Using Disney Movies to Help with Kid Development

Researchers Say Animated Films Can Do good Parent-Child Advice

Child watching TV- photo credit: Pixabay

A new UH study published in the Kid and Boyish Social Work Journal says Disney animated movies can be helpful for parents in how they communicate with their children about tough issues.

Monit Cheung

Monit Cheung is Mary R. Lewis Endowed Professor in Children and Youth in the UH Graduate Higher of Social Work and the study's lead writer.

Leung and Huang co-authors

(l-r) Carol A. Leung, assistant professor in the Department of Social Piece of work at Azusa Pacific University and Yu-Ju Huang, doctoral student in the UH Graduate College of Social Work, are co-authors on the study.

Worried your children are getting too much screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic? How many times can a person sentinel "Frozen," right? Turns out, animated movies can serve as valuable tools for parents and counselors alike to improve advice with children nearly tough issues.

Disney films, for example, combine entertainment with life lessons about dearest, friendship, good versus evil, death and loss, and the importance of family unit. Talking about these important issues together can strengthen a kid's cognitive and behavioral development, according to a study by the University of Houston Graduate Higher of Social Piece of work published in the Kid and Adolescent Social Piece of work Journal.

Researchers analyzed 155 feature-length animated Disney films released between 1937 and 2020 and institute the majority do not focus on the entire family unit – 63% did not mention the principal graphic symbol's biological parents in the story, peradventure leaving some children to wonder why their parents are not there to aid. Parents have become notably more than visible in Disney films over the final decade, according to the report.

About three-quarters (73%) of the films shared the message nearly loving yourself and others, and 27% focused on morality and social values.

"Based on examples generated from these movies, parents could hear potential questions kids may ask if they are distressed about a situation faced by child characters," said Monit Cheung, Mary R. Lewis Endowed Professor in Children and Youth and the report's lead writer. "Disney films tin can also teach children about unfair situations in society and acceptance of racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and other differences."

The study fifty-fifty provides a table of the Disney films and their themes to help parents decide which movie is well-nigh relevant based on the developmental age of their child or what bug their children are facing.

Cheung was joined on the study by co-authors Yu-Ju Huang, UH doctoral student, and Ballad A. Leung, assistant professor in the Section of Social Work at Azusa Pacific University.

"When nosotros retrieve almost social piece of work implications, Disney doesn't really discuss in-depth about a family member dying such as a parent or a sibling. That leaves room for parents to discuss this with their kid," said Leung, who used the scene between Scar and Mufasa in "The Lion King" as an case to discuss the meanings of conflict, death and grief. "Nosotros can also bring these characters as conversation starters into the therapy session to have children empathise these concepts. It'southward also a fashion for the children to connect and build rapport with the social worker."

The researchers indicate out how Disney movies today illustrate families equally more diverse, potentially leading to a better understanding and respect for cultural differences.  The concept of honey in Disney movies has also evolved.

"Early Disney films focused on love within romantic relationships, just recent movies like 'Frozen' focus on the power of love between families and siblings," Huang explained.  "It'due south a significant change in how dearest can be very various and how people apply honey to their social relationships, non only family or parents or siblings but likewise to their relationships with friends and people in their life. Disney films could be used every bit materials to open parent-kid conversations to nourish children's minds and broaden their horizons of life."