The basis of emotional and social well-being is the ability to communicate. The “Talk to Your Baby” campaign created by the National Literacy Trust in England believes in this strongly. Brainy Baby’s new Baby IQ DVD series supports it. They have created a set of DVD’s “Colors”, “Counting”, and “Baby’s First Word.” Our house reviewed them recently and this is what we found.
Colors- I popped this 35-minute DVD in first since my daughter is easily transfixed by bright objects. I immediately realized that what is different about this series is not just the beautifully done classical scoring, but that there is absolutely no narration. You, the parent, actually has to sit and watch the program too. It’s up to you to tell your child what is happening on the screen. The color explosions that are displayed begin with black and go through the rainbow. My daughter frequently looked to me to describe what she was seeing. “Dat?” was asked repeatedly. Toys, food, and familiar objects dance into view. The visuals are striking. The fact that these DVD’s are filmed in High Definition certainly makes them worth watching. Since reviewing “Colors” a few times I’ve noticed that my daughter is picking up on what exactly is blue or red. Ask her for the pink pig and she’ll pick it up.
Counting- This was a harder sell in our house. While this is still a wonderfully scored DVD with an array of bold and brilliant images, my child quickly lost interest. I think it’s her age. She is only a year old. A child a bit older might have more fun seeing and recognizing numbers as they are placed with the correct number of fun and familiar objects. Counting starts with the numbers 1-10 and then goes in reverse. What I liked about it as a parent is that it’s slow moving giving the child time to contemplate what is before them. I think we’ll use this DVD later and she’ll catch on quickly. I particularly appreciated the helpful hints on the inside flap of the DVD box. It provides ideas, tips and games for teaching your child further.
Baby’s First Words- Here is where you really get to experience the interaction that this DVD series is all about. My child danced to the classical music and almost every image kept her attention. The musical score here is relaxing yet energizing. As I described the objects such as fruit, animals, shapes and toys she laughed and seemed to want to learn more. She tried to smell the flowers that she saw on the screen and yelled out, “Duck, Duck!” when one swam into view. I can easily see how this type of DVD teaches and encourages a child’s language skills to develop by keeping them continuously interested and involved in what is playing before them.
Brainy Baby has done it again with another set of beautifully rendered educational baby DVD’s. Each 35-minute DVD creates a nice conversational flow for parents and children. This is not a DVD you can just plop your child in front of and hope that they are absorbing something. Geared for ages six months to three years and retailing for $17.95 each the Brainy Baby Baby IQ will help your child to “open their eyes to the world around them.”
To purchase any of the Brainy Baby products click here.
