TV As Background Noise
An interesting study… television can be a distracter to children at play. Daniel Anderson, (University of Massachusetts) and Marie Evan Schmidt, are prominent researchers on the topic of children and television. Their studies revealed that television can be a major distracter – even if it is just on as background noise. When the TV was on:
- Children’s episodes of play were only half as long.
- Focused attention periods were only three-quarters as long.
- Children tended to move from toy to toy.
Their conclusion was that television background noise does indeed affect the quality of a child’s play and the length of time for which they can focus. Check out this reference for further information:
Schmidt, M. et al., “The Effects of Background Television on the Toy Play Behavior of Very Young Children,” Child Development 79, no.4 (2008): 1137-51
When people think of reading to children, they usually picture snuggling with babies, toddlers, and preschool-aged children with a stack of picture books. This tradition often ends once children become independent readers (and/or once children become more independent in their nighttime routine). There are many benefits, however, to keeping this tradition going and reading longer stories and books to older children. Reading to older, school-aged children (third, fourth, fifth graders, and up) strengthens the emotional bond between parents and children and helps children to develop better listening, imagining, story-telling, and reading comprehension skills.
Scholastic has an article on reading to older children called Don't Stop Now. In this article, the author discusses some of the benefits of reading aloud to older children and provides some suggestions for helping children with reading comprehension.
Excerpt:
"To Increase Understanding and Enjoyment
Most parents naturally ask questions to check under standing when sharing a book for early readers, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This same skill can be used when reading aloud a more advanced book, such as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, to an older child. At age 10, as at age 3, children can hear and understand words and concepts that they could not possibly read on their own. More difficult books may contain more excitement and vivid description than the books children might be able to read independently. These books expand vocabulary, increase knowledge, and develop enthusiasm for reading."
Read the full article here.
For additional reading on this topic, Reading is Fundamental has an online pamphlet (pdf) with some tips for reading aloud to different ages called RIF's Guide to Reading Aloud to Your Children.
Jan 10, 2011 by Karen Lewis Taylor |
Filed in:
We’re excited to announce that we will introduce the latest Lucy’s Book Club topic, Knowing my feelings, with a special appearance by Betsy, star of the popular PBS Kids show Betsy’s Kindergarten Adventures.
Betsy and her friends will read Kevin Henkes’ Wemberly Worried, one of the titles on the current LBC reading list, at the Lucy Daniels Center on Friday, January 21, at 12 noon. A limited number of seats will be made available to the public. Call the Center at 919.677.1400 for more details.
The theme for January thru April, Knowing my feelings, was selected to help children understand that their feelings, even negative ones, are a part of life.
“In order for children to find appropriate ways to control and master their feelings, they must first feel comfortable with understanding and expressing them,” explains Jennifer Reid, teacher at the Center and panel chair of LBC. “The books we have selected for younger children aid in recognizing and labeling different feelings, while the books for older children explore a few feelings in depth: worry, anger, and bravery.”
Read Wemberly Worried and other books from the list and help your child explore his or her feelings in a safe and reassuring way.
Jan 4, 2011 by Deborah Mugno |
Filed in:
"Reading" the Pictures
Children “read’ pictures in books long before they are able to read the words. What then are some considerations to keep in mind about the illustrations when choosing young children’s books? Here are a few suggestions:
Do the illustrations create a story in themselves and are they consistent with the text?
Are they suited to the age level of the intended “reader”? Children under the age of 4 typically do better with less page clutter
and less intricate visual detail. They also respond more readily to recognizable images as opposed to abstract or distorted
representations.
Do any of the illustrations represent stereotypical images of places and people?
Can children look at the pictures over and over, finding new things to comment on or a favorite detail/object to talk about?
And one final consideration to ponder…
Do the illustrations date the otherwise timely content of an older book making it any less appealing? Your thoughts?
