Creative Play

Many of these positive results may have been the result of previous familial influences or genetic predispositions. If it is not the watching of educational television that creates these behaviors and attitudes, it may, instead, be that television and computers reinforce behaviors and cognitions that were previously learned through family, school, and society, making these behaviors and attitudes more likely to continue into adolescence and adulthood (Anderson et al. (2001)). But what makes educational television so different from just day-to-day entertainment? Clements – a psychology professor at SUNY Buffalo – believes that the key to technology being beneficial to a child is its ability to get the child to think actively. When technology

Exercising the imagination through pretending helps children to understand and integrate into the world around them. By participating in creative play, children become more expressive and more able to comprehend complex social situations and conflicts. It improves a child’s intellect as he or she is able to improve problem solving and coping skills. Physically, it allows children to fine-tune motor skills, and emotionally, it leads to an outlet for emotion and to positive socialization (Miller). But television watching and playing on the computer has begun to replace creative play. Using technology for entertainment is an individualized activity, meaning that a child will not interact with his or her peers. It also creates story lines for kids to follow and reenact later, meaning that children exercise less cognitive and creative processing (Bickham, Lee & Vanderwater). Instead of thinking actively – which Clements claims is the key to making technology beneficial for youths, much of the entertainment that children absorb requires minimal and passive thinking

Although more and more television programs and video games are trying to bring greater movement into their storylines, it does not come close to the level of activity that soccer, tag, or even just simple creative play involves. Physical activity at a young age does a lot more than just keep a body fit. Participating in sports and participating in activities with others leads to increased motor skill development. It also leads to the development of a healthy life style. But if excessive television watching becomes a norm at a young age, then that behavior will carry over into adolescence and adulthood (Certain & Kahn). In Hancox, Milne, and Poulton’s longitudinal birth cohort study, he saw increased weight and BMI and decreased overall health correlated with excessive TV watching (Hancox, Milne & Poulton). Fitzpatrick et al. also observed a decline in muscular fitness and an increase in waist circumference positively correlated with increased television viewing (Barnett, Fitzpatrick & Pagani). Having a TV in the bedroom decreases the motivation to even get out of bed and further exasperates the problem by limiting the control parents have in regulating the amount of time spent watching television (Wethington, Pan & Sherry). Hancox et al. predicted that this vast change in the physical health of New Zealand’s youth was due to docile television watching habits that were developed at a young age which were not corrected