Slower pacing in television serves to solidify learning. An intentional, "slow-paced" show allows the audience more processing time to absorb both the prosocial and academic messages of the program (McHarg & Hughes, 2021 & Samdura et al., 2022). But don't think this means "boring"! Toddlers are enthralled by the engaging characters, songs, and beauty of the varying elements of Fairy's House. Read on to learn more about what we know is good for kids (and what to avoid) in television:
Research illustrates that children's executive functioning skills erode after viewing fast-paced shows, compared to children who watched slower-paced educational shows (Lillard & Peterson, 2011). The pacing of a show can be defined broadly as the length of its scenes, or the time between camera cuts. Avoiding shows that have multiple cuts within several seconds of one another is imperative to mitigate over-stimulation.
Another factor to consider is whether what is being shown defies the laws of reality or physics. Television shows that display unrealistic, fantastical elements (like a pair of shoes walking away on their own, or a character completely disappearing behind an object that is too small to actually conceal them) can also disrupt executive functioning skills (Lillard, et al., 2015). These illusions are often achieved using animation or special effects, which is something Fairy's House - a live-action, practical effects program - deliberately avoids for this very reason. Happy viewing!
Comments