Everyone knows that kids like to watch TV. I think that parents can use this to their advantage to encourage learning. Plunk your daughter in front of Sponge Bob Square Pants while you cook dinner, and she might start spouting something obnoxious at your next meal. Sit your four-year-old in front of some Leap Frog or Preschool Prep videos, and she might learn to read. I’ve seen it really happen.
Do you want to see if this would work with your own kids? All you need is a library card. Check out the following videos from Sno-Isle Library one at a time. Let your preschooler watch each video for three weeks. Then move on to the next title.
• Leap Frog Letter Factory Call Number: J DVD-ED 372.465 LET353
• Leap Frog Phonics Farm Call Number: J DVD SCO1538
• Leap Frog Talking Words Factory Call Number: J DVD-ED 372.465 TAL355
• Preschool Prep Meet the Letters Call Number: J DVD MEE845
• Preschool Prep Meet the Phonics. Letter Sounds Call Number: J DVD-ED 372.465 MEE49
• Leap Frog Talking Code Word Caper Call Number: J DVD-ED 372.465 TAL585
The things that make these videos better than Sesame Street is that instead of spending a whole hour and only teaching kids one letter, these videos teach the whole alphabet and concrete phonics skills in the same amount of time. Give it a try with your own two, three, or four-year-old, and tell me what you think.
(This post was adapted from Teaching My Baby to Read with Sno-Isle Library users in mind.)
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