What does the science say about the use of educational television, computers, and curricula with very young children?
There are no credible scientific data to support the claim that specialized videos or particular music recordings have a positive, measurable impact on developing brain architecture in the first 2-3 years of life. The most important influence on brain development is what is known as the “serve and return” interaction with caring adults, as defined by back-and-forth interactions with attentive, nurturing humans. Although a varied array of experiences clearly stimulates learning in the preschool years, promotional statements about the superior brain-building impacts of expensive “educational” toys and videos for infants and toddlers have no scientific support. Similarly, didactic instruction in skill areas that are developmentally inappropriate for young children (i.e., the underlying neural circuitry necessary to master the particular skill has not developed) is an exercise in futility. Trying to teach one-year-olds to read is an example of such misguided efforts. For more information,
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