Children watching TV.
In today’s electronic age it is difficult to keep young children away from tablets, cell phones or Tv screens. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no screen time for children under 2 years of age. The first 2 years of the child’s life are crucial for brain development. If “you are what you eat,” then the brain is what it experiences, and video entertainment is like mental junk food for babies and toddlers. This no-screen policy is reflected in our philosophy at Mongio. The educators at Mongio introduce children to natural materials, to receive hands-on experiences, and to set the environment in a way that allows for exploration at the child’s age and ability.
Most of what young children learn is through senses. The world of sights, sounds, tastes, and textures supports the child’s understanding of the world around them. They learn through interaction. For example: if I make a sound, the adults turn and smile at me. This is the basis of Mongios philosophy when providing experiences for children under 2 years
Research recommends the following screen time per day: Children under 18 months: no screen time; 18 months to 36 months: 30 to 45 minutes per day
Children spending excessive amounts of time in front of screens, lose the opportunity to be active and hence, are more likely to be overweight. Normally a parent speaks about 940 words per hour when a toddler is around. With the television on, that number falls by 770! Fewer words mean less learning.
The electronic age has also seen families migrating from “home”. AAP suggests infant and toddler ages can be introduced to electronics in a friendly way. One such example is video chatting with friends and family. This is a cooperative way to introduce electronics and yet keep family connections alive. Capturing those cute moments via short videos and replaying them for a child can be seen as one more way to have and yet not have electronics in the infant’s life. However, AAP cautions the overuse of replaying videos of themselves for children. As these videos may take over parent interactions and this electronic “mental junk food” may become the child’s baby sitter.
Reference:
Experts, K. H. M. (Ed.). (n.d.). Screen Time Guidelines for Preschoolers (for Parents). Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/screentime-preschool.html.
Why to Avoid TV for Infants & Toddlers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Why-to-Avoid-TV-Before-Age-2.aspx.
