game for the sake of entertainment without the benefit of