Parents know that television viewing doesn’t make children smarter. Most of us realize that television viewing actually makes children less smart, by taking up time that could have been devoted to more intellectually stimulating activities.

Now a new Canadian study of nearly 2,000 children puts actual numbers to what most parents know. Researchers found that every hour of television viewing over the recommended maximum of 2 hours per day, for children aged two and a half, reduces their kindergarten performance in vocabulary, math skills, classroom engagement, physical coordination, and social skills.

Here’s what researchers found: given the average amount of daily television viewing reported by parents of two-year-olds (they reported an average of 105 minutes, or a little more than an hour and a half), scientists at the University of Montreal calculated how far above this average corresponded with a difference in kindergarten readiness skills. They found that for every ‘standard deviation’ about the average – for about every additional 72 minutes of watching – children’s level of kindergarten readiness diminished significantly.

Lead researcher, Linda Pagani, wanted to know about TV’s effect on academic skills readiness, like vocabulary and math, but also on other abilities predictive of a happy kindergarten experience. She said, “I also wanted to focus on neglected yet crucial aspects of school readiness such as motor skills, which predict later physical activity and reading skills, likelihood of being “picked-on,” which predict social difficulties, and skills linked to doing what you are supposed to be doing when having been given instructions, which are in turn linked to attention systems that are regulated by the brain’s frontal lobe development.”

Pagani said, “This is the first time ever that a stringently controlled associational birth cohort study has looked at and found a relationship between too much toddler screen time and kindergarten risks for poor motor skills and psychosocial difficulties, like victimization by classmates.”

The implications for parents are clear: limit television viewing for toddlers and preschool children. Remember that even “educational television” detracts from children’s later abilities. Limit television viewing at home and ask about the amount of television viewing that goes on at daycare.

Parents who’ve come to rely on television to keep their little kids occupied might wonder what else they can do that won’t invite trouble. Here are some ideas:

1. Turn on background music. The problem is that if the TV is off, children who are used to it running may feel lost. Keep on music – any sort of music will do – and let children play with that as their background.
2. Keep off computers and handhelds. Don’t replace one screen (the television) with other screens. Although the study didn’t talk about DVD players and video games, remember that it’s all the same to your child’s brain.
3. Offer art supplies in an area that can get messy. Paints, crayons and markers are all fun.
4. Start a dress-up box of old clothes, hats, and other fun-starters. Spark your children’s imagination and pretend play.
5. Get outside. Running around, digging in the dirt, and picking up rocks and feathers are all great, brain-building activities.
6. Play with building toys. Blocks and Lego are good for both girls and boys, and teach math skills and coordination.
7. Set up a ramp (an old shelf on the edge of the couch works) and roll cars, balls, and whatever else will go. This is fun for every two-year-old.
8. Play in water. A dishpan of water – on the kitchen floor or out on the sidewalk – is fun for splashing, pouring, and floating things. Water play is great when children can’t think of anything else to do.
9. Dance. If the music is playing, get up and dance! A certain way to make kids laugh.
10. Play with an empty box. The bigger the box the better!
11. Have books available. Twos will sit and “read” stories to themselves. This is a key part of being ready for kindergarten three years into the future.
12. Just let play happen. Once the TV is off – and stays off – children will discover things to do all on their own. The simplest materials inspire children’s imaginations and adults just need to get out of the way.

The average amount of television viewing for the children in this study was just 105 minutes a day. Another 72 minutes (a total of about 3 hours) resulted in learning deficits. Another 72 minutes more (a total of about 4 hours) resulted in even greater learning loss.

Keep track. How much TV did your kids watch today? What else did your kids do instead?

© 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Ask for Dr. Anderson’s new book, Developmentally Appropriate Parenting, at your favorite bookstore.

Even though it’s “only preschool,” what happens before kindergarten matters. So how can you tell if your child’s preschool is good enough? What should you look for?

The first thing to look for is that a child is enrolled. According to Barnett, even poor preschool  is better than no preschool. Children who get no preschool start kindergarten already a year behind. This is because what matters in kindergarten is not so much academic ability – things parents may think they’re providing at home –but habits of mind necessary for school. Children who come to school knowing how to work in a group, how to follow complicated directions, how to do school work, and how to pay attention in the midst of distractions, these children are ready to learn.

The second thing to look for is a teaching staff that knows how to work with children and enjoys teaching them. A good child care or preschool teacher should know how to develop children’s skills in pre-math and pre-reading. She should know how to guide children’s behavior without squelching their curiosity. She should be respectful of children’s ideas and she’s got to be nice. She has high standards but she knows her job is to help children reach them.

