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Best Baby & Toddler educational DVDs (and supplemental toys)
By an Amazon.com customer
Classical Baby 3-Pack - Music, Art & DanceClassical Baby 3-Pack - Music, Art & Dance by Classical Baby
Buy new: $16.49 / Used from: $13.01
WAY better than Baby Einstein! Only expose your baby to REAL classical music and art! The animation is beautiful and a pleasure to watch for both parent and child. 8 months and up.
Leap Frog - Letter FactoryLeap Frog - Letter Factory
Buy used from: $4.99
Great introduction to the alphabet! My daughter knew all of the letters AND their letter sounds by 19 months!! This has always been one of her favorites and I credit it with her interst in letters and words. 15 months and up.
LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet SetLeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set
Buy new: $19.97
Excellent supplement to Leap Frog's "Letter Factory" DVD. Really helps reinforce the concepts. Recommended for 12 months and up.
LeapFrog Learning Friends™ Phonics Bus® VehicleLeapFrog Learning Friends™ Phonics Bus® Vehicle
Buy new: $19.99
Another great companion toy to the Letter Factory DVD. Has all the main characters Tad, Leap and Lily (can be taken out individually for play or will sing songs when in the the bus) Settings for Letter Identification, Phonics, and Beginning sound words. Great travel toy without too many pieces.
Meet the LettersMeet the Letters
Buy new: $14.95 / Used from: $10.00
No phonics lessons, but valuable for its inclusion of the relation between all of the upper and lowercase letters, including lowercase letters like "a" and "g" that come in multiple print forms that can be confusing for little ones. 12 months and up
Crayola 8-Pack Crayons - Jumbo (So Big) Size (Single Box)Crayola 8-Pack Crayons - Jumbo (So Big) Size (Single Box)
Buy new: $6.61
Crayola Crayons are the best! Introduce the So Big ones (don't bother with the "Beginnings" products - too messy) as early as 12 months with parental supervision. These crayons taught my daughter her colors before she was 2 and inspired her love of drawing.
Meet the ColorsMeet the Colors
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $9.00
Another good one from the Preschool Prep. Company. 9 months and up
Learning Resources - Smart Splash  Sail Away ShapesLearning Resources - Smart Splash  Sail Away Shapes
Buy new: $14.99
Best Bath Toy Ever! Worth the price. Fantastic for teaching colors and shapes. Sails come out and fit in their matching boat. Bonus: they float better than most cheap toy boats, AND are made with mold & mildew resistant material (my favorite part ;) Comes with a drawstring mesh bag for drying and storage. 12 months and up
Melissa & Doug Large Shapes Jumbo PuzzleMelissa & Doug Large Shapes Jumbo Puzzle
Buy new: $13.76
Great as a first puzzle, this high quality wood Melissa & Doug puzzle teaches both shape and color identification. The large knobs make it easy for little hands to manipulate. 12 months and up.
Meet the ShapesMeet the Shapes
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $9.00
Another good one from the preschool Prep. Company. Teaches more than just the basic Square, Triangle and Circle. 12 months and up
Melissa & Doug Jumbo Numbers Wooden Chunky PuzzleMelissa & Doug Jumbo Numbers Wooden Chunky Puzzle
Buy new: $16.06
Great for teaching not only 1-10, but also those tricky teens that toddlers tend to have problems with skipping. The animals on it are cute, and I like that the double digit numbers stay together so you wont have to worry about separated pieces. Ages 2 and up
Meet the NumbersMeet the Numbers
Buy new: $14.95 / Used from: $8.85
For numbers 1-10. We're just wating now for Meet "More" Numbers, 11-20! (HINT-HINT, Preschool Prep Co.!) 12 months and up
Meet the Sight Words 1Meet the Sight Words 1
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $7.84
AWESOME! The three volumes introduce sight words that don't follow most phonics rules, and are taught for memorization in Kindergarten classes. We started with the first one when my daughter was 28 months. She has now mastered all of the kindergarten sight words at 2-1/2! Also includes video flash cards.
Meet the Sight Words 2Meet the Sight Words 2
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $14.23
ditto - see customer reviews and product description for more info. Don't worry about the repeating words if you bought Meet the Sight Words 1 after April 08. 15 months-6 years for all of the sight word DVDs
Meet the Sight Words 3Meet the Sight Words 3
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $10.00
ditto - see customer reviews and product description for more info
POCKET FLASH CARDS SIGHT WORDS CPOCKET FLASH CARDS SIGHT WORDS C
Buy new: $2.79
Not this set specifically, but any cheap set of sight word flash cards is great to supplement the "Meet the Sight Words" DVDs. You can find these at your local drug or dollar store for a good price. I'd recommend ones without picture hints.
Melissa & Doug See & SpellMelissa & Doug See & Spell
Buy new: $12.25
good for early start reading words and lowercase letter identification. Small pieces are not recommended for under 3, use once you're sure that your child is past the "everything in the mouth" phase.
Miffy and Friends: What I Learned TodayMiffy and Friends: What I Learned Today by Miffy & Friends
Buy used from: $4.15
The Miffy series used to be on Noggin, now it's only on Sundays on our local PBS station. (Bring it back, Noggin!) It's a lovely no-frills stop animation with adorable characters that teach basic math/science concepts and social skills. recommend for 9months-5 years. (shop around!)
Miffy Plush with Stripe Top, Blue Pants and DVDMiffy Plush with Stripe Top, Blue Pants and DVD
An affordable way to get an introduction to the Miffy series , plus a darling Miffy plush Doll. My daughter sleeps with hers every night :)