Favorite Quote's about Children...

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. ~Frederick Douglass

Saturday, January 21, 2012

1 Hour a Day....








There are many things that have been studied and researched when it comes to early childhood development and education. One thing that I would like the opportunity to research and encourage as an Early Childhood Professional is how play impacts children. I would like to see parents, or primary caregivers taking one hour a day to spend focused on and engaged with their child/children. This means actively playing with and spending time with them. This would not include watching television, playing on the computer, or on a phone. The parent would sit down and play one on one with their child. I would like to see how the children would benefit from something such as this. I understand that one hour does not seem like very much time, but in today's society I think that most children do not get this much uninterrupted time with their parents.


Some of the benefits that I think I would see in a situation such as this would be children and parents who form better relationships between each other, as well as with their peers. I feel that children would also be more confident, creative, and perform better academically. I am not against technology, but I feel that televisions, computers, and cell phones are becoming babysitters and entertainers, and the parents are observing instead of engaging. Another benefit that I would see from a study such as this is parents seeing the positives of spending the time with their children, and them continuing to spend time with their children even after the study is over. I would also hope that other parents will see the benefits and want to spend more time with their children.

2 comments:

  1. Janelle, Have you seen the National Institute for Play website? It is an excellent resource, long with Stuart Brown's book on play. You can find it at http://nifplay.org/

    Cindy

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  2. Janelle,
    How sad that a study has to be conducted for parents to spend time with their children!!
    I think it would be a great study. I think children would have an increase in self-esteem. There is so much good that would come from parents engaging in play with their children. Hopefully they would continue throughout their children's upbringing. Continued parental involvement may effect decisions kids make such as taking drugs.
    Joey

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