In a preschool run by a school district, teachers should all have a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate. They will be well-paid and will have access to lots of professional development. If your school district doesn’t offer a preschool program or if your child is ineligible for your district’s program (some are limited to children with low-income and other risk factors), then find the very best preschool you can with the very best support of its teachers. Ask about a teacher’s college preparation. Ask if the school closes for professional development days (even though this is an inconvenience for you, it’s something you want). Ask about the number of children per teacher. Ask how long teachers typically stay and how quickly they leave.  If you can, watch teachers in action. You are looking for the same professionalism that teachers display at your local elementary school. Are teachers proud of what they do or are they always on the lookout for a better job?

Third, find a place where play is center-stage. Play is the medium by which children learn. Sit down instruction, with children filling in worksheets and memorizing facts, is not a positive thing. It’s inappropriate for young children. In a good preschool, children are moving around, doing interesting things together, as their teachers observe, guide and ask questions.

Noticing a quality preschool or child care center isn’t difficult – the signs are obvious or can be discovered by asking a few questions. Finding a quality preschool may be more difficult. But the results are worth the search.

Your child’s school success is determined in large part by what happens at age three and four. Choose quality for your child.

© 2014, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Join Dr. Anderson in an online conference for teachers and parents. Find out more at Quality Conference for Early Childhood Leaders.

Now that summer is here, parents’ thoughts turn to next fall and the upcoming school year. In particular, parents of pre-kindergarteners wonder if their child is ready for “real school.” Will your child be a star or will she struggle?

Along with a general feeling of anxiety, you might be feeling just a bit competitive. Your child knows so much! He can do such a lot of wonderful things! As we try to reassure ourselves that our child is indeed ready for kindergarten and will indeed do well there, there’s a tendency to trumpet his abilities and even to pad his resume.

There are many websites and books eager to tell you “what your child should know.” These sites suggest your child should be able to do all sorts of things she may or may not be able to do. But even if she can do them all, is that enough? It’s easy to imagine that these lists represent the floor, not the ceiling, of pre-kindergarten accomplishment. It’s easy to feel tempted to tutor a child in the entire kindergarten and first grade curriculum, just to be sure.

This feeling is encouraged by other parents at your child’s preschool, who are quick to inform you their son or daughter can do two-digit addition, is reading Charlotte’s Web right now, and is on the way to mastering French. Naturally, you feel uneasy. How can any child compete?

Well, you can’t and you shouldn’t. Because what your four-year-old really should know isn’t something she learns, it’s something she is just certain of.  Your child must be certain of these four things:

• She is wonderful,
• She is smart,
• She is capable, and
• She is perfect in every way.

Children whose parents are constantly coaching them actually feel less confident. They understand, quite rightly, that if their parents are so worried about their abilities that they must be unable to succeed as they already are. The unspoken message worried parents send is “You’re not good enough.” Any child who receives that message will be afraid to try.

Acting-like follows believing-in. To act like a smart kid a child must first believe he’s a smart kid. Your job as a parent is to convince your child he’s smart and capable, a wonderful kid who’s perfect in every way.

You don’t do by pushing your child to learn advanced content. You don’t do that by constantly telling your child how clever she is. You do it by genuinely appreciating your child and communicating your admiration for her in everyday, ordinary ways.

It’s hard to ignore the boasting of parents who are anxious about their child’s kindergarten prospects. But if you can ignore that and if you can instead believe in your child and give him the confidence to try, your child will do well.

What your four-year-old really needs to know to be ready for kindergarten  is that you think he’s terrific.

© 2014, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Ask for Dr. Anderson’s new book, Parenting: A Field Guide, at your favorite bookstore.

It’s a dilemma that comes up for many parents of four-year-olds this time of year. Should they start their child in kindergarten even though his birthday falls just before the cut-off date? He will be one of the youngest kids in the class. Does it matter?

It matters to moms and dads. The opportunity to give up childcare, including childcare fees, in exchange for public school represents a huge financial gain. Many four-year-olds already know how to read or do math so why not start as soon as a kid is eligible? Surely the school is prepared to work with young fives as well as with older kids.

Well, yes. Schools will tell you they’re happy to take the just-barely-five-year-olds. But statistics on grade retention tell a different story. A new study from the University of Missouri finds that the youngest kindergarteners are five times more likely to be held back for a second year of kindergarten than their older classmates.

Grade retention, even in kindergarten, is a serious matter. It’s not only embarrassing for children and their parents, it creates in children an early sense of incompetence and failure that can follow them throughout their school careers. The most consistent predictor of high school drop-out is being too-old for the grade. Children who are retained are, by definition, too old for every grade following the year in which they were held back. The hurt of repeating kindergarten or any other grade lingers, along with the stigma the child faces from teachers and school administrators.

