According to statistics, preschoolers spend up to 40% of their time in front of the TV or gadget every day. Back in 1981, researcher D. Singer spoke about the role of cartoons in speech development: when children watch children’s programs too often and for a long time, children’s concentration deteriorates and oral speech suffers. However, this does not mean that animation is the original evil.
The cartoon genre is part of the speech therapy complex for the purpose of developing children's education. This is an accessible and interesting method that allows you to diversify the process of speech production. With its help, you can unleash your child’s creative potential by watching a cartoon together. Cartoons for speech development can be used no earlier than three years. If a child has articulatory disorders, you must first consult with your doctor.
Unique developmental methodology from Russian teachers
The Zheleznovs are certified musicians-teachers, authors of unique educational activities for preschoolers. They have managed to combine a wealth of teaching experience and a keen understanding of child psychology into a series of audio lessons that is used by parents and educators in a number of countries. Today you can get acquainted with the unique developments of Russian authors to diversify your lessons at home, in kindergarten, or in a development center.
Speech therapy songs are a fun and exciting way to organize a lesson to correct speech disorders. Such songs can also be used for activities with children who do not have difficulties with spoken language. In this case, such exercises allow you to enrich vocabulary, improve diction, and stimulate intellectual development. Speech material is closely related to movement and music, so the Zheleznovs’ method involves the development of vocal skills and active games accompanied by musical accompaniment. The variety of exercises allows you to use them during group or individual classes.
- Advantages of speech therapy music classes:
- fascinating structure of the lesson - playful melodies and song lyrics that suggest movements delight the kids;
- psychological relaxation - in a gaming atmosphere, overcoming speech deficiencies and associated complexes is easier;
- convenient presentation of the material - poetic form, smooth rhythms help children develop correct breathing when pronouncing, teach them to control the pace of conversation, and understand the syllabic structure of words;
- effectiveness – effectiveness in correctional classes and development of musical abilities has been proven in practice;
- versatility - you can study using such audio recordings at home, with a speech therapist, in kindergarten, etc.
Interesting educational cartoons for children from 2 years old for the development of speech and thinking
One of the best ways to develop speech in a young child is direct communication with him. But many parents also pay attention to additional sources that could help their child master certain words.
For example, you can present your child with educational cartoons for children from 2 years old to develop speech; such programs help the child remember simple words and begin to build sentences from them. It is very important that such cartoons should be simple, so that it is easier for the child to perceive them. Also, the pictures should not change too quickly; if the frames replace each other quickly, then the child does not have time to follow the plot; such a cartoon cannot be called educational.
In fact, even experts say that it is simply necessary for a child to watch cartoons; the main thing is to choose the right material that will be presented to the child from the cartoon. In motherhood, choosing a cartoon is a big responsibility! Another point is the age of the baby; each cartoon is intended for a specific age group of children. This article will present cartoons that help children develop speech and imagination.
When is the best time to start training in speech development through cartoons?
If parents understand how their child develops, then they know that until one year of age the baby can only perceive information if there is some kind of answer to it. For example, if in the first year of life a baby begins to speak incoherently and incomprehensibly, then loving parents smile at the baby’s success and often repeat what they say out loud. This behavior encourages the child, and he tries to please his parents again. But from cartoons, a child will not be able to get an answer or reaction to his words, so teaching speech development through a cartoon will be absolutely ineffective.
Already at one and a half years old, the baby becomes more attentive and begins to better understand the speech of his parents, and during this period the child can distinguish between people talking and TV talking. Still, even at this age, the baby needs a response to all the sounds he makes, so not every baby will sit and watch educational cartoons for children from 2 years old to develop speech on TV. Of course, parents can turn on a cartoon for their child, but until the age of two, the child may not learn new words, but only consolidate knowledge of those that he has already heard once. It is best for the mother to repeat the name of the objects surrounding the baby several times a day. This way the child will learn to speak quickly enough.
