I am often asked, "How long is it appropriate for children to watch TV every day?" My answer is always: "It's best not to watch TV". The audience found it hard to accept and asked me, "Don't watch TV? Then how to do it? Adults should also watch! "
? So, look, who really needs to watch TV? If parents don't watch TV, will children be obsessed with TV? If adults don't always hold mobile phones, will children be obsessed with mobile phone screens? For parents who fight with their children for help because they watch TV, I always prescribe the same prescription, that is, first of all, make sure that as long as the children are awake, adults will not watch TV, adults will take care of themselves, and children will learn to manage themselves.
It is true that watching TV can give us more rest (in fact, this kind of relaxation at present is very short-sighted, and it will take much more time to correct children's behavior problems in the future). Most children can concentrate on watching TV for an hour or two without disturbing us. At this time, parents can surf the Internet if they want, and do housework if they want. It's really relaxing. No wonder a mother sighed to me, "I find it too difficult to take care of children without TV and snacks." However, the relaxation brought by TV is based on the serious physical and mental injuries of children. Do you feel relaxed when you think about it?
? Starting from 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested that children under two years old should not watch TV, and the time of watching TV should be limited to over two years old. In 2008, France banned all TV programs aimed at children under three years old: "Watching TV will affect the development of children under three years old, which has certain risks: it will cause passive mentality, slow down the development of language ability, lead to excessive excitement, bring sleep and attention problems, and may also cause screen dependence."
? The reason why the United States and France explicitly prohibit infants from watching TV is mainly because TV has a great negative impact on children's physical and mental development.
? Physiologically speaking, watching TV will affect children's eyesight and lead to various health problems due to lack of exercise. More importantly, TV will also have an impact on children's brain development.
Most of the development of the human brain, including the basic neural structure, is developed through the interaction of the outside world before the age of two. Neurologists have identified three kinds of stimuli and interactions that are most beneficial to brain development: one is the interaction between babies and their parents and others; The other is the baby's contact with the environment (touching, feeling, moving things); The third is the baby's "problem solving" activities.
Obviously, these three kinds of stimuli can't be provided by any TV program. Children sitting in front of the TV will hinder the growth of brain nerves. We often say, "The more they use their brains, the smarter they become." Children's developing brains need interaction and stimulation, and they need to eat regularly. So, if you want your children to be smart, please don't let them watch TV. If you want your children to be healthier, please don't let them watch TV!
Psychologically speaking, TV will affect their concentration and cause children's passive mentality.
Some people will be happy to see their children pay special attention to watching TV. They think the child is so absorbed in watching TV that he will be equally absorbed in doing other things in the future. In fact, this is a great misunderstanding of concentration. The so-called concentration refers to being able to concentrate on activities continuously, while ignoring the interference of external environment on vision, hearing and touch. This ability is closely related to the management function of memory, and is also mainly controlled by the anterior cingulate cortex of frontal lobe. The real way to cultivate children's concentration is to do things, which is cultivated by children in sports or labor.
? Children are really focused on watching TV, but this kind of focus is passive. She just needs to sit there, without thinking at all. In fact, he can't think. On average, the TV screen changes every six seconds, and he pays attention to different things every time, so on the surface, the child sits there motionless and concentrates for half an hour, but in fact his concentration has been destroyed. When he really needs to concentrate on something, he can't concentrate, so children who often watch TV since childhood begin to have various behavior problems when they are older. For example: hyperactivity, insomnia, inattention. By that time, those parents who left their children to be raised by TV began to want to compete with TV for their children again, but the impact has already been caused. If we want to change, it is not only very difficult but also has little effect.
