09.19.07

In my six years of being a mom with three kids (soon to be four),
I have found difficulty entertaining three completely different age groups. My 6 year old is certainly not interested in playing with the same toys as my 22 month old. My 4 year old won't read the same books as my 6 year old and so on. TV is another tough one, all three kids have different tastes and arguments occur, which is why we don't watch a whole lot. When we choose programs as a family we only watch for a limited time.

Not long ago we chose to watch Phonics 4 Babies: Baby's First Words DVD. I couldn't believe how much all three children enjoyed this DVD. I actually enjoyed it myself. The setting of the DVD is cartoonish and the actors are real puppets and the star Mallory Lewis is really entertaining…even for the adults in the room. The video is divided into segments where they go over letters, how they sound and then objects that begin with that letter. There's a lot of singing and good old fashioned fun. At one point the puppets are up jumping around and singing. All three of my kids got off of the couch and started to jump and sing; I am not kidding!  To find a DVD that makes three different age groups sing, and get some exercise is really amazing.

My favorite feature of Phonics 4 Babies: Baby's First Words DVD is that manners are emphasized. When Giggles the adorable puppet caterpillar has bad behavior, Mallory corrects him and lets him know that he isn't a bad child, just had some bad behavior. This is rare in children's DVDs. I hear so many parents these days telling their children that they are a "bad boy" or a "good girl" when realistically all children are good, they just have bad behavior sometimes. It was refreshing to see this reiterated in a children's DVD.

This is by far my favorite DVD, my children request that we watch it on a daily basis which is really remarkable for my home. I can't recommend this fun, colorful, DVD enough!

This video feature Mallory Lewis (daughter of beloved children's entertainer, Shari Lewis) and the Tummy Tots as they invite you into their magical world. Release date is September 25th, but you can preorder your copy here...