Frequently Asked Questions.
At
what age can I start showing my baby the Vocabulary Builder™
videos?
How
will I know when my child has “Graduated” from
a Vocabulary Builder™ video?
Why
are the age ranges the same for all the Vocabulary Builder™
videos?
I
have been playing Volume 1 for my child for 2 months, when
can I introduce new videos?
My
child is speaking in sentences, is the Vocabulary Builder™
video series appropriate?
How
often should I play the Vocabulary Builder videos for my child?
How can I reinforce the material contained in
the videos?
My child just loves Vocabulary Builder™
Volume 1, how often should I play it?
Q.
At what age can I start showing my baby the Vocabulary Builder™
videos?
A.
The Vocabulary Builder™ videos can be started as early
as 4 months of age. It is during this time period that infants
rapidly begin to develop receptive vocabulary. (Receptive
vocabulary is the understanding that certain words correspond
to certain objects.) Many parents successfully introduce our
videos much later, but early use will maximize the language
benefits your child experiences.
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Q.
How will I know when my child has “Graduated”
from a Vocabulary Builder™ video?
A.
Do not wait for speech to assume your child is familiar with
the vocabulary contained on a video. At early ages comprehension
is a better indicator than speech. If your child looks at,
points to, or in any way indicates that he understands what
object a word corresponds to, you can assume that the word's
meaning has been learned – at this point you will want
to consider introducing a new Vocabulary Builder™ or
Action Words!™ Video.
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Q.
Why are the age ranges the same for all the Vocabulary Builder™
videos?
A.
The words on the videos are arranged in an order that reflects
the order that children typically learn the words in. For
example, "Cat" is one of the animal words featured
on Volume 1, while Volume 5 features the word "Hippo".
"Hippo" is not inherently a harder word to learn
than "Cat", however most children learn "Cat"
first. This principle underlies the selection of the words
for each video. Also remember, as with all developmental tasks,
language acquisition varies greatly from child to child!
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Q.
I have been playing Volume 1 for my child for 2 months, when
can I introduce new videos?
A.
This depends on the age of your child and on his or her individual
rate of language acquisition. Look for clues that your child
has learned the meaning of the words contained on a video.
Does he or she look at the dog when you say the word dog?
If so, you can safely assume the word meaning has been learned.
When a child indicates familiarity with most of the words
on a video you can safely introduce the next volume. Actually,
we've found that parents often underestimate the number of
words their infants understand!
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Q.
My child is speaking in sentences, is the Vocabulary Builder™
video series appropriate?
A.
NO! Once a child has progressed to speaking in sentences they
are past a stage where they will experience any educational
benefits. Move on to other more challenging material.
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Q.
How often should I play the Vocabulary Builder videos for
my child?
A.
Once a day four or five times a week is usually sufficient
to stimulate language acquisition. We believe it's very important
to limit the overall TV viewing time of young children. You
can read more about our views on this subject by clicking
here: TV
and Your Child
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Q.
How can I reinforce the material contained in the videos?
A.
Everyday you will find opportunities to reinforce the vocabulary
contained in the videos. How you interact and communicate
with your child will have a huge impact on language development.
Following are some suggestions:
- Point
out & identify new objects for your child everyday.
Don't pass up learning opportunities.
- Speak
to your child at a level slightly above what you think he
or she understands. (We're not suggesting that you discuss
nuclear physics, but babies are often capable of understanding
more than parents think!)
- View
the videos with your child and comment on the activity.
Expand on the information provided in the videos.
- Encourage
your baby to make sounds and say words by listening and
reinforcing early efforts at speech.
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Q.
My child just loves Vocabulary Builder™ Volume 1, how
often should I play it?
A.
Aim for no more than once a day. Once your child has learned
the words on the video, move on to the next volume. Babies
love familiarity and will watch a favorite video for months
on end. The problem is that once the words are learned the
video is only providing entertainment, not educational value.
Soon your child will come to appreciate the next volume in
the series.
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