Media & Your Child’s Development
Media exposure plays a significant role in young children's development, shaping how they think, behave, and interact with others. As early childhood educators, we see firsthand how media can influence attention spans, language use, imaginative play, and social-emotional skills. While some media can be educational and enriching, overexposure or over stimulating, or age-inappropriate content can interfere with children’s ability to focus, engage in cooperative play, and manage emotions. We believe it's important to partner with families in understanding how media shows up in their child's behavior and development at school, and to share insights and recommendations that support healthy media habits. By working together, we can help set a strong foundation for balanced, mindful screen use that supports children's well-being now and as they grow.
We recommend shows that are gentle in pace, shorter in length, and grounded in wholesome values such as kindness, friendship, and community. Programs like Frog and Toad, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Sesame Street, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie support the kind of emotional and social development we nurture at school.We do not endorse titles such as Cocomelon, Paw Patrol, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, or many Disney Princess movies, as they tend to be highly stimulating, attention grabbing, promote addictive viewing patterns, and often carry messages or tones that conflict with the values and behaviors we aim to cultivate in the classroom.
We suggest that parents always watch shows together with their children. Ideally, watching a show should be an interactive relational experience for your child, where they have a chance to discuss what they are seeing, feeling, and wondering about with a parent who loves them. This is especially important as preschool aged children do not yet have the cognitive capacity to fully differentiate between reality and fantasy, and need their parents' active help to understand the content of what they are watching. Additionally, watching shows alongside your child will allow you to know what your child is being exposed to, and you might later come up in their conversations or play at home or school.
