Children's age as a criterion for choosing a film
Why consider the age of children when choosing a film?
Taking into account the age of a child when choosing a film is important because the content, the messages of a film, must be adapted; the child must be able to tell what he has seen. The complexity of the production, the psychology of the characters, the density of the information, but also the quality of the visual and sound worlds and the rhythm of the films must be taken into account.
The young child, between nursery school and primary schools, exercises his intellectual, sensory, emotional and relational capacities and if videos or films are not in line with his intellectual development, he will experience difficulties in understanding, he will be bored: his interest, his curiosity and his attention will decrease.
A film that is not adapted to the age of the child will have the same effect: lack of pleasure and concentration.
Age appropriateness of the films
The films must be an educational support, support the development of the children, leave time for everyone to observe, imitate and give the youngest the desire to express themselves, imagine and invent their own imaginary worlds.
From early childhood to adolescence, films adapted to the age of children will be an excellent teaching aid at school, but also a tool to accompany education at home.
A well-chosen film will arouse curiosity, raise questions in the little boy or girl, and encourage family communication with parents or grandparents.
At a very young age, the child is particularly fragile and vulnerable and is not prepared to face the outside world.
Exposure to images that are not adapted to their intellectual, emotional and sensory development can interfere with their daily need to explore and discover new things. Properly selected films, on the other hand, create a favourable environment for this learning period.
How to choose an age-appropriate film?
It is difficult to judge the appropriateness of a child's age and what he or she is watching. Each child has his or her own learning pace, his or her own capacity for understanding; parents and school teachers are best placed to judge the harmony between the content of a film and the young viewer.However, the sheer quantity of children's films on television, DVDs and the Internet presents a challenge.
Is this message appropriate for my child? Is this scene too violent for his age? How do I get their attention? How do I find and choose a film that is both entertaining and educational?
Are comedy films better suited to the little ones than music films? It is not easy to choose in this audiovisual jungle and there are very few organisations that advise and facilitate the choices that adults have to make for their children.
The films we select have very original stories, scenarios and visual universes that are likely to captivate the youngest. They are not films created especially for children, they are even films intended for older children, but we select and classify each film whose educational content is in line with the age, growth phases and development of children.
Example of age-appropriate films
Films for early and middle childhood are often difficult to choose from, but there is, paradoxically, an example of suitability with abstract experimental films.
The abstract short films were not made for children, but rather in an experimental context, and yet this abstraction, the importance given to shapes, colours and rhythm is very suitable for the youngest. They arouse curiosity and invite physical expression.
Do you have your own criteria for selecting films suitable for small and young children? Do you have an opinion on the age at which a child can watch a film?
The opinion of teachers and parents is essential to enable us to continue to offer quality films, according to the age of the children, in complete safety.
