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Preschool education

Get advice from other Mumsnetters to find the best nursery for your child on our Preschool forum.

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Original poster

What do you thinf of TV at pre-school ?

22 replies

rachounette · 14/12/2007 19:41

I am really annoyed because at my dd's preschool there are 2 TV sets. I am not sure how often they watch TV or for how long, but even if it is for a very short period I think this is wrong. It is only a 3 hour session and surely there can be more interesting things to do with kids than watching TV? They had their christmas party today and later on in the evening my dd who is 3 years old said she was scared when they watched TV because they watched Shrek ( I dont know for how long) I never really wanted my daughter to watch Shrek because I think 3 is a bit young ... I think I will probably be the only one to complain at the pre-school so I don't really know what to do or who to complain to ... Am I just really old-fashioned and is it Ok to let 3 years old watch TV even at pre-school ? What would you do ? How many of you have a TV set in your pre-school????

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TinselHockey · 14/12/2007 19:42

Oh get a grip.

moondog · 14/12/2007 19:43

I feel a bit of tv ok if they are somewhere for a whole day (my nursery and now my childminder let the children watch as they clear up after lunch) but I agree that no place for it in a 3 hour stint.

I'm a salt and get very wound up about how often tvs are used.

CountessDraculaboredofxmasname · 14/12/2007 19:45

My dd's nursery didn't have a tv at all

Janni · 14/12/2007 19:46

it's a lazy form of child minding from the people who are supposed to be doing a professional job.

ruddynorah · 14/12/2007 19:47

i don't think you need to complain, just ask the teacher what the TVs are for, how often they're used etc. no need to get all het up about it. maybe let the teacher know your dd was scared of shrek.

FrayedKnot · 14/12/2007 19:52

I think you need to speak to the manager / room leader about how much and what they are watching, and voice your concerns.

There is a TV at DS' nursery and it is used sometimes, for short periods afaik, but recently the nursery have acquired a projector and the children have watched one film.

I am not happy about this and I'm thinking about how I'm going to broach the subject in the New Year.

DS watches TV at home but not feature films. he is 3.8 and so far has been limited to CBeebies and the odd DVD e.g. Postman Pat, Thomas etc, that you can switch off after 1-2 episodes, and I think it's more than enough for him.

geogteach · 14/12/2007 19:55

I think there is a time and a place for TV but I know it is not used at our pre school as we cannot afford the public entertainments liscence (or whatever it is called). If you are a school nursery that would be covered by the local authority but if it is a voluntary run one they are probably being very unwise and could face a hefty fine!

FrayedKnot · 14/12/2007 19:57

Ooh tell us more geogteach

Smithagain · 14/12/2007 20:18

I don't think TV is appropriate at a three -hour long playgroup and I would be fuming if a playgroup showed the children Shrek without consulting the adults first. My five year old finds bits of it terrifying!!

MilaMae · 15/12/2007 22:16

I would be appalled if my boys were watching tv at pre-school on a regular basis. They are there to play and learn not to sit in front of a tv which they certainly do enough of at home. Very lazy pre-school IMHO. My boys go to a fantastic pre-school which hasn't even got one or the time to watch it. They're too busy getting mucky doing the sort of activities they should be doing at pre-school. Not sure what OFSTEd would make of some of a precious 3 hour session funded by the government being taken up with kids plonked in front of a tv.

One of my boys is petrified of Shrek, Finding Nemo(and just about anything that isn't Thomas)the other loves anything and everything. I would be furious if my more timid ds was forced to watch something he didn't like and I wasn't there. He gets so scared he puts his hands over his ears, I know several of his friends are the same so it's not unusual.

No complain away, I certainly would regardless of who it pissed off.

mummyloveslucy · 16/12/2007 19:47

You are right to be angary, I would be too, You are not paying them to sit him in front of the T.V, he could do that at home!.
My daughters nursery dosn't have a T.V. They spend their time being creative, learning and having fun which is what pre-school should be about. I'd complain definatly.

PrincessSnowLife · 16/12/2007 19:54

DS' nursery recently got a tv and we have been gently asking ds about when and for how long he gets to watch it, before we start to worry about it. So far it seems they put it on before 8.00 for the kids who get dropped off early, and after 12.00 for the kids who get picked up late. If that continues to be the case then we're ok with it.

Nothing wrong at all with asking the staff directly about it though, rachounette.

FrannyandZooey · 16/12/2007 20:01

I wouldn't be happy about this and I would be unhappy about watching Shrek aged 3 without consulting parents first

mylittleponey · 16/12/2007 20:05

I'd tell the teacher about your little one being scared

SpacecadetLovesChristmas · 16/12/2007 20:13

I wouldnt be happy really..my dd's play school sessions were only 2 hours and I frequently turned up to find all the children sat in front of the tv..now in her nursery class, they do occasionally put a yv on but its usually joining in programmes such as singing(the wheels on the bus etc) and is teacher led, which Im ok with.

SpacecadetLovesChristmas · 16/12/2007 20:13

Unfitmother · 16/12/2007 20:14

I think that's shocking!

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 16/12/2007 20:14

I don't think there is any place for TV in a 3hr pre-school session either.

As many others have suggested, I would ask the supervisor about it and explain that your DD was scared.

OhGiveUsAPruniPudding · 16/12/2007 20:20

I took my ds out of nursery and a contributing factor was that the children were being plonked in a room and shown the Wiggles every day. I was turning up earlier and earlier to try and catch him before they turned it on and eventually I realised that this was what they did for about forty minutes at the end of every day.
It isn't the end of the world but we were paying for the nursery and tv watching is not something I wanted to be paying for.

Magrat · 16/12/2007 20:24

we have a huge electronic wipe-board that they can play dvds on .. but it is used during change-overs and special occasions like nativity shows

they watch it if they choose to but there are still playtables with stuff to do

I was helping the kids get dressed for nativity and DD was petrified by Tarzan (the disney version) so I told her to go and play at the tables .. no biggie

mumtoone · 16/12/2007 20:51

My DS's day nursery do not have a TV in any of the rooms which is one of the things I like about the nursery. I personally would be upset about a 3 hour pre school session being taken up by any TV viewing.

nosnikrap · 19/12/2007 21:10

TV should not be part of a 3 hour session of pre-school if Shrek is what is on it! We use TV clips to illustrate but not for long periods of time, 5 mins max. e.g. we were talking about sheep and we showed some men shearing sheep, in a town with no access to farm we felt this enriched the children's learning. I fail to see how shrek could. Unless they were learning toilet humour!!

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