The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids under 2 years old not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming. Please read the entire report to get more information.
"Mama! Dada!" Origin of Language Pegged at 6 Months"
This article discusses research performed which suggests that infants can pair sounds with specific meaning at as early as 6 months of age. Specifically, the research found that infants are capable of recognizing the words "Mommy" and "Daddy" with their own parents, rather than unnamed parents or simply men and women in general. The conclusion of the research is thus that an infant's ability to understand language is an inherent quality that develops rapidly between the ages of 6 weeks and 2 years.
“Reach out and get your patients to read”
by Robert Needleman MD, Perri Klass MD, and Barry Zuckerman MD
This article discusses both the creation of Reach Out and Read, an organization created by two pediatricians in the Boston area in order to promote early literacy, as well as the necessity for pediatric intervention in order to encourage parents of infants and toddlers to read to their child nightly from a young age. The article reviews both the efficacy of Reach Out and Read in the decade since its inception as well as highlights the many positive outcomes that reading to infants and toddlers can have in later schooling. Finally, the article details the many pitfalls of parents not reading to their infants and toddlers, in particular noting that children who are not read to face the greatest risk of reading problems in the future.
“Music and Movement for Infants and Toddlers: Naturally Wonder-full”
by John M. Feierabend, Ph.D. from the Fall 1996 issue of Early Childhood Connections
This article discusses the importance of both music and movement for infants and toddlers in order to encourage the development of their neurological pathways. It further discusses the combining of music and literature such that infants and toddlers can experience both singing and new vocabulary simultaneously, enhancing the learning experience. Finally, the article suggests how to structure a music and movement classroom, in particular asserting that movements such as bouncing, wiggling, tickling, tapping and clapping should encompass the latter aspect of the classroom, while simple songs, lullabies, and recorded music represent the former.
"Research now shows that any level of lead can affect a child's health, including lowered I.Q., hearing problems, slowed growth and behavior and learning problems. Children get lead poisoning when they swallow or breathe in lead dust or eat paint chips, soil, food or water that contains lead...Contrary to common belief, lead risks can occur in both urban and rural communities." To read the whole article by the National Center for Healthy Housing, please Click Here.
Keynote speaker at the 2009 Infant Toddler Teacher Conference, David Elkind, Ph.d (author of The Power of Play, and The Hurried Child and internationally recognized authority on the importance of play for young children) was inspirational and reassured us that a developmentally appropriate curriculum based on play and hands-on experiences is key to successful growth and development of children. For an article from David Elikind, please see link below.
Play is essential to positive human development, but kids are playing less and less, says psychologist David Elkind. What can we do to build a new culture of play? To read the rest of this article, please Click Here.
Children younger than 22 months may be entertained, but they do not learn words from the television program, said Marina Krcmar, associate professor of communication at Wake Forest and author of the study. "With the tremendous success of programs such as 'Teletubbies' that target very young children, it has become important to understand what very young children are taking away from these programs," Krcmar said. "We would like to think it could work, that Teletubbies and other programs can teach initial language skills. That is not true."
Click here to read the rest of this valuable article.
“All caregivers and teachers of young children face the same challenge — finding strategies that will lead to a more purposeful learning experience for children. All are striving to become intentional teachers and caregivers…Every child has a right to a quality learning experience. Are you a quality caregiver? Do you provide purposeful care?” From the Child Care Exchange article, More Purposeful and Intentional Infant and Toddler Care, By Pam Schiller.
Click here to read the rest of this article.
