This week's newsletter from PBS caught my eye with its "Quick Literacy Tips." Deciding to click further, I noticed this heading:
In front of the T.V. (or computer)
Now, most parents know that learning literacy doesn't have to be limited to book time. But rarely do you see suggestions about how to use multimedia -- i.e., TV time -- to introduce children to new ideas, new words, new stretches of narrative. The PBS site goes that extra step. This isn't about simply finding a good show for preschoolers. This is about using the TV and its role in daily life: For example, here's one suggestion:
What Happens Next? Make a plan with your child for T.V. watching. Connect this plan to other events in his day and introduce words that describe time. For example tell him “First, we are going to the grocery store. Next we are going to eat lunch. Then you can watch your favorite T.V. show. After that, we are going to turn off the television and go to the park.”
Other options include adopting the remote control as a device for recognizing numbers, using computer keyboards to talk about letters, using digital photographs of family to talk about the people and events in a toddler's life.
Of course, the Literacy Tips go far beyond TV time as well -- including some ideas for rhyming games to play at the mall or prediction games prompted by a walk around the neighborhood.
10:31:30 AM 
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