8 Reasons Why You Want Your Child Involved?
- Media is here to stay
- The average American child, age 8 to 18 now
spends more than 7 ½ hours a day watching a “screen”
– TV, computers, videogames, film, smart phones. - Learning to critique media is essential. The information received through media – film, videogames, Internet, TV, even text books - is constructed reality with messages, often subconscious, that shape our beliefs, values and attitudes.
- Learning to critique media allows children to develop skills in critical thinking, language skills, writing and public speaking.
- Ethnicity, gender roles, and age presentations in the media affect our youth in many ways, often not positively.
- By teaching children how to critique media, we give them the skills to seek out and use more appropriate media, media that will enhance their lives.
- The KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ curriculum has been developed by educators, child development professionals and leading children’s media specialists. It is a secular program, designed for children between the ages of 7 and 14.
- It's FUN! Just ask our current film critics. They have had unbelievable opportunities this year. Watch their videos on the campaign home page.
Fact: The average American child will spend more time watching television and playing videogames than he or she will spend in school. You have a right to be concerned about the amount of time kids spend on media.
- The goal of KIDS FIRST! is to engage children in becoming media savvy so that the time they spend with media is beneficial. And this takes education. Please join us to teach children healthy media habits that last a lifetime.
- Rather than tell kids what to watch, we teach them the skills to make their own informed decisions. In the KIDS FIRST! Film Critic’s program, children learn to critique and write reviews about media they enjoy. Kids learn to take individual responsibility for a healthy media lifestyle.
- Why not have kids reviewing films for kids? Most film reviewers are adults and review films from an adult perspective. As veteran film critic Gene Shalit commented while reviewing a film, “Clash of the Titans is cool for kids, plenty of fights, beasts, and best of all the words don’t matter.”
- Do you really believe that words don’t matter to a child?
- With your support, KIDS FIRST! can reach millions of kids and change their behavior from being passive to active viewers. When we change kids’ behavior, we change the behavior of families and our communities. Everyone benefits.
- Parent to Parent. Kid to Kid. Neighbor to Neighbor. This is how we plan to spread the message of this campaign, through people who have a vested interest in how kids behave and want to make positive changes in their lives.
- Your participation is needed to make a difference.
Return to the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Campaign Page
