Who Knew a Bus Could Teach Manners

Do you want your child to learn about taking turns, listening to dear old Mom and being nice to others? Is it not exactly sinking with your child no matter what you do? Then you might want to check out this clever DVD, ‘The Wheels on the Bus: Mango’s Big Dog Parade’. This 33-minute DVD ($14.99) with characters Coco, Mango, Papaya and Argon (a dragon voiced by the Who’s Roger Daltry) is packed full of fun music, dancing, computer and live-action animation that your 2-4 year old will just love. Really. I mean it. My daughter and I were so done with the kid-oriented DVD’s we have had sent to us lately that the idea of popping another one into the DVD player was almost too much to bear. I decided to give Mango and friends a whirl though and I am glad I did.

What I loved about this video is that it teaches great socialization skills to toddlers in a simple way that they can understand and remember. Through learning from others on the bus and at each bus stop my daughter learned about taking turns, being on time and the value of listening to her parents. She loves the “Wheels on the Bus” song whenever we sit it in the car so she perked right up when the kids and puppets began to sing it during the DVD. My daughter was too busy having fun dancing to the music and had no idea she was absorbing cooperation skills and lessons in good manners. She loved the Jungle Bug Adventure with all the crazy insects too. She tuned in to the parents who ride along with their children on the bus and not only wanted me to join her in viewing the DVD but she seemed to have a better connection with this DVD because of the parental presence on the bus.

There are original songs, by Laura Hall, and a variety of variations on the classic kid song “The Wheels on the Bus” on this DVD. There is also a helpful parent’s guide, a behind the scenes section, lyric sheet and a movie short of “Behave Bernard.” There is even the option to play the movie repeatedly just in case you are having one of those days. This DVD is not only entertaining but it is educational too. I have been working on sharing and taking turns on play dates with my daughter but it was not sinking in. After watching the Mango and friends a few times, she actually seems to understand what I mean and is more cooperative at clean up time, with sharing and letting others have a turn. I am impressed! This award-winning video will be playing in our house for quite some time.

To order a copy of ‘Mango’s Big Dog Parade’ and other Animal Adventure products please visit the website here.