Each person has their own unique childhood experiences, with media having a large influence for many. Whether it’s songs, movies, television shows, or books, people can hold a connection to their childhood through these forms of media. There are various types of children’s media, with some being more educational than others. Kirsten Gabriel (‘26) enjoyed the show Word World when she was younger, which was on the more educational side of children’s shows.
“Word World is a show that teaches little kids how to spell,” said Gabriel. “It’s about animals on a farm that [have] bodies made out of the letters that spell what it is, like the sheep is made out of the letters that spell ‘sheep.’”
Eleanor Head (‘28) enjoyed reading Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, a book passed down to her that her mom had read when she was younger.
“[Sylvester and the Magic Pebble] was my mom’s book when she was growing up, and it’s about a donkey that finds a magic pebble,” said Head. “It’s a really good book; don’t judge it by its cover like I did. It became one of my favorites, and I’m sure I made my parents read it [to me] so many times.”
Similarly, Diya Vacha (‘27) read books that empowered her and allowed her to believe in happy endings.
“[I read books about] little kids that faced some sort of hardship, even if it was just getting in trouble at school or not being liked by like certain friends,” said Vacha. “They would go out and learn that they’re better than what other people think about them and then go achieve great things. Most of the books that I read taught me that no matter what you’re going through, there’s always a happy ending, which may not always be true in real life.”
Israel Pierre (‘29) watched the show Avatar, and found the fantasy elements to be the most intriguing aspect.
“Avatar is about a show where people have powers, and the people who control fire try to take over the world. There’s one person named Avatar that can control all elements, and they have to stop the Fire Nation,” said Pierre.
Head explained how children’s media has changed since her childhood.
“The quality of the video has gone up, but the quality of the actual content has gone down,” said Head.
Neil Daniel (‘27) commented on the impact books made on his attention as a child.
“Because of the kinds of books I read, it was mostly just entertainment for me, I’d say my attention span was pretty good,” said Daniel.
Saketh Velagaleti (‘28) agreed, explaining how children’s shows have set him up with the helpful habit of an elongated attention span.
“[One episode of] Arthur was 25 to 30 minutes long, so I think it increased my attention span. With the rise of short-form content, it may have decreased a bit, but I think these shows laid the foundation for a good attention span,” said Velagaleti.
Gabriel reflected on how the content in the shows she watched impacted how she grew up.
“A lot of the stuff that I watched was mildly educational, so it might have helped with some development,” said Gabriel. “It kept me entertained in a good way without being on a screen too much.”
Velagaleti has also found a lot of the shows he watched to impact his emotional maturity.
“I learned how to apologize to people, treat people the right way, and make them feel included because Arthur has a lot of situations where people are excluded, and the characters try their best to include everyone,” said Velagaleti.
Jen Belknap, the mother of a student at Chamblee, commented on how having a separate children’s program helps keep children protected online.
“Children can’t and maybe shouldn’t learn about adult… behaviors, so having a program geared toward children helps them grow, learn, and develop,” said Belknap.
Velagaleti noticed the benefits of having children’s media, and how that media impacts children’s reactions to their environment.
“Cartoons are going to make you laugh, and they’re going to have humor; they’re going to introduce all sorts of emotions,” said Velagaleti. “Children’s media is important because it introduces [kids] to the world around them.”
