Cartoons are every child’s, first love. Kids wait the entire day for their cartoon time as they deserve a much-needed break after all the hard work they have put in to learn and grow.
The present generation considers cartoons as a quick fix. Want your child to finish the meal? cartoons. Want them to stay calm in a crowd? cartoons. Want them to stay engaged while you’re busy finishing tasks? Cartoons!
It is not wrong to indulge in such a practice, but it needs a line to be drawn. By handing over screens whenever there is slight situational discomfort, we would be at fault for limiting their overall growth which includes emotional intelligence as well. Their minds would get accustomed to this habit which could lead to various forms of addictions later on.
Cartoons and learning?
Well, we cannot entirely bring cartoons to a halt, but we can make them a fun learning experience. A sudden stop in their cartoon time would be a big disappointment for them.
Cartoons are a staple during kids’ free time, but let’s beat the dependence on cartoons, and add in a dash of creativity. You don’t have to sweat your brain as we have figured out fun ways to get creative while watching cartoons.
Let’s beat the screen time!
- Bob the builder: Apart from just everyday subject learning, children need to be exposed to various other aspects such as spatial knowledge, dimensions, and real-world geometry. By involving them in activities such as building a tent or cushion forts you would be exposing their little minds not only to the fun but also to creativity and learning. Who knows this small activity could someday bring out the architect in them?
- Dora the Explorer: Exploring and visiting new cities and places can be tough with hectic routines. Vacation need not be a world tour or across the country, it can be a run to the beach or the flower fields. Such trips could be a great learning opportunity for your kids. They can learn directions, temperature variations, soil types, seasonal clothing, and time differences across regions. Each of these topics has a multitude of implications that can be learned through the involvement of all the five senses and not just theoretically. This way your child not only knows better but also remembers it very well as it was an experience lived through and not just something they read or heard.
- Handy-Manny: Growing up, all of us have broken a ton of gadgets and all kinds of things. Now, instead of reminding them to be careful in the future, you can as well help them try fixing it under supervision. This should be applied only to safe and non-hazardous items. Small fixes such as putting batteries and assembling house items with instruction manuals are a great learning experience. This also instills in them a problem-solving attitude which is such a valuable skill in every field of life.
- Cartoon day: Sounds unrealistic but yes, it works. Gather all the little toddlers from the area and ask them to plan a stall day. They could put up various stalls they like, each with a different cartoon theme. They would prepare and plan for the set-up, and learn team working and building. This day is a day of endless learning, they will learn about shopping, picking the right quantities according to their needs, budgeting, and time management. If they get stuck at any point, you could always help them out. What a fun way to continue learning. This will surely shine their leadership qualities. Quick tip – They could play a skit of their favorite cartoon with costumes, stage setups, and team members as their grand finishing act.
- My dear diary: The practice of writing can be kept alive with the help of an interesting diary. Make this diary a multipurpose diary where you can encourage them to note down what they remember or learned after watching cartoon series. This helps in memory, story writing, and concept understanding. They could start writing their own cartoon series as well!
Kara4Kids, a leading preschool in Bangalore is a vacation all year as we learn while we play. If you are looking for a Preschool in Bangalore that keeps learning alive, contact us.
