| TV for children - especially young children - is a very controversial subject these days. For good reason, many, many children watch Far Too Much TV! We believe our videos and DVDs, used appropriately, are wonderful teaching tools. Here are some guidelines to help you select and use educationally appropriate video & TV programming for your kids: Use Your Own Judgment - Your own judgment will often tell you what is "Good TV" and what is "Bad TV". If you are not sure what your child is learning from a program the answer is probably nothing! There isn't any independent agency for "educational" content. Producers can label almost any video as educational - regardless of real educational value. Is The Program Age Appropriate? - Another point to consider is age. What is educational for your infant, may well be mind-numbing for your 4 or 5 year old - and vice versa! The educational content of a video should be achievable - yet challenging. Spend Some Time Watching TV With Your Kids - Try not to use the TV as a Baby-sitter. Enjoy some programs with your child. See how he or she has progressed with the material contained in the video. Your involvement will help reinforce learning. Let Your Kids "Graduate" From a Video - Once the educational content of a video has been learned, that video is no longer educational. Many children become addicted to a book, a puzzle or a video. Once a child has mastered the material in a book, puzzle, or video introduce more challenging material. They will come to love the new just as much as the old. Look for Videos That Teach Specific Skills - Material that is labeled "stimulating" may have little to offer your child. Stimulation is found primarily through active exploration of the world around us. Be selective and choose videos that have a specific learning focus. Avoid Introducing "Entertainment Only" Videos Too Early - Introducing your child to videos that provide little educational content can make it very hard to get your child interested in educational TV fare. Just as you would not feed your child cookies before a meal - don't introduce "fluff" TV before introducing solid educational programming. Just like a cookie, this can spoil an appetite for better stuff! We believe TV should be used as a supplement to regular stimulation, love & fun. It is our belief that parents should be very, very selective about what they allow young children to watch, and also very careful about limiting the total quantity of TV viewed. The best way to assure that your child's viewing time is used well, is to spend time with your child while watching TV. Be sensitive to his or her skill level and choose material that is appropriate to his or her developmental stage. TV can be a great teaching tool - or it can be a big problem. How TV is used is up to you, the parent. | 
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