The range of ages in kindergarten is as great as a full year. Children who were born on September 2^nd and turn 6 as soon as the school year starts are in the same classroom as children born on August 31^st who are just barely 5. Researcher Francis Huang points out that “older kindergarteners can have as much as 20 percent more life experience than their younger classmates.” This means that teachers must adjust instruction to accommodate this gap. Yet, according to Huang, “only a small number of teachers modify classroom instruction to deal with a diverse set of students.”

Other factors besides age affect a child’s chances of being held back in kindergarten. Huang’s analysis found that children who are noticeably shorter than their peers are more likely to be retained but that children who have strong executive processing skills, including the ability to pay attention and persist on difficult tasks, and who show eagerness to learn, were less likely to repeat a grade.

What does this mean for you, who may be pondering kindergarten entrance this year or next?

1. As you make your decision, consider your child’s maturity, size and overall readiness in addition to her age. Remember that kindergarten these days is not so relaxed as you might remember it. Is your child old enough mentally and emotionally to meet the stresses of “real school”?
2. If you have a choice of schools, make your choice with your child’s needs in mind. Find a school with smaller class sizes, a child-centered attitude, and a less-pressured concept of academic achievement. One of my granddaughters, an August-birthday-girl, is enrolled this year in an alternative public school with multi-age groupings, small classes and a no-homework policy for kindergarteners. Look around if your child is younger and see if you can find something similar.
3. Consider waiting a year. Even though your four-year-old may be ahead of his preschool friends in reading and math, he’s still just four. Other kids in his kindergarten class will be just as smart and an entire year older. If you can wait a year, this might be the best thing to do.
4. If you must start your young five in kindergarten despite counter-indications, be prepared to be extra supportive this first year. Be ready to volunteer in the classroom, to provide your child with extra help as needed, and to reduce your child’s commitments to sports and other extracurriculars. Concentrate on having a happy, successful kindergarten year.
5. Keep in mind that being the youngest and smallest won’t be just a kindergarten thing. This will be your child’s place throughout school, including in middle school, high school and college. Being smart isn’t the only thing that matters. Fitting in matters a whole lot more!

Getting off on the right foot in education is an important accomplishment. You want your child’s kindergarten experience to be as fun and validating as it possibly can be.

Take a long hard look at your child and then make a sensible decision for your family.

© 2014, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Ask for Dr. Anderson’s new book, Parenting: A Field Guide, at your favorite bookstore.

Most school districts around the country have a “cut-off date” for children beginning public kindergarten. In my city the date is September 1^st. Kids who turn five before September 1^st are eligible to start school that year but kids who turn five on or after that date wait for the next year.

However, in very few states are five-year-olds required to start kindergarten when they turn five. In my state, kids don’t have to attend school until they’re eight.

So this means that parents often have the option of deciding when to send their children to kindergarten.  And there are some myths surrounding that.

Parents sometimes think that keeping an eligible five-year-old out of school for an extra year will help him do better in school since he’ll be more able to sit still. And some parents think that holding a kid back will make him more successful in high school athletics, since he’ll be bigger and stronger than other kids.

While each child is different, and it makes sense to start a child in kindergarten only when he’s ready, it’s important to remember a couple things. First, any class of kids already includes an entire year’s worth of ages so the held-back child may not be at much of an advantage at all. And studies show that the most common characteristic of high school drop-outs is being older than classmates, no matter what the reason. So holding a child back may not be a good idea.

Early entrance can also be a problem. Parents sometimes want to start a child a year ahead if she’s already reading at age three or four. But remember that kindergarten is about social skills. The child who is younger than her classmates might struggle with fitting in, and that can put her at a disadvantage.

Think carefully about your child when thinking about starting kindergarten.

Kindergarten teachers are pleased if students can:

• Put on, fasten, unfasten and take off clothes, like coats, shoes and mittens
• Use the bathroom and wash their hands.
• Follow two- and three-step-directions. (An example of a two-step direction is “hang up your coat and come sit down.”)
• Carry on a conversation, including staying on the subject.
• Get along with other kids and adults, by sharing, taking turns and avoiding fights.
• Stay on-task for a reasonable length of time.
• Accept the authority of the teacher and other school adults.

In addition, kindergarten teachers would love it if students come to school able to:

• Identify many upper and lower case letters of the alphabet and numerals to 10.
• Identify basic colors and shapes.
• Open a book, turn pages, interpret the action by observing pictures.
• Listen and understand a conversation.
• Use a pencil to draw a shape or figure, make a straight cut with a pair of scissors, and use glue or paste conservatively.
• Print their first names and recognize their first names in print.

If your five-year-old can do all this, then he probably should start kindergarten this year. If he can’t, give him the gift of attending prekindergarten this year.

© 2012, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved.