So Smart - First Words

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Starring: Artist Not Provided
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Studio: So Smart Productions
Release Date: 2002-03-02
Number of Items: 2
A delightful addition to the bounty of programs designed to stimulate a baby's brain development, First Words is an animated "board book" that introduces toddlers to familiar words by way of simple, recognizable images. The show differs from other So Smart! programs in that the customary classical music soundtrack is replaced with equally lovely original piano, guitar, and flute compositions. The video's emphasis is not the music but the narrative: "A bug fell on the ground moving her legs busily. Go bug go," and "My daddy sits in a low chair; I sit in a high chair." As each word is introduced (moon, shoe, hat, car, and so forth) a descriptive sentence and visual feast bring the word to life. The 30-minute program, best viewed in short increments, is ideally suited to toddlers who relish stories before sleep. It's serene and gently paced; even the colors are muted for a soothing story-time experience. Ages 1 to 3. --Lynn Gibson

my 14+ mo. old learned 3 words the first time!
If you weren't thrilled with the "First Words Video" part of the DVD, try watching the "Pop the Box" game that's on the DVD. My 14+ mo. old responded to that much moreso. She was so absorbed, she watched it standing up without help for a full min. - a first for her - and said 3 new words, choo (train), birdie, and tree in our first session with the tape! Now I'm anxious to try the other games with her! I wasn't impressed with the "First Words Video" part of the DVD at first, but if you watch it with the baby to ADD YOUR COMMENTS AND ENTHUSIASM (their comments are lousy; the pictures are very, very simple which I like because she can focus on learning one word at a time, but their dialogue is boring and does not focus on the one word.), and limit the time she watches it to 10-15 min, you get better results. I do think it's worth it.

Cute, but not exceptional
We have So Smart -- Colors, which we absolutely adore. This one just isn't as adorable.

Not Impressed
These tapes are poorly done. The unimaginative graphics and slow lesson pace bored my toddler and me.

Pretty good for learning first words
One of the few So Smart videos we appreciate most. I had a difficult time holding my son's attention in teaching him a few words to start with. I came across with this video in the libray and gave it a try. I was amazed with the way they introduced words to the young minds. Great illustrations, clear pronunciation, and soothing classical music. It instantly set the mood for learning. I was even drawn to the video watching it with my son. I repeat after the narrator to encourage my son to speak it and familiarize him with the 28 words & subjects found in the video. These are dog, cat, bug, car, moon, shoe, hat, phone, keys, truck, train, boat, sun, tree, bird, flower, bear, banana, chair, book, up, spoon, paper, crayon, lamp, house, star. Pretty good for starters. A great treat of stories while introducing to new but familiar words. I would highly recommend this.

A nice video for learning some basic words.
This is one of the few So Smart videos that has words spoken. Here's basically how it goes. It begins with a ball and you hear a pleasant voice say, "Ball. A ball bounced up and down and rolled away. Ball." Next you see a dog and you hear the voice say, "Dog. Woof says the dog. The dog wags his tail and follows the ball. Dog."

The only thing I didn't really like was that there were no words shown on the screen. Most of the other So Smart videos don't have words spoken but they show the words on the screen. This one could have done both, but they left the words off. The peoples faces are so much better then the first So Smart videos. There are 28 words taught and they are ball, dog, cat, bug, car, moon, shoe, hat, phone, keys, truck, train, boat, sun, tree, bird, flower, bear, banana, chair, book, up, spoon, paper, crayon, lamp, house, star.

As a side point, my baby is 19 months and has been watching Signing Time since she was 9 months (Signing Time teaches hearing kids American Sign Language and it's awesome!!). What is so cool is that all the words on this So Smart First Words video we also know in sign language. So, it's a fun way to practice our ASL while watching this video. I have reviewed all the other So Smart videos (and many others) so please be sure to read those too.