tv and talking- does it encourage use of big words and larger vocab?

[bebemoohatessnot]

We've been watching a lot lately because dd(15m) has been ill and now we've got chickenpox...
But I've noticed that since the Tv has been on she's suddenly trying out more words. She said 'birthday' today when the 'birthday time' section came on... And I've noticed she's been practising multi-syllable words suddenly when before it was short, dog, cat, etc.
Has anyone else noticed this with their children?
Just a coincidence?

I think, if you choose the right programmes and channels, children can pick up a lot of very useful information as well as words from the TV. Most of the CBeebies programmes operate very good standards for language and content - unlike rubbishy cartoons - and children soak it all up. My son was fascinated by a video clip on Tweenies which showed a sheep lambing and it prompted him (age 4)to ask if babies arrive the same way...

wow That's good! What a cool connection to make. (what did you say?)

I'm just rather amazed at the language because I noticed the last time we were sick and I put the tv on more to help distract her that her language skills jumped up considerably.
I think that it shows with moderation Tv can really be a great learning tool.

I agree it's about finding the right programmes. DD has picked up a few concepts like magic/fairy wands/abracadabra and other things.

Moderation as with everything else... my friend's DS has CBeebies on all day and hardly talks at all.

My DD2 has picked up some amazing vocabulary from podcasts of Sesame Street.

It is great to extend their vocabulary in this way but vocabulary is a very very small part of language development and that is a very small part of the child's overall development. It can support more of their development if you sit with them and talk about what you are watching together.

While it is great to teach them new words and tv is fab when they are ill, they miss out on much more during tv watching than they ever gain. So yes moderation is very much the key.

Well that is the difference (perhaps) between this family and others, I watch the tv with Moo and interact with the presenters (like they want you to) and I ask questions and point out things that we know or heard about. I try to tie the shows together, find common themes. It's great fun actually.
On the silly shows or the ones I personally don't think are 'well put together' we turn it off and do other things until we're bored.

Personally I'm really looking forward to not being quarantined so we can go out properly again...

"they miss out on much more during tv watching than they ever gain."

I really don't agree with this. Having been brought up in the Seventies in a very small working-class community where everyone did roughly the same job, never travelled, - extremely limited horizons, in other words - my two windows on the world were the TV and books. My parents are lovely people and very keen on formal education but I also learned a huge amount from the children's programmes of the day, news programmes, Tomorrow's World (remember that?), wildlife documentaries.. even the way people spoke in sit-coms was fascinating. It wasn't on 24/7 like it is now and the channels were fewer but, without TV, I think I'd have grown up with a much narrower view of the world.

Interesting Chil1234

As a child of the 70s I agree with you, to a point, and yes, I remember Tomorrow's World !!

But I think you've hit the nail on the head yourself.. they were different times (I played outside all day in Summer and the tv wasn't allowed on til it was dark!) and the tv wasn't on all the time..

The things the pp is probably referring to include communication with adults and other children, free play, outdoor activities etc. We had all that back then!

Chil1234,

Child development is not just about absorbing information. Children need to be doing, experimenting, experiencing, practising all the time. They don't learn any motor skills, social skills, creativity, social interaction personal development, communication, emotional literacy, etc, from watching and listening to a tv programme. Yes the tv can impart information but they are learning in dozens of ways as they play and these are not happening when they are passive recipients of information.

They need to see the effect of their own actions on the world to understand it. They need to interact with people to develop their self identity and learn to communicate with other, they need to be active learners to develop and while an adult participating in the tv watch can help them to be more active it is not the same as playing and never will be.

Yes it is good to learn new information but the skills for using that information are not learned by watching tv.

Tv is not good for small children and should be used in small amounts if people want their children to be capable learners.

Watching Tv is not always a passive activity tho. Moo sees things happening on tv and then tries to copy...Tommliboos play piano she goes and grabs her piano and plays it Granted for each child this will vary and some will just sit a watch, but not every child does. Also Moo sometimes reacts with anxiety or excitement when the characters do...so she's learning about feelings and empathy/sympathy.

I agree that it should not be the sole 'teacher.' I do think it can play an important part in their learning. Just as the books we read play a part.
It really is finding the right sort of balance for your child, just as it is with feeding them nutrition, you need to give their minds the nutrition they need too.

I love that it's helping her learn abt things which would not come up until later in her life...birthdays, science, feelings...all these things are being introduced to her which in everyday life we'd not be coming across yet. It's a great way to encourage questions as another poster found out.

And you have to admit too that the more words you know and understand the better you can communicate your ideas...

Yes it can be a valuable source of learning but because what can be gained from it is so restricted in terms of a child's overall development it should be a very small part of their daily life.

Children who spend long periods watching tv are missing out on a wide range of developmental opportunities which are not compensated for by learning large amounts of factual information.

Communication is about an enormous amount more than words. They are simply a tool and the child needs to learn to use the tool as well.

@Al1son... you said children 'miss out on much more watching tv than they ever gain'.

The idea that you miss out and gain nothing from being a passive recipient of information would say that everyone educated in schools with the 'look at the blackboard and write it down' style of teaching up to about 1969 wasted their time. Or that you could learn nothing from reading a book... a totally passive activity. And I can't agree with 'they don't learn creativity'. Children have been inspired by TV shows such as Vision On, Blue Peter etc to get the paints and glue out for decades.

Of course children need to experience other things besides but to say that a child watching a TV programme is 'missing out' is simply an untrue generalisation.

Small children learn far more effectively from doing than watching. That's why we moved on from the copying from blackboards style of teaching. In fact it isn't just true for small children - even universities are introducing teaching methods which include more active learning now.

I didn't say that children learn nothing from being a passive recipient of information. I said in my first post that my DD has been learning from podcasts. Adults and older children certainly learn lots from reading books.

However small children don't learn well from those passive activities. They may be inspired to get the paint and glue out by a tv programme but the learning and development happens when they are doing the painting.

I'm not referring to the OP when I say that I just don't like the idea that there could be people out there justifying leaving small children in front of tvs for long periods by saying that they are learning. They may be learning a few facts but they are missing out on much, much more which is far more important.

Tv can be valuable in small doses at the right time but it's main function should be for recreation and relaxation. It should not be seen as an effective method of supporting young children's learning and development.

Sorry if we've hijacked your thread OP.

I have to jump in here an say that reading is not as passive as television. Fiction reading, for example, requires a great deal of active participation on behalf of the reader more so than television.

My dd2 learned to recite the AA milne poem "When I was one, etc etc ....." when she was about 2.5. This co-incided with the third trimester of pregnancy with dc3 and I am guessing that Nick Junior/Cbeebies whoever had some sort of poetry slot on in the mid afternoon and that I must have been catching a few winks at that stage as I don't remember it!

I didn't find out until we were going on a school visit for dd1 and dd2 started spouting this as we wandered around after the head - am sure he thought I was some sort of pushy parent hot-housing their kids, when in reality they were parked in front of the tv!

To answer your original post - yes I think TV can help your child learn new words especially if you are watching with them and can point to something on the tv and say look "elephant" etc.

No It's fine. It's the usual debate abt good and bad of tv.
I think ultimately we all agree actually: Use tv sparingly and get them moving and shaking and participating in everyday life as much as possible.

I can go with that

DD (2.8) has watched much more TV since DS (5mo) came along as I had to keep her occupied during the interminable feeding in the early days. It has definitely increased her vocabulary. Thanks to Boogie Beebies she now says "excavator" rather than "digger", can explain to me how carrots grow and does cute little dance routines to boot! I think it's just a question of choosing your programmes wisely.