Review: Baby IQ DVDs

The Counting DVD presents a series of images and scenes to teach numbers 1 through 10 set to classical music. The idea is that parents will watch along with their kids and narrate for them. There is no wrong way to narrate these videos. For example, 10 bowling pins may appear on screen to demonstrate the number 10. You might say "10", or "bowling pins", or "round", etc. By repeating the sequence of numbers several times in different way, you can reinforce the lessons learned. And toddlers will get a kick out of anticipating what comes next.

Counting starts by going through the numbers 1 through 10 very quickly. Then going back to one, it spends an extended time on each number. It might show three spinning dice (all landing on three of course), followed by three woodpeckers, followed by the number three being painted.

The Colors DVD is similar to numbers. Different colors, including black and white, are presented in a variety of different ways. Again, it is accompanied by classical music, including Holst - the Planets, Dvorak - Symphony No. 8, and Beethoven - Symphonies Nos 8 and 2. The Colors DVD is approximately 35 minutes in length.

Baby's First Word is an interesting DVD. It doesn't really cover anything specific, just different things that a baby might interact with: balls, toy cars, glass of orange juice, a slinky, etc. The idea is to provide a bunch of different things to talk about, and provide the opportunity for your baby to learn the words for a wide variety of objects. This helps babies make sense of their world and gives them the tools to communicate themselves!

The World Around Us is sort of an a summary of the previous DVDs. It covers a wide variety of topics, including colors, animals, counting, movement, seasons, and shapes. If you're only going to get one DVD, this might be a good one to start with, as it covers a wide variety of different topics.

I have to say, I'm very impressed with all of these DVDs. Sometimes I myself have a hard time finding things to talk about with Anderson. One-sided conversations tend to be pretty boring, especially since I'm a quiet person to begin with. However, these DVDs give you plenty to talk about, and will continue to do so even as your baby gets older.

The music on all the DVDs is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The DVDs are made in association with the UK's National Literacy Trust and the National Literacy Trust's Talk to Your Baby campaign.

May 28, 2007

Review: Baby IQ DVDs