Some people hope to achieve the goal of early education through TV. As a result, various early education CDs and animations came into being. Can the content on TV really achieve the purpose of early education? Indeed, children can recognize what a fish is through TV, but this fish is not a live fish that can be touched and felt. For children, things on TV are just flashing pictures, which can't be touched. At the same time, the brain cognition of children before the age of three is not yet mature. The brain can't digest the content on TV in a short time. I hope that children can learn knowledge through TV programs, which is tantamount to learning to fall in love through Korean dramas. In the end, it's just a flower in the mirror and a moon in the water, which wastes a lot of time and affects children's physical and mental development. Children can be said to be a sensory body. They rely on their feelings to explore the world. Therefore, for children before the age of seven, the most important thing is not to teach them knowledge, but to let them feel and contact the real world as much as possible.
At the same time, TV makes children live in illusion. Time-space conversion on TV is quite fast and frequent. It's on the grass now, and I'll be at school in a few seconds. In real life, it is a long way from grassland to school. Need to have all kinds of experiences. Children can't understand the difference between time and space, nor can they understand the difference between fantasy and reality. This spatial transformation from TV to reality will undoubtedly consume children's efforts and make them unable to concentrate on self-development.
? Another influence of TV on children is their sleep. In the experience of kindergarten teaching, I found that children who often watch TV and children with excessive intelligence often have sleep problems. It is difficult for them to fall asleep and wake up easily. In the process of playing, it is also difficult for them to go deep. On the contrary, those children who are not influenced by TV seem to be very dreamy and maintain the childlike innocence that children should have. People think it can better preserve their spiritual world, imagination and creativity.
? Some families give me a particularly strong feeling that there is almost nothing to say between family members except TV. Every day when I get home, I just watch TV until I go to bed. It's embarrassing for a family to turn off the TV. No matter how old their children are, no matter what they do, they must turn on the TV and listen to the sound, otherwise they can do nothing. How do children who grow up like this interact with their parents? How to imitate parents' words and deeds through observation? So as to learn interpersonal communication. How can a child with TV noise in his ears all day learn to really speak? How can I hear my voice?
? Someone wants to ask: "What do children play without TV?" The content of children's games is so rich that in their sight, almost everything is toys and all activities are games. Adults really don't have to bother to help them play. He will come up with many novel games by himself. How is it possible that children don't like to play? I am surprised that children watch TV all day, where do they have time to play? Especially at night, after dinner, it's past eight when the family plays games together, so they should wash and sleep immediately. If children who watch TV want to go to bed early and get up early, how can they arrange their time tonight?
Someone also said, "What if a child doesn't watch TV and other children talk and play games on TV?" I believe that the person who said these words did not carefully observe the children's play. It is true that some children will involve some characters on TV in the game, such as Altman and Bumblebee, but this kind of game time is often short, just imitating the language and actions of the characters on TV, lacking creativity. Often a few words, a few actions, and a game is over. At this time, if other children come up with some creative games, he will be quite willing to follow.
Others, such as computers and mobile phones, can do similar harm to children. Whether parents let them play games with them or get education, the result is similar. Keep children away from those mechanical high-tech things. Re-engage in parent-child interaction, don't use these things to coax children when they are young, and then bother these machines to compete for children when they grow up.
So what are parents doing for those children who are used to watching TV?
First, children can't be restricted from watching TV. There is a saying that "the more you control, the more out of control." Parents are anxious and insist that their children leave the TV immediately, which is likely to make their children and TV more and more intimate. Because it is very uncomfortable for children to be forced to leave TV by their parents, because the focus of struggle at this time is not TV but rights, and who has the final say. Children with a little sense of autonomy will not give up easily.
Secondly, we should arrange some interesting and meaningful activities for children to attract their attention. Choosing between parent-child activities and TV, most children will choose parent-child activities. You can slowly transition to daily life such as housework and manual work. These activities are a kind of high-quality companionship in themselves, and they are also a kind of companionship that children like very much.
Third, parents must not watch TV by themselves if they want their children not to watch TV. You can't ask your children not to watch here, but you have a crush there. Some parents are used to watching TV every day. Without TV, they will feel bored and empty. Such parents must start from changing themselves and cultivating themselves. Only when parents live a full and happy life can children really play fully.
? Therefore, in order to change children's habit of watching TV, in the final analysis, we should start from changing parents themselves.