As a mom to a toddler and without any helper, I understand how different programs on the internet have become our “go-to” babysitter especially when doing something important. Yes, there are pros and cons when watching programs on TV, but it is also important that to know how to filter programs that are suited for our child’s needs and development.
As an educator, I always make sure that my little one uses gadgets for a limited time, only watches teacher-approved shows that would benefit her! I also make sure that my husband and I supplement the programs she watches with actual conversations, as this also helps her absorb the things she sees!
I personally recommend watching programs like Ms. Rachel’s Songs For Littles! (I’m sure millennial moms would know this!) as it has contributed a lot to my little girl’s development. Let me share with you the benefits my child reaped as she grew up with her Teacher Rachel!
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Behind Ms. Rachel’s shining moment on Youtube, she is also a mom who wanted to help her son with speech delay. Through her show, she also aimed to help moms and babies around the world learn how to talk and communicate. Ms. Rachel uses the Parentese technique which is also used by some speech pathologists. This technique focuses on a type of singing method while using a higher pitch and tone of voice and elongating vowel sounds of a word. This is a great way to encourage little ones to converse and try to mimic words!
Kids don’t have to have speech delays to be able to learn from Ms. Rachel. My daughter, for example, has significant improvements in the following:
I have personally seen this from my little girl as I recall her saying “Nana/Nanay” at 8 months when I sang Ms. Rachel’s song, “Can you say Mama…” but replaced it with how my daughter calls me – Nanay. After some practice, she finally said it and completed the song “Can you say Nanay…”
It still surprises me that every time I intro or review a song from Ms. Rachel’s videos, my daughter would usually sing the last word of the rhyme/song! Even when going through some math/linguistic/scientific concepts at home, at almost two years old, she would still recall the tune and would sing her heart out in the middle of the living room!
One thing I also like with Ms. Rachel’s videos is that it teaches simple sign languages that has helped my daughter communicate better. She learned the sign for more (when asking for more food/milk), thank you (and even initiates saying thank you more often when someone gives her something), milk (when she wants to latch and be breastfed), and the list goes on!
One distinct episode that my husband and I will never forget is when she learned how to do the sign language for please. At that time, my husband and I didn’t know what the sign language was for please, but when our daughter asked for more water, we asked her to say please, and voila! Right before our eyes, she was rubbing her chest while saying please. I immediately typed in the sign language for please and lo and behold, my daughter was doing it correctly.
I don’t know about you, but Ms. Rachel has been doing wonders for my little girl!
Once my daughter hears the intro to Ms. Rachel’s videos or even how she says “Hi, Hello,” she would immediately drop everything and shift her focus on the screen. Ms. Rachel’s videos are also a great way to introduce Circle Time songs! She sings and dances to our usual songs in preschool which helps my daughter familiarize herself with the actions and tunes!
I’m sure most parents know “Hop Little Bunnies,” “Icky Sticky Bubblegum,” and “Bubble Pop” as these have become our national anthem when riding the car. The songs are a great way to bond with our daughter as she enjoys singing and dancing to the songs that she sees on Ms. Rachel’s videos.
Ms. Rachel also has a way of introducing new objects to little ones. With the help of the Parentese technique, she leads little ones to be familiar with the object she is holding. This is what I also noticed with my toddler! Through Ms. Rachel’s videos, she is able to articulate and communicate better as she is more familiar with the things around her. This also spiked her interest and curiosity! I noticed that whenever there is a new and unfamiliar object in front of her, she would point at it or hold it and would get my attention for me to tell her what it is.
I also mimic how Ms. Rachel does it in her videos so there is an integration between what she watches and what is done in actual. I do this method so that there is an alignment between what she sees and hears when watching Ms. Rachel and what I teach her.
Ms. Rachel also teaches our little ones how their emotions should be valued and how they should be seen and heard even at the early stages of life. I like Ms. Rachel’s give and take approach when teaching a concept on video. She would usually teach something, then pause and give way to the viewer to respond. This helped my daughter learned the approach of waiting and taking turns at an early stage. I appreciate that there is an opportunity for my daughter to respond, to dance and sing with her, as this allows her to feel heard and appreciated even through watching a video.
Ms. Rachel’s videos are a God sent to moms who are juggling both personal and work life, moms who are working, moms to kids with special needs, moms to multiple kids, or moms who plainly want a little bit of Me Time. Yes, it’s still a long way to go, but here I learned that it’s never too early to teach life skills, communication, and even enjoy learning concepts through songs and dances.
What’s your Ms. Rachel story?