Lisa
Lisa: When I was younger, my parents would get upset with me for watching too much TV. However, my “excessive” habit doesn’t even compare to the video/handheld device addiction of today’s youth! Is all video bad? Absolutely not. In fact, if strictly limited and utilized in the correct way, video can be a very powerful teaching tool for children! When Sophie was a toddler, I used the NACD (National Association for Child Development) concept of “therapeutic videos.” In fact, I have over 35 archived volumes of homemade VHS tapes of family and friends providing Sophie’s brain with high interest input including reciting math facts, reading to her, flashing word cards to her, providing her with auditory processing activities, etc.
Visual input does not have to be sophisticated. It need only hold the child’s attention. We’ve come a long way since those early days. The attached video is of Sophie reviewing her math facts by using a simple handheld game called FlashMaster.
Sophie: I like my FlashMaster game. Today I got 90%. Yesterday I did better-100%. I don’t have too much time to watch TV. I am too busy doing chores like laundry, emptying the trash, and doing the dishes. Goodbye folks!
