Being a stay at home mom, I try to keep some kind of structure and routine to our day. Mainly for my own sanity, but also because I feel like my toddler needs it. Our mornings normally start with breakfast and worship music followed by school. Which brings me to the real heart of this post. While we still use flash cards and one-on-one learning, I found that YouTube is seriously a diamond in the rough for learning.
One evening, we just decided to search “ABC’s for toddlers” and the first song we clicked on became a huge hit. It was on repeat for days. It actually reminded me of that one time when I was a kid and was obsessed with this one particular song Beep Beep by The Playmates on side A of my cassette; side B was 6 Michael Jackson songs which was a little variety for my poor parents. It was played on repeat for hours upon hours, and I distinctly remember waking up one morning asking for Beep Beep and my parents sat me down and broke the news that they couldn’t find the cassette. Fast forward 8 years and I found the cassette ever so cleverly hidden in an important drawer that my parents had … looks like the jokes on me now though because I can’t get rid of Mav’s favorite ABC songs or I’d have to throw out our TV. It’s funny how things come full circle.
But as annoying as the songs may be for me, he’s learning so much from them. We have some major fan favorites in our house and I’ll list them for you, but be forewarned … they’ll be stuck in your head for weeks.
ABC’s and Phonics – by Have Fun Teaching
This was our very first choice, and it’s so catchy even Michael and I sang along to it (for the first 3 days at least).
ABC’s, Number’s and Color’s – by EduBuzzKids
He loved this one for awhile because of the balls and the clapping that happens during the video. He would get so excited when a new letter would open from the eggs!
ABC’s and Nursery Rhymes – by Dave and Ava
Dave and Ava is still one of his favorites. He will wake up in the morning saying “Mama, play Ava please” well its more like “mama, pway Ava pwease” which is even more adorable.
ABC’S, Phonics and Nursery Rhymes – by Busy Beavers
This is a new favorite that we just stumbled upon, one of their renditions of the ABC song may be MY new favorite.
I know there is a lot out there about too much TV exposure for little ones, and while we limit it at home, I’m incredibly grateful to the channels I listed above in helping Mav learn so much. I’m actually surprised everyday at how his vocabulary is expanding so quickly. Even if we aren’t watching the ABC’s, he is always singing them or pointing out letters wherever we are. So if you’re trying to teach your kiddos their letters, numbers or phonics and flashcards just aren’t doing the trick, give these videos a try. There’s nothing to lose … well except maybe your sanity.
