As the market for DVDs for young children continues to grow by the millions, parents and teachers remain in the dark at times about the merits of children learning with TV and DVD. Let us talk truth, sometimes painful truth, about just this!

Whether you agree or disagree with the American Academy of Pediatrics or not, the truth is we as parents are going to show our six month old or our one year old and even our eighteen month old an occasional
snippet of a DVD or a few minutes of a TV show (dare I even suggest a full thirty minute airing at this point?!?!).

It is simple, common knowledge that we use TVs in our homes and our infants are subjected to them. Please, do not come hunting us down. We are well meaning adults who know how to read each report you all put out. We are also adults who have things to accomplish, and it is a choice we have made to turn on the TV or pop the DVD into the DVD player to gain a few minutes of sanity or ironing time or uninterrupted conversation with our loved one.

Now that we have that part of it out of the way, let us now address the merits of such goings on. Will little Junior really pick up a new language from that DVD? Can Elmo really help the language acquisition of your darling daughter during another episode of Plaza Sesamo? The answer (close your ears and your eyes if you are not ready for this one) is no. In many languages that answer is universal. Your young child will not learn a new language by watching a DVD or by viewing the Spanish news night after night.

Do not take my word for this startling and disconcerting news. Authors, fellow moms and PhDs in linguistics, Dr. Kendall King and Dr. Alison Mackey, report quite extensively on the findings of how successfully (or non successfully) little babies, young toddlers and even preschool age children respond to learning a new language via DVD or TV. In fact, one of their findings said children listening to and watching very high quality videos in Chinese did not learn any Chinese sounds at the end of the experiment. These children were in fact on the same level of Chinese language acquisition as those children in the experiment who had no Chinese exposure at all.

Now do not despair my fellow parenting friends and teaching colleagues. Do not throw away the DVDs you have invested in. Do not resort to storing the TV away during the day time hours of your daily routine. There is hope to help your child learn from what many call edutainment products - DVDs, CDs, taking toys and interactive books. As these two Doctors point out in their book titled The Bilingual Edge, interaction is the key with your child. Use all of these products as part of your large tool kit. Whether you are hoping to teach your child shapes or colors or a new language, do not depend on just one DVD to do that or one book to accomplish your goal.

Sit with your young child as you watch the DVD, pause it, and talk to your child about the concept being introduced or mimic the new language being spoken. These two experts tell us in their easy reading book that being a native speaker of the new language is not as important as is the interaction your child experiences as he learns the words in a new language as you play with him. Young children need exposure to living, breathing human beings who talk and play and interact with them for successful learning.

In fact, it is stated that toddlers pick up almost all of their language by interacting with parents, caregivers, siblings and friends. It seems that human interaction feeds the brain in a way that TV cannot. Same holds true for babies - knowing that infants prefer humans over anything inanimate.

What does all of this mean then bottom line for parents and teachers who hope to use TV and DVDs and CDs and talking toys and interactive books to teach certain things to little children? It means to use these items as supplements to what you as a human being can do to bring the learning to life, to help it connect with the real surroundings of the child.

You are the first teacher your child will ever have. You should arm yourself with the tools necessary to give your child the foundation they need and deserve during the first, most formative five years of life. Did you know that between birth and age five almost ninety percent of the brain is developed? It is a responsibility none of us take lightly. Knowing how to make the most of this opportunity is crucial to our success as the teachers. More importantly, realizing the full potential of how to use what society offers is crucial to the future of our children.

---

About the Author: Bilingual mom, educator and keynote speaker Beth Butler is the founder of the BOCA BETH Program for young children where they make it fun and easy to introduce Spanish to young children. Sample the music and movies for free at http://www.bocabeth.com Call toll free to order today at 877.825.2622.