Programmes suitable for children
Making the most of television
Used in the right way, television can be beneficial, but too much can be harmful. It’s important to find the right balance, children learn more from copying you than watching TV so make sure you do lots of different activities.
- Limit your child’s daily TV time to no more than half an hour for under two’s, an hour for three to five year olds.
- Turn TV off when no one is watching or at meal times because constant background noise can distract you and your children from other family activities.
- Limit your child’s viewing to programmes that have been designed for their age group.
- Let your child watch the same video or DVD repeatedly as the repetition and familiarity of words and phrases make it easier for children to learn from them.
- If your child does have a TV in their room make sure it is closely monitored.
- Try to watch TV or videos together so you can discuss what’s happens.
We asked a group of parents, which programmes they would recommend, here is their selection:
0-2 yrs
- Teletubbies
- Tommy Zoom
- In the Night Garden
- Postman Pat
- Pocyo
- Mr Maker
- Thomas the Tank engine
- Noddy
All age groups
- Tweenies
- Blue Peter
- Horrid Henry
- Mama Mirabella's
- Charlie and Lola
- Dora the Explorer
- Smart
- Bedtime Story
- Rubbadubbas
- 64 Zoo Lane
- Art attack
- Newsround
- C Beebies
- Bob the builder
- Big Cook little cook
For more information on television and programmes log onto www.talktoyourbaby.org, cbeebies, cbbc
Making TV Useful
DID YOU KNOW?
One in ten children in the U.K (approximately one million) have a speech or language difficulty.
In Stoke on Trent the figure is much higher than this - evidence from Sure Start local programmes suggests that more than half of the children in Stoke on Trent are at risk of a language or speech delay.
