Preschool Clues: Raising Smart, Inspired, and Engaged Kids in a Screen-Filled World

In this practical and research-based guide, Santomero, Blue’s Clues cocreator and creator of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and other children’s TV shows, helps parents of preschoolers understand how to use media effectively and age appropriately. The book is divided into five parts, with an introductory section focusing on the importance of learning in the preschool years. Santomero addresses the “elephant in the room” immediately and head-on, namely, should preschoolers watch any TV at all? Her answer is yes, as long as it is interactive, educational, and “not too much.” In subsequent chapters Santomero presents 11 “clues” to help maximize preschoolers’ learning potential. For example, in a section entitled “Play, Pause, Repeat,” she explains how playing is the preschooler’s work, how pausing “helps preschoolers find their voice,” and how repetition enhances learning and enables skill acquisition. Although Santomero is an “educational media advocate,” she clearly values time spent away from screens, and the book is jam-packed with activities parents can share with their children—some inspired by Blue’s Clues or Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, others based on Santomero’s knowledge of preschool education. Parents will find plenty of fresh ideas for raising “smart, inspired, and engaged” preschoolers in this wise and enthusiastic text. [em](Apr.) [/em]