Baby Einstein is a multiple award winning company which
makes many products to help infants create connections and learn words and
meaning from a very young age. They make extremely stimulating products like
textured books, colorful play sets, and art kits. A parent reading one of their
books, or any book at all, to their child (regardless of age), is integral to
learning. “The association between hearing written language and feeling loved
provides the best foundation for this long process [of learning to read]”, so a
parent using a product such as this can set the child up for long-term
educational success.
The most prolific product from the Baby Einstein line is no
doubt their video line. While expensive, many of these stepping-stone videos
are available on YouTube. These movies allow parents to scaffold with their
children, helping them understand higher levels of language by using what they
already understand (such as images and sounds) to grow on (Collins &
Halverson, 19). Parents taking such a primary role in their children’s education
is integral to their success, as “…responsibility for education is shifting away
from the state and back to the parents (for younger children)… this movement
reflects the emphasis on customizing education to the particular learners’
needs, interests, and abilities” (Collins & Halverson, 95). In addition, according to Collins and
Halverson, children who are homeschooled perform better than normally schooled
children in standardized tests and are more involved in their own learning.
While these videos are not a replacement for a more
traditional educational experience or one on one parenting time, they can be
used as an extremely useful supplementary tool.
