What do you think of Baby Einstein videos and other Baby Smart DVDS??
By ricknkae
@ricknkae (1721)
United States
January 12, 2009 11:08am CST
I was looking for educative videos that could help teach French to my son (2 years old)
I am French myself but living in the United States and his father being American, I am actually the only contact he has with French
I found those Bee Smart Baby videos (rented) and while it did seem to be liked by my son what I really didn't like wAS the fact that the voice saying the French words was NOT a French native, so she has an accent .. I do think it's a pity and they could have hired anative for that
I am still looking for other types of videos where they would actually be a French person pronouncing the words
Any suggestion appreciated ...
Now I know that there is a debate about those videos and while I am fully aware of it , my son isn ot 3 months old anymore and he is not glued to TV all day long
SO what do you think of those videos ? Have you personnally tried them ?
Are you trying to raise a bilingual child??
1 person likes this
8 responses
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
12 Jan 09
I used the Baby Einstein videos with my twins. They really liked them. I didn't play the bilingual ones for them. We're an English speaking only family, so I did not see the sense in trying to teach the children a different language when they couldn't even speak English yet.
But I really liked those videos. Whenever I put them on I'd have half an hour to get some cleaning done around the house or to sit and relax for a few minutes.
I liked them so much I got one as a gift for a baby shower I went to when the twins were about a year old.
Now I haven't used them for my younger 2, but I do think it was a help to the twins. They're smart as a whip now at 6 years old.
1 person likes this
@cynddvs (2948)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I haven't used them to teach a second language. I have used them as a general
education tool. I know there is a debate about them. But I don't see anything wrong
with them as long as parents aren't just sitting their kids in front of the tv
expecting them to learn. They are only useful if they parents interact with their
children while watching the dvds together. I know one of my friends little ones
learned sign language using these dvds. So I would say it's entirely possible to use
these sort of dvds to help learn a foriegn language. Good luck in finding one that
suits you.
1 person likes this
@ricknkae (1721)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Thank you
However, I 'm not really using them to learn a "second" language since I am French and I am teachign him French as a native language.. but since we live in the United States and my husband, him, speaks English only ... I wanted to find a little something to reinforce my teaching ... you know ..not being the only "thing" related to french for him .. so I figured one of those educational DVDs would be better than a simple Disney movie in the French version.. you know ..if he's going to wach TV at all why not it be something educational rather than just a movie or a cartoon
Right now I'm trying baby Einstein Wordsworth and it seems pretty good, at least in this one the Frecn speaker IS French (vs Baby bumblebee) ...
@unusualsuspect (2602)
• United States
12 Jan 09
Young children learn languages very easily if they are part of the natural environment. If you want your child to learn French, then speak to him in French, along with English. No, he won't get confused. The best language speakers are those who grow up in bi-lingual or multi-lingual homes. You can spend the money on those DVDs if you want, but they can't do as good a job as you can. Research studies have also shown that when videos are substituted for interaction between the child and the parents, they actually interfere with normal development.
1 person likes this
@ricknkae (1721)
• United States
12 Jan 09
oh yes I speak French to him all the time, and he hears me speak English when I speak with his father and his father speaks English to him
But I cannot be with him 24/7 sometimes I need a break ..or a shower! lol
So I do not think 30 minutes a day will have a bad impact on his development and it helps me keep my sanity ;-)
I also made sure that I watched the video with him the first few times and interact with him about it ...
SO what do you do when you need to get something done around the house or simply need a break ?
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
12 Jan 09
i think they are good but not perfect. also, experts studies show that children under the age of 2 should not watch ANY television as they should be learning more about their surroundings.
my youngest daughter is learning to be bilingual as here in ontario (canada) we have two official languages (english and french). starting in grade 4, every child in ontario must start learning french and can keep up with it through highschool if they wish (my teen doesnt take it as she had a horrible teacher and now hates it). we also have french immersion schools here too.
1 person likes this
@ricknkae (1721)
• United States
14 Jan 09
Yes i agree .. nothing is perfect anyway and I dont mean that they should replace one on one interaction but we cannot do that 24/7
If you want anicew webiste for kids to help learn French ( actually they have tons of languages) try UptoTen.com .. it is nicely done and there are many activities available for free
@psspurgeon1 (1109)
• United States
12 Jan 09
www.early-advantage.com Try this website it is called muzzy. It teaches babies and children just about any language you could want. I love baby einstein but there is not one out there that is dedicated to one certain language other than english. There is also rosetta stone but I'm thinking that that is for adults or older ppl. The baby smart DVD's are pretty good but I would look into the muzzy. You could also make up some flash cards with pictures and french words or just start pointing to his favorite things and telling him the french word. Babies are extremely receptive to other language and sign language so any method you choose is likely to be highly effective!
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@dhurianne (205)
• Philippines
12 Jan 09
I tried Baby Einstein videos to my babies but the English one, they like watching it. I introduced it from 4 months till now, but prior to that just musical CDs and nursery rhymes. My son loves music and dance as well, he is now 1 yr and 4 months. I still continue let him watch those Baby Einstein videos and some other educational Videos such as the Alphabet, numbers, shapes and etc. So far, I observed that my son is an advanced learner and as well as my 4 months old daughter.
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@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
13 Jan 09
Your problem is not a problem at all. It can be very simply solved by you. Begin immediately to immerse your child in French. Do not speak English to him. The first 10 days will be difficult, but you will be pleased and amazed at the speed he assimilates the French Language, and he will not have an accent. He will speak it like a native.
@prinzess1515 (1341)
• United States
13 Jan 09
Why don't you speak French to your son? That is how they learn another language really, not by watching videos. If no one speaks it to them then they can never practice it. My son is two and talking is still a new thing for him. He is a late talker but he speaks both English and Spanish.
@ricknkae (1721)
• United States
15 Jan 09
yes actually he can understand me very well and my husband too .. so he understands both languages ... it's just words
At his 2 years check up the pediatrician was impliying that he should already combine 2 words ( drink milk), when he was barely saying 10 single words
Now he's increased his vocabulary a lot but he still using 1 word's
However I am not worried I just want to help him as much as I can :)
@prinzess1515 (1341)
• United States
14 Jan 09
Oh, my doctor said kids who are in bilingual homes tend to talk 6 months later than most other kids. When he starts to talk, he will move at a much faster pace. Check and see how much he really understands. As long as he is understanding you, (which can be a little hard to check because two year old's never want to do what they are told),he is fine. Just give it a little time. Boys talk later than girls too.
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