Why Are They Repeating Their Shows?

What we now know from research is this: kids can benefit from repeated exposure to content, while adults can easily pick up information from a single exposure. Reading a book repeatedly, even if it is the same book, can give you a better understanding of the storyline.

Let’s Think About This For a Second

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and realized you missed something the first time around? In learning, oftentimes the first exposure is introductory and builds basic ideas of the storyline and background knowledge. The next exposure can provide character development knowledge, as well as motivation nuance and perhaps comprehension-related moments that may have been missed (e.g., “I wonder how she was feeling when she made that decision?”). But there is another really important factor in repeated exposure to content that isn’t about academic knowledge; it’s a tool to develop self-confidence and creates comfort.

Children Live in Unpredictable Worlds

Situations can often change dramatically around children and they have very little to no control over their environment (or their own safety and well-being for that matter). Knowing what is going to happen is comforting. Being able to speak along with that line or sing along with that song is empowering; it’s a demonstration of knowledge and expertise that children rarely get to own or articulate to others. Repetition can provide a foundation of knowledge and a confirmation that they, the child, knows something. It can give a child agency and make them feel like they are experts.

When children develop expertise, it can grow confidence in their knowledge and build upon their self-worth. A considerable amount of good can be done by watching that program again, whether it’s today or it is in a month! Confucius says, “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” Confucius was one smart cookie.

It should be noted that as children grow and develop, repetition can get boring, and rather than supporting their development it can become an annoyance. This is natural, and one of the reasons that on-demand video platforms exist – a ten-year-old child may have a very different perspective on repetition than a 5-year-old child.

Our Approach at Akili Kids!

We at Akili Kids! have launched our channel primarily with programmes that will appeal to younger children and the repetition you may notice is intentional. More shows for older children, that do not repeat as often but have the same great values, are being introduced over the next few months. We are adding more programming, original and locally developed, and finding shows from around the world that are incredibly entertaining, but also have educational value, something we call a learning outcome.