The age of a child from one and a half to three years is considered the most active and the baby does not often sit still. And if you don’t know how to cope with your child’s hyperactivity, then choose an interesting cartoon for him! In addition, at this age, the child is more interested in communicating with other people in order to hear the answer to his question or try to explain his feelings and thoughts using human speech. Since the TV cannot become an interlocutor for the baby, it is unlikely that such lessons will be able to bring positive results, although many parents prefer to start showing such cartoons from the age of two. If, nevertheless, parents decide to start education at two years old, then you can find educational cartoons for children from 2 years old for speech development on YouTube and watch them online absolutely free.
As already mentioned, one of the best times to show educational cartoons is between the ages of three and six years. It is at this time that the child can easily repeat words, and he is curious to learn something new from adult speech. When a baby watches a cartoon, he learns many new words, he can easily compose new phrases and construct small sentences. In order for watching a cartoon to bear fruit, it is necessary to explain to the child all the words he does not understand and fully explain the actions taking place in the cartoon.
When a child is already five years old, he already knows how to build logical chains from certain actions. Since the baby already has a fairly large vocabulary, educational cartoons help enrich his vocabulary and help develop some other abilities. When a child watches a cartoon, he goes through a lot of thoughts in his head and eventually comes to his parents to clarify some points in the cartoon. The child can ask the mother about what this or that expression that was heard in the cartoon means, how believable the cartoon character’s action was, and much more. It is at this age that a child can receive a lot of useful information from a cartoon; parents should carefully select the animation that the child will watch.
By the way, even a scenario for a child’s birthday can be based on his favorite cartoon!
How should you choose educational cartoons for your child?
In order for a cartoon to properly influence the baby’s development and produce any results, parents are obliged to choose the right cartoon for the child; it must be suitable for the baby’s age and level of development of the child. It is important that the characters are about the same age as the baby. A child is unlikely to be able to understand the feelings and emotions that a first-grader experiences; the child cannot understand his experiences and problems.
Also, the child must know all the characters who play in the cartoon, otherwise he will not be able to understand it correctly. For example, if an educational cartoon features a cow or a donkey, and the child has never seen this animal, then such a cartoon will not be beneficial for the child’s development. It is best to show your child all the animals alive, for example, go to the zoo or go to the village.
If there are any elements of sarcasm in the cartoon, or the characters show irony, then you should refuse to show such a cartoon; children over ten years old can understand such feelings. The fact is that the child does not understand that what the character is doing is bad, he will imitate the hero, thinking that he is doing well. But a child after ten years is already able to distinguish sarcasm and irony from sincere feelings. One of the most famous cartoons, Masha and the Bear, is not suitable for viewing by children under eight years of age. The little ones are delighted with this funny cartoon, but Masha behaves very badly, she is a naughty and capricious child. This cartoon should not be shown to children under eight years old. If the cartoon has already been selected, then it is best to download educational cartoons for children over 2 years old for speech development to a computer so that they are stored in a separate folder.
If your children are indigo, then they should be shown more adult cartoons intended for children aged 4 years and older.
What educational cartoons exist for children?
Probably, many parents have heard about educational cartoons for children from 2 years old for the development of Mersibo speech; they are quite accessible for young children and kids like to watch them. They carry a lot of useful and easy to remember information. But often you can’t just download such cartoons, so it’s worth talking about those cartoons that are freely available on the Internet.
One of the most popular cartoons were those from the Disney studio; they offered children educational cartoons called “Little Einsteins” and “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.” If we talk about the Mickey Mouse Club, then this cartoon is suitable for those kids who have just turned two years old, this is where the heroes talk about colors, the baby can learn new shapes and figures, the heroes teach the child the first basics of reading and counting. But the second cartoon can be understood by slightly older children; the Einsteins touch on topics such as geography, culture and art.
If parents want to teach their child to count, help them learn new shapes and colors, and also instill a love for animals and nature, then they should show their child a cartoon called “Diego, Go!” In this cartoon, a boy named Diego travels with his sister and tries to help a variety of animals. Another cartoon is Dasha the Explorer, this cartoon production is also suitable for children from three years old. In this cartoon, the girl Dasha goes on a journey with her other Shoe.
Educational cartoons for children aged 2 years and older to develop speech about cars are very popular among children over two years old, for example, one of the most popular cartoons is Robocar. This cartoon has two versions, the second part is intended for older children, where the characters explain how important it is to follow the rules of the road, and what can happen if you don’t follow them.
