Sesame Beginnings: Moving Together - NR
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this DVD is designed for infants and toddlers, and that it doesn't follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Common Sense Media, which suggest no screen time at all until age 2. That said, the DVD models positive, fun, and easily replicated interactions for caregivers and young children, and could prompt new ideas for educational and fun activities appropriate for this age.
Families who do choose to watch this with their young children can incorporate the ideas of movement and song into their daily tasks, like diaper changing and putting away toys. Caregivers are reminded that including simple games and dance into their day will give a child a chance to develop imagination and physical awareness.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Nancy Davis Kho
MOVING TOGETHER is the third in the Sesame Beginnings series aimed at providing educational DVDs for the very young. Despite the fact that the American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that children younger than 2 not be exposed to any screen time (TV, DVDs, computers, video games), the producers of Sesame Street have designed these DVDs expressly for that age group, no doubt capitalizing on the success of the Baby Einstein series.
The DVD starts with scenes of familiar Sesame Street characters like Elmo, Big Bird, and Prairie Dawn as babies with their caregivers, modeling movements, games, and songs together. Then using the puppet segments as a jumping-off point to their own fun, scenes of real-life caregivers and toddlers on cheerful sets model the types of interactions that a caregiver might continue after watching the video. Sarah Jessica Parker introduces each segment as she reads enthusiastically with a charmer named Sophia.
Segments range from a catchy Hawaiian tune sung by Big Bird's mother to her just-learning-to-walk chick, to a funny game made up by baby Elmo's father to keep his son busy while he changes a diaper. Each of the songs and games reinforces the notion that young children respond enthusiastically to the most mundane tasks when they're treated as a fun game with a caregiver's active participation.
A variety of caregiving arrangements (father/son, grandmother/grandson, mother/daughter) are portrayed, and the live actors represent a rainbow of ethnicities, as you would expect from Sesame Street. It was nice to see a young girl with Down's Syndrome dancing and moving with her mom just as enthusiastically as every other child in the DVD.
Families who do feel comfortable having children under age 2 watch DVDs might want to check out the others in this series, Beginning Together and Make Music Together. Better yet, turn off the TV until your child is a bit older and fill their time with the rich interactions modeled by the characters in this DVD.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual Content |
 |
|||
Violence |
|
|||
Language |
|
|||
Message |
 |
|||
Social BehaviorModels positive interactions between caregiver and child. A variety of family arrangements, ethnicities, and abilities are portrayed by both muppets and their real-life counterparts. |
 |
|||
CommercialismDesigned to introduce Sesame Street characters to children at a very young age, and will reinforce brand awareness -- albeit of a gentle, positive set of characters. |
 |
|||
Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco |
 |
|||
