When you and your child watch the My Talking Toddler DVD series together, it won't just be your baby that is doing the learning! As a parent, you will be gaining an enormous amount of knowledge and insight as to how your baby learns! These amazing lessons will give you many tools you can use no matter where you are, and no matter what you are doing with your child!
Play
It is through the magical world of playing that babies and children learn. Feel free to take the lessons from the DVD into your everyday life. It is never recommended that children under the age of two have more than 30-40 minutes of screen time per day, but there is no reason to halt the learning possibilities when you switch the TV off. Word repetition can easily be used during playtime, just as easily as sign language can. One of the most fun things about being a parent, are all the opportunities for spontaneous fun that happen. Create little games based on each lesson. Use animal toys to act out little bits from the "Animals" DVD, make motions for the words from "Verbs," talk about body parts, and reference your own as you mention them: "Here are my hands! Here are your hands!"
Play Dates
During social times, having play-dates with friends, and using the My Talking Toddler DVDs is a great way to incorporate more variety into the communication practice. For parents, it allows for a social opportunity to share with other parents, and for babies, whether or not they are at social stages yet, it allows them to interact with other babies in a fun, intelligent way. Learning with friends is always fun, and this can open new possibilities for using communication to further social development!
In the Car
Car rides can present many challenges for parents. Some babies do not enjoy being restrained, unable to move freely, and can become quite upset while traveling in the car, even for short rides. Other babies grow bored quickly, and some do not like the separation of physical contact from their parents. Nonetheless, parents are always seeking new options for keeping their babies happy in the car. You can practice verbalizing with your child as you drive, even if you are not be able to maintain eye-to-eye contact. The lessons you learn with "P. B. and M." can absolutely be brought into the car, by focusing on practicing words that begin with those sounds. The same thing goes for all of the other DVDs. "Vocabulary," "Verbs," "Animals," and "Body Parts" can be discussed at anytime, anywhere! You can make your baby or child aware of the things around them, talk about how much fun driving is, how the sky looks, how things look as you pass them by quickly. Prompt conversation by asking questions: "Do you see the trees? Do you see the cars around us? Do you see that big, green truck?" The music CDs are also fantastic for car rides. They offer the beautiful, familiar songs that instantly calm and soothe, both babies and parents!
Quiet Time
Pogo's Music For Me CD can be played at anytime during your daily activities. It can be used throughout your day as a background soundtrack to all your learning adventures, and it can be used as a calming reminder during down times. This CD is the perfect collection of soft tunes for playing during nap time to keep both you and your baby relaxed!
