Most parents I speak to seem to have rather strong views on television and whether they think it is right to let young children watch TV for any length of time. Personally, I think that the BBC kidz channel, CBeebies, is a lifesaver! My husband calls it ‘the babysitter’. My daughter, Mic, just loves all of the programmes. She gets so excited when her favourites come on the TV - actually she is watching her ultimate favourite as I am typing this - ‘In the Night Garden’! I honestly believe she has learned so much from the programmes - she knows the names of the characters and sings their songs. I’m not saying I think it is ok to leave a child in front of the television all day with no other stimulation or interaction with the parent/care-giver because I obviously would never advocate that! What I do think is that my daughter has definitely benefitted from being able to watch all of the very educational programmes that CBeebies shows. I know the programmes are aimed at children, but very often my husband and I find we are totally engrossed in Numberjacks, Koala Brothers, or another great show only to discover that Mic has left the room and it’s just us watching!!!
Incidentally, if you are looking for suggestions on ways to entertain your little ones, the CBeebies website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies) has great ideas, including pictures you can print out and colour in of all the programme characters, ideas for games, things to make, songs to sing, etc.
