Children’s Programming
Children's programming is not what it use to be. I remember being a child and your only choice was Sesame Street. Nowadays, you have stations like Noggin and Nick Jr. who are dedicated to children's program. My daughter does not even really like Sesame Street. Some of Madison's favorite shows include Upside Down Show and Wonder (aff) Pets. I actually TIVO these two shows for her, so we can watch them any time we want.
The Upside Down show has Shane and David, and we get to watch their daily adventures. We have been to the art museum, the movies, and the airport among several other places with them. The part Madison loves the most about this show is the imaginary remote. She often plays with her imaginary remote even when we are not watching the show. Honestly, I find the show pretty corny, but my husband giggles right along with Madison (not sure what that says). There are several learning goals with this show:
Imaginative Play
- boosts creativity by modeling pretend play
- fosters a humorous approach to problem-solving
- models a think-outside-the-box attitude
Language and Early Literacy Skills
- introduces new vocabulary in surprising and funny ways
- reinforces phonological awareness with use of alliteration, rhyming, and other kinds of language play
Cognitive Skills
- reinforces logical thinking skills such as making predictions and noticing connections
- models using abstract thinking and imagination to find new ways of looking at a problem
- demonstrates and explores relational concepts (high/low, inside/outside, light/dark)
Social and Emotional Development
- models cooperation and negotiation
- models accommodating and supporting the needs of others
At least she is learning when she is watching this. I do have to admit that my favorite imaginary remote button has to be the Irish dancing button.
The other show she enjoys is Wonder (aff) Pets. This show is about three classroom pets named Linny (he's the guinea pig), Ming-Ming (the duck), and Tuck (the turtle). The show is about how these three animals turn into superhereos to save other animals in trouble. This is one of my favorite shows. It is cute and even holds my attention. The learning goals that are supported by this show are:
Cognitive Skills
Language and Early Literacy
- introduces new vocabulary
- reinforces phonological awareness with its use of sung dialogue, rhythms, alliteration, and songs
Music
- exposes viewers to a wide range of musical styles and formats
- helps make connections between musical styles and world cultures
Social and Emotional Development
- promotes appreciation of and orientation towards teamwork
- models cooperation with others
- reinforces the value of listening to others' ideas
- models an attitude of helping
There are a few other show I like too, but these are Madison two main shows that we do not miss. These shows are not too annoying, and I like that she is learning something by watching them.
16 thoughts on “Children’s Programming”
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We never subscribed to the theory that television is bad for kids either. Great post!
I learned a lot from TV. Especially School House Rock!
I still bring up things that I learned from watching television! I think there is a lot of really great programming available these days. Which is a good thing… my nephew already loves watching TV, so I'm glad there are things engaging his little brain!
It's great that there are so many literary programs for children. I get DVDs of certain shows like this from our local library so the munchkin gets to see some things, and I get some 'quiet time'.
Childrens programming has come so far even from when my sons were toddlers. It's so much better these days.
One thing my sis has for my baby nieces is the baby einstein dvds. They girls are so smart from just watching those. They sit like zombies and watch, but are learning so much from it.
We call it baby crack…LOL
Even though my kids are grown, I have noticed how the quality of children's TV is so much better than it used to be.
Heck, when I was a kid, educational TV was Mr. Peppermint and Mr. Greenjeans!
thats why i am happy for the classics like sesame street. it's hard to find new cartoons and kid shows that actually TEACH them worthwhile values… *ie spongebob…blech*
The preschool shows nowadays are really awesome! I, however, am a diehard Sesame Street fan, and was a little saddened by the fact that there were so many shows to choose from – that really are good for them – that they were often distracted from Sesame Street. Awww….
Heehee
Heck, I learned stuff on Sesame Street while my kids watched it, like how cottage cheese is made, or how when you brush your teeth you should turn off the water! I love Sesame Street, of course with teenagers now, we don't see it these days!
Sesame, Electric Company and Zoom are the ones I remember growing up
It is good when they can learn from limited tv. Mindless disrespectful cartoons are a different thing.
Yikes, I think I have to sit down and evaluate the "learning goals" of the shows that my son regularly watches to see if they're actually worthwhile…
I'm happy to say my kids like to watch educational TV as well as the other mindless kids drivel out there LOL It's a happy medium
I've never heard of that show. I will have to watch for it.
I've never thought that television was bad either 😉 Of course too much of anything is going to bad, and you want your kid to get off the sofa and get some fresh air once in awhile!
I hate Teletubbies with a passion. I lost all respect for PBS when they aired that show. My youngest two were just tiny little guys when the popularity of that show spiked and other moms were telling me oh they'll love it, blah blah blah. I watched it first (as I do with everything I let the kids watch) and omg I felt my brain cells dying a painful excruciating death….
Sesame Street! Whoa.. Soo nostalgic. And they're still airing it today, you know.. I told my Mum the other day, "Wow, I've been watching this since Day 1!" 🙂
Though some children's programming (think PBS) is
worthwhile most of the so-called CP is pure garbage,
including some of the stuff on PBS.
Now it is true that the CPA has helped matters but not
always for the good of the people. Sometimes kids, re-
gardless of age, just want to be entertained by a fun and wholesome show (think: live action local stuff) other
than the news.
Lets revise the standards and bring back the cowboys,
magicians, puppets and clowns back to local TV just for the fun of it and forget about teaching ABCs and Numbers.