Toddlers don't learn from educational videos
Some parents swear by them, but the latest data on educational DVDs for toddlers show they do little to help babies learn.
A study of 96 1 to 2 years old found no evidence after six weeks that the children had learned the words highlighted in Baby Einstein videos, according to a new study appearing in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside studied vocabulary and general development of the children while their parents answered questions about their development and exposure to videos.
Such videos have long been controversial. Baby Einstein has come under fire and Disney, who makes it, even started offering refunds of the videos in an acknowledgment that they didn't fulfill their claims.
In general, TV for tots has long been the subject of debate. A study in the journal Pediatrics found last year that time in front of the TV doesn't help babies learn, but it probably isn't harmful.
Meanwhile, other studies have found that that early tube time is associated with lower language ability, language delays, and kids who watched Baby Einstein videos actually learned fewer words than toddlers who didn't.
In general, medical experts have warned against TV time for toddlers. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against screen time for babies before they turn 2 years old. And yet, the average age kids start watching is 5 months, according to the study. And children 2 and younger spend an estimated two hours a day in front of the TV.
The study questions if children are even capable at this age to learn from videos. Is it wise to expect children so young to learn from the TV when they're still developing understanding of symbols and how to process sensory information? Nope, say the authors:
Given that children younger than 2 years are developing all of these capabilities, we may not expect them to learn some kinds of content from a television screen.
photo: stock.xchng
Comments
I guess my children are above average or something - they do learn from videos, and especially educational television. My daughter went into nursery school knowing the alphabet, her numbers, colors & shapes.
Posted by: Susan | March 2, 2010 4:35 PM