Joining a child who repeatedly rewatches shows could be stressful for adults. Over and over, they watch the same episodes, or read the same story, with well-known events and endings. We might think this act is boring, limiting the child’s cognitive abilities and hindering development. We wonder what could be beneficial in spending so much time with stories and events we already know how they unfold. Yet, research has found it is the opposite; children’s cognitive and learning abilities benefit from rewatching shows, besides gaining a bunch of mental positive outcomes.
Rewatching Shows Supports Learning
According to research, children consciously re-read stories and re-watch shows to detect patterns that help them in language acquisition and cognitive development. It is not about how funny or well-portrayed scenes determine how children would benefit from that; it is the repetition that creates familiarity with the content and leads to mastery, autonomy, and fulfilling key developmental needs.
The reason behind this is that children are sensitive to the occurrence of regularities and patterns in their lives; they try to detect what is part of a regular pattern and what is not. They can detect that by repetitive exposure to the same content in a process entitled “Statistical Learning”. When young children re-watch the same show, they are driven by a desire to detect and consolidate the patterns in what they are watching, hearing, or reading.
Repetition and Emotional Comfort
Research highlights that familiar activities trigger the “well-being effect” in children, which buffers stress and provides them with security and a sense of mastery.
Although childhood is an episode of seeking new experiences, constant processing and adapting to new stimuli can be stressful for children. It may create a high cognitive load they are unable to manage. Through continuous exposure to new experiences, they encounter new situations to which they should adapt and respond, which could be exhausting as they do not know how this situation will unfold.
On the other hand, a well-known episode can provide them with comfort and security, and reduce stress and uncertainty. Rewatching shows reward them with expected emotions resulting from known actions, which buffers comfort in them. In previously watched episodes, endings do not disappoint them. What is also helpful in learning and children’s well-being are the repeated activities that allow children to gain a sense of mastery by being challenged in what they know and understand.
Still, comfort should have a limit, if these repeated activities and shows negatively affect how the child interacts with their peers and limit their engagement with others, they should be encouraged to get out, interact with others, and be physically and mentally active.
Repetition is the mother of affection. It could be cognitively and emotionally rewarding if applied within healthy limits to help children openly experience life and hone their skills.
References
neurosciencenews.com
psychologytoday.com(1)
psychologytoday.com(2)
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