A Comparative Review
of Three Early Learning Products
By: Kylie Foxley
The
whole idea behind early childhood education is the fact that
babies and young children are capable of and actually like
learning. Their brains are more susceptible towards absorbing
information and therefore, all babies are potential 'baby
geniuses'. As more people realize this, various early learning
theories, methods and products have emerged. Today let's look at
three of these products - Little Reader, Your Baby Can Read, and
Glenn Doman Flash Cards.
Little Reader
BrillKids Little
Reader is a computer learning software for children (aged from 4
months to 5 years old) to help them begin reading in a fun and
joyous manner. It incorporates several theories in the early
learning field, one of which is the flash card method which
originally involved physical cards. Slideshows of words, pictures,
videos, and audio can be tailored to the user's needs and played
back either at random, or in a chosen order. Little Reader is also
integrated with the BrillKids forum, allowing users to download
additional content to plug into their software for free.
Pros
With Little Reader's simple, powerful interface, you can easily
customize and play back your content as you see fit, and forum
users are always contributing to the available downloadable
content. LR also makes it easy for you to organize your library
into folders, categories and playlists, meaning your content stays
tidy.
Cons
As with all software, LR takes time to learn
in order to maximize its potential; for parents who do not have
much time, they may prefer to simply pop in a DVD for their child.
LR also does not offer the tactile learning that flash cards can
offer - babies can touch and play with flash cards, which can aid
their right-brain learning.
Your Baby Can Read
Like Little Reader, the
Your Baby Can Read DVD series
is also an adaptation of the traditional flash card method, with
added visuals and sounds to employ a multisensory approach to help
teach babies and children to read. Each program lasts for half an
hour, with each volume shown for one or two months ("retired" DVDs
are shown intermittently). Designed to be played along with an
accompanying book, parents are encouraged to say the word shown
on-screen while running their finger along the corresponding word
on the page, as well as singing and performing the actions.
Pros
The YBCR series allows for a simpler, more comfortable
way to teach your little one - simply begin playing the DVD and
sit down with your child in the living room. The DVDs contain
videos, animations, music, sound effects and activities, providing
lots of multisensory stimuli for your child.
Cons
Being
pre-made, YBCR lacks the ability to customize content, and buying
every DVD in the series for additional content can be very
expensive. Compared to Little Reader where you can download
additional content for free or Doman flash cards where you can
make your own, YBCR looks to be a more expensive option for early
education.
Glenn Doman Flash Cards
The most traditional
of the three products in this review, Glenn Doman flash cards are
large, durable white cards with either red or black words covering
most of the card. The cards are shown in sets of five, three times
a day, retiring cards at regular intervals and substituting with
new cards. Based heavily on the concepts of right-brain learning,
Doman recommends flashing the cards rapidly (less than a second
each), so that the information is more easily apprehended by
children and babies (who are right-brain dominant up until the age
of three and a half).
Pros
Flash cards are very large
and printed very clearly, making it very easy for babies to read
the words. Also, unlike TV screen and monitor displays, flash
cards are physical products that offer a tangible element to
multisensory learning.
Cons
Buying commercial flash
cards can be very expensive for parents who want a lot of content.
As your flash card library grows, it will also take up a lot of
space and become hard to organize. For parents living in certain
areas, it can also be quite hard to find Doman flash cards,
meaning they have to resort to making their own, which can be very
time-consuming - time they could be spending with their little
one.
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