Media Recommendations: Our Most Challenging Issue
Recalling our program’s goals, clearly we feel that premature exposure to media can work against the healthy development of our children. Exposure to media inhibits a child’s natural ability to create worlds entirely from imagination. In our experience, developing imagination to its fullest extent now will enable them to be more intelligent and creative problem solvers later. Exposure to media is also inherently passive, encouraging neither exercise nor activity.
For these reasons, Stone Soup Early Childhood Faculty strongly urges parents to limit their children’s exposure to electronic media in its various forms. The ideal we and many of our parents strive for, is no media exposure in the early childhood ages. In their early developmental stages, when children learn through imitation, being mindful of the images we provide is key. “Is such and such worthy of imitation?”, is a useful parenting tool. Often, children may be adversely affected causing disturbances in their behavior, sleep or play activities. Media-influenced behavior may also be a detriment to the atmosphere of the classroom. We have found that a home as free of electronic media as possible contributes to an improved quality of life for the whole family. Media mindfulness is discussed at Parent Evenings and there are articles and books on this topic that we recommend.