All of the above educational cartoons for children over 2 years old for speech development can be downloaded for free on the Internet. It is worth adding to other cartoons another popular children's cartoon - Baby Einstein. This cartoon is perfect for young children from two to three years old, but older children were offered several parts of the same cartoon about animals, geometry and shapes.
In Russia, a whole series of cartoons for children was also released, called the animated production “Lessons of Aunt Owl.” This cartoon is suitable for children over three years old; you can find this educational cartoon for children over 2 years old for speech development on YouTube and watch it with your child online.
It is in the cartoon “Lessons from Aunt Owl” that Owl, as a teacher, tells children about the diversity of nature, the beauty of art, and the safety rules that children should know. Still, this cartoon has a small drawback, as psychologists say, it is better that the Owl does not tell the story as a teacher, but is an accomplice in this cartoon. If the Owl also studied, then it would be more interesting for kids to watch this cartoon.
One of the most popular Russian cartoons after “Masha and the Bear” can be considered the animated production “Fixies”. This cartoon is suitable for children aged four to five years. It shows the friendship of little people who help each other in difficult situations and will always come to the rescue. In addition to personal relationships, “Fixies” tell children how to repair this or that device, and also explain that they need to be very careful with equipment.
Piano for Playschool: application for music lessons
Piano for Playschool (apple, android) is a mobile application that will help your child learn to play the simplest songs and melodies on keyboard instruments. Connecting motor memory and developing fine motor skills of the hands additionally contributes to the development of speech. The application is suitable for children aged 3-6 years and is convenient for parents without musical education.
Together with Piano for Playschool, you can learn speech therapy songs, hone your ability to sing from notes and develop absolute pitch. Such musical classes contribute to the comprehensive psychological and intellectual development of the child and prepare them for learning to play a real instrument.
Pros and cons of the method
The plots of children's animation are designed in such a way that they develop curiosity, a sense of justice, and teach communication skills. Advantages of the cartoon genre:
- expansion of vocabulary;
- training in dialogue and monologue;
- familiarity with different intonation in sentences;
- development of phonemic hearing.
Almost no one follows the WHO recommendations of the last century, when a child was allowed to watch TV for only 30 minutes. Nowadays children are surrounded by gadgets, playing computer games, but before they read, drew or sculpted from plasticine more. Excessive video perception causes the following negative consequences:
- underdevelopment of the cortical parts of the brain;
- loss of communication skills;
- addiction;
- hyperactivity and aggression;
- speech disorders.
If your baby has problems with concentration or hyperactivity, try to limit the amount of time you watch TV. Drawing, reading, modeling, playing with cars or dolls together will be more useful.
Viewing rules
It is unacceptable for a child to watch TV at close range.
- Some children sit in front of the TV screen for up to three hours a day, while they watch not only educational cartoons, but also those that negatively affect their psyche and sometimes mental development. Parents should give preference to educational pictures in which the characters teach the child numbers, letters, and introduce geometric shapes and colors. And if the hero travels to different continents or cities, this will help expand the child’s horizons. It is also important to select cartoons that develop the child’s logical thinking and imagination. It is necessary that they be as entertaining as possible, and the little one does not get bored while watching.
- It is important that there is no profanity, unclear information, or complex dialogues. Ideally, the animated film contains simple dances, funny songs, adventures, and jokes that a two-year-old child can understand.
- Remember that you need to dose out cartoons and sitting in front of the TV screen. It is not recommended for a two-year-old child to be near the TV for more than an hour a day, and watching cartoons should have breaks. Sitting in front of a screen for a long time contributes to deterioration of vision and negatively affects the baby’s nervous system.
- Before showing a cartoon to your little one, be sure to watch it yourself, make sure that it really has a teaching and educational basis, and that there is no profanity or incomprehensible scenes.
- It is ideal if the child watches the first cartoon together with one of the parents. After all, it is very important that an adult can assess the baby’s reaction to what is happening. After the little one watches the cartoon, it is advisable to discuss with him the actions of the characters and the plot.
- Don't forget that watching cartoons before bed is not recommended.
- Allow your child to independently choose the cartoon that he likes best. At the same time, unobtrusively control his choice. After all, it is unacceptable for a child to watch aggressive cartoons.