Before I jump into this highly opinionated topic I just want to make a few points. Extended periods of time watching TV does not cause language difficulties. Children with a predisposition to have difficulties communicating will likely have these problems, regardless of how much TV they watch. There are however things you can do to reduce the impact these needs have while waiting for support from a speech and language therapist.
I am not paid, or receive any gain for any links or products which I discuss in this blog. I only link things that I personally find useful or my own children/clients enjoy.
Technology is something which has changed significantly in the past 20 years, and our children are a lot of more exposed to it than we ever were. But what does this mean for our children? What should we do? Should we let them use it? Should be keep it away from them? The answer in simple, as with anything, moderation is key.
Technology is something I am asked about a lot. I often get question such as:
Is there an app I can use to support my child?
Is it okay for my child to watch TV or play games on their tablet?
The simple answer is technology can be great, but the reason we don't recommend using it to "teach" children language is that it is completely one sided. Think about it this way. When you are watching television at home do you have a conversation with the television? Does it give you any conversation back again? Apart from making you relax, or give you some time off, what communicative support does it give you?
2 children at home... what do I do?
I am not going to lie, there are times when television or time with a tablet is absolutely what is needed. Tired children are challenging to say the least and if that screen can give me 10 minutes so that I can chuck some pasta in a pan, or make a sandwich for their dinner I use it.
As with everything in life, in moderation is important. Do I have a screen on all day every day? No. Do I use screens and technology to help me with day to day life? Yes.
My family and I recently took a trip on the train up to London. Over 3 hours on the train with a grumpy 2 year old and an overtired end of term 5 year old. We had a picnic, we looked at activity books, we did puzzles, we looked at books. However after a period of time what we all needed was some down time. And for my 2 year old that was half an hour of watching Zog and the Flying Doctors (BBC iPlayer). This gave me 30 minutes of time to relax, read my book, rest and psych myself up for another hour or so on the train trying to keep her entertained.
So why did I choose this for her to watch? Well for a number of reasons.
B knows the story - its a book she absolutely loves. If we haven't read it at least 3 times in the week then frankly she is unwell.
The story uses language associated with children. Julia Donaldson is a well known children's author with a variety of books which have been adapted into 30 minute programmes. B knows the words, she knows the stories and it is another media which she is using to access this story.
We can talk about it. B is starting to notice key features about the characters and the environment within which the story is set, and will comment on them to me while she is watching the programme. I can pause it, have a quick chat (when she allows - let's be clear there are times when I would absolutely not interrupt this relaxing time), the continue.
Returning to the main point of this blog why is this okay and my child watching TV or a tablet the rest of the day not?
Well the point is relatively simple... for that 30 minutes B is relaxing, watching something she knows and enjoys. There is no pressure to communicate. BUT the rest of the time she is being interacted with in some form. This could be:
while she is at nursery
while we are driving in the car between different daily tasks when I am not working.
when in the pram walking to pick up her sister from school
when we are at home playing, or doing day to day tasks
while attending toddler groups
while shopping at the supermarket
while eating a meal
having a bath
Giving her this down time, away from daily pressures is important, otherwise she gets overwhelmed. Your child may not need this, but every child is different. The point is I utilise this time to get her to relax, so when it is finished we can return to other activities which are more stimulating.
What can you do to reduce TV time and increase interactive time with your child, and how does this help with their communication skills.
As with a lot of things just turning off the TV permanently is not something I would recommend, especially if your child has been used to having it on for a lot of the day. Try making meaningful switches e.g. when you get up in the morning don't turn the TV on immediately. See if your child will start playing independently, or request for you to play with them. If they ask for the TV explain that you want to have a break for 10 minutes and do some playing and follow through. Set a timer and play for 10 minutes then turn it on.
Try to get to a point where you have set points or circumstances in which you give them TV time. For example my older daughter likes to watch an episode or two of Bluey (BBC iPlayer) with her Dad first thing on a Saturday and Sunday morning. Its their way of starting the weekend together. Once that is finished we get up and have breakfast etc. When my youngest is having her afternoon nap and we need to get on with house work or jobs then E gets some time to watch a programme of her choice (which is often negotiated) for a set period of time. Once that time is up, she will (not often without a little fuss) return to playing, or helping us with whatever we are doing. She has got her down time and we have got some jobs done. Win win.
You can also try introducing programmes with a set end point i.e. those which are not part of a series. This is why I personally love the Julia Donaldson programmes. They are a set period, and they relate to a book. So you could set up a whole sequence of events associated with that book. Take B's current favourite Zog and the flying doctors. You could do the following:
Get a copy of the book from your local library and read it together.
Watch the programme together
Get some dragon and character toys out and pretend they are Zog taking Princess Pearl and Gadabout to treat different people or animals. What could be wrong with those people? How might they be treated? What would Princess Pearl do to treat them?
Create your own medicines using ingredients you find at home. This could be pretend i.e. water, glitter, paint etc. Or it could be making a smoothie which you can then enjoy together later.
Go for a walk outside and look and see if you can find different environments or places where Zog and the flying doctors land. Can you see any of the animals from the book?
Build the kings castle out of blocks or duplo and put Princess Pearl in the tower. Could one of you play Zog and try to get her free?
There are lots of different possibilities where you can include TV as part of your interaction. You don't need to spend an entire day doing this, just pick a single activity and do it together. That is going to create so many different language rich opportunities for your child.
To conclude...
So to conclude this blog. What are my main points?
TV does not help your child to learn language and communication skills, it is not an alterantive to playing and interacting with your child.
TV can be used to give your child some down time, or you a break when needed, but this time is ideally limited.
You can use programmes your child watches and extend them into play scenarios. This will be a win win for your child's langauge and giving them some down time.
Don't beat yourself up about what your child is doing now, see what you can do to change the amount of time your child is watching TV. Start afresh, you can do this!
If you are concerned about your child's speech and language development and you want more help then please get in contact for a free 20 minute telephone consultation.