When the kids were young, I was able to restrict their amount of TV time. However with Kate, she gets exposed to a lot more TV because the other kids are watching it. So much so that now she knows how to take the remote control, turn on the TV, sit herself smugly on the sofa and declare “Watch TV” with a smile and a nod.
Since I have decided to choose my battles (I’m getting battle-scarred with all the battles I have to fight with the tweens and teens), I was going to buy some good DVDs to at least make her screen time more educational. It couldn’t have been a better time for The Groovy Giraffe to send over a series of ‘Sing to Learn English’ DVDs for Kate to enjoy. They gave me an option, and without second thought, I chose the one with music.
I firmly believe that music should have a place in every child’s development, and importantly so. A bevy of research indicates an infinite number of benefits when teaching children through music – the development of right brain activity is just one of the many. Children are also able to catch on to tunes faster than the droning monotony of drills and rote learning. And if you know me by now, why choose boring over fun, right?
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| R’s first time watching the DVD |
Kate has been watching the DVD for a few weeks now, and can follow most of the actions. The difference between this DVD and many others is that it aims to help young children recognise words through the songs quite effortlessly. How is that achieved? Structure and repetition. We know how toddlers need structure and thrive in such an environment and ‘Sing to Learn English’ lends itself to this learning strategy.
Each song begins with the introduction of key words which will appear later in the song again. These words are paired with live illustrations so that your child can connect the two. Apart from the fact that the words are displayed so that the child learns word recognition, I really liked that the pictures were set in a local, Singapore context, using real-life images of children, animals and objects. This makes it easy for our kids to relate to their personal experiences and the environment around them. For reinforcement, the same image and highlighted words reappear during the song.
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The tunes are really simple and there are a total of 14 songs in Version 1. It consists of common ones like “Ten green bottles”, “Old Macdonald”, “Five little ducks” and “Here we go round the mulberry bush” so even if you are not musically inclined, you should be able to keep up with them pretty easily.
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So far, Kate can repeat all the single words, and she is gradually picking up the words of the songs. This DVD will enable your child to recognise more than 400 words! I also like that the songs encourage physical activity, and instead of merely being a couch potato, she will jump off the chair and start imitating the actions.
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| “Tommy Thumb” |
You can purchase the DVDs separately at $19.90 each, or get the bundle set of all 3 DVDs at a better deal of $38.90. Volume 2 has a total of 15 songs which includes “London bridge is falling down”, “If you are happy and you know it”, “Where is thumbkin” and “Incy wincy spider”. Volume 3 has a total of 22 songs, such as “Hickory dickory dock”, “Mary had a little lamb”, “Sing a song of sixpence” and “This old man”.
Sane tip: Some days we just need a break to regain our sanity or time to get dinner prepared and yes, the TV is a reliable babysitter. So why not put on some fun music where your child can jiggle along and effortlessly learn to read? If you are so inclined to take it one step further, you can use the images from the DVD as a stimulus for discussion when on family outings. Thankfully we had this in our car, and it was a life-saver when we were stuck in a jam on the causeway back from Hello Kitty Town in Johor.
Save tip: For the whole month of August 2014, The Groovy Giraffe is kindly offering my dear readers a 20% discount off all Wink to Learn DVDs. Just key in “mummywee” when you check out. The Groovy Giraffe also sells children’s storybooks and assessment books at unbelievably low prices. Delivery is free for orders above $60 so why not add in some great books like Roald Dahl’s collection, some Eric Carle, or Dr Seuss Classic collection while they are in stock now. To get 5% off all books (except bargains), use the code “MWEEGG” at checkout.* If you need more ideas, here’s what I bought from The Groovy Giraffe.
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| Bundle set {GIVEAWAY} |
{GIVEAWAY} I’m also pleased to be giving away one bundle set of this 3-in-1 Sing to Learn English DVD (worth $38.90).
- 1 winner will be chosen at random
- Open to Singapore residents only
- Ends 7 August 2014
- Winners will be announced on mummyweeblog Facebook page on 11 August 2014
- Winners to self-collect at The Groovy Giraffe (Everton Park) or pay $5 for shipping, and there will be no exchange of products or conversion to store credits.
- Winners will be contacted by The Groovy Giraffe.
I sent my girl to piano class