Describe the benefits of watching educational television, such as Sesame Street, Arthur, and The Magic School Bus

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: Sesame Street uses lively visual and sound effects to stress basic literacy and number concepts and puppet and human characters to teach general knowledge, emotional and social understanding, and social skills. Time devoted to watching children’s educational programs, including Sesame Street, is associated with gains in early literacy and math skills and academic progress in elementary school. One study reported a link between preschool viewing of Sesame Street (and similar educational programs) and getting higher grades, reading more books, and placing more value on achievement in high school.
Sesame Street modified its previous, rapid-paced format in favor of more leisurely episodes with a clear story line. Programs with slow-paced action and easy-to-follow narratives, such as Arthur and The Magic School Bus, are associated with improved executive function, greater recall of program content, gains in vocabulary and reading skills, and more elaborate make-believe play than programs presenting quick, disconnected bits of information. Narratively structured educational TV eases processing demands, facilitating attention and freeing up space in working memory for applying program content to real-life situations.