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The New York Times published quite the interesting article this week relating to Disney’s Baby Einstein brand of electronic media (VHS, DVD, CD) which were marketed as tools to make your children smarter by plopping them in front of a television or stereo playing them.
It turns out that the efficacy of these videos is still unproven (even though the line has been available for over ten years!) and some (most notably the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, less so myself) have said using them really isn’t a great idea and Disney is now offering refunds.
I’ve never been a fan of sitting Mini in front of a movie or video, though I confess to having done it, though it was more for a “five-minutes-to-do-something” break than a “get smart quick” scheme.
Now that Mini is in 4th grade, it’s important to me to not let her get sucked into the vortex of television and online programming that’s less than educational. She reads (Greg Heffley’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid and R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps series’ are current favorites) and listens to audiobooks (J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series) quite a bit. We play games, though I will say boardgames aren’t my favorite things.
We go places, too. And not just the park or the mall…We go to aquariums (Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, SC and the local N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores), we visit museums (there’s a lovely history of Onslow County at the Onslow County Museum in Richlands) and, though Mini doesn’t know it, we’ll be making a trip to the N.C. Zoo at Asheboro soon. The hope is that these interactive and engaging activities will help Mini develop a curious mind and interest in the world around her.
The only way to get your kids smart(er) is to actively engage them in activities. Reading and writing, playing games and having honest-to-goodness-conversations will do more than any 30-minute DVD of pretty colors and soothing music, I can promise you. It’s activities and interaction that will make children smart.
What activities do you use to help your child develop thinking skills? How do you feel about the Baby Einstein products? Share your questions, ideas and experiences in the comments.
