Customer Reviews

So Smart - First Words

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

My 16 month old does not enjoy this DVD. I think the abstract colors bother him. For example, a dog will be shown in bright colors with black and white patterns thrown in. I'm sure this is to capture a baby's visual interest, but my son doesn't understand why this dog doesn't look like a dog! I don't recall any live action in this DVD, which seems to be more interesting to my son at this age.

My daughter is 9 months old. I think this DVD is just too serene and calm for her, but maybe she'll gorw into it. Art design is fine on this, but the music tracks could be better. ... I started my baby on Einstein, Mozart and Bach at about 3 months old and she still is capitvated by each of them. I recently showed her Neighborhood Animals which she loves also.

I like the So Smart series of videos because they are a nice change of pace from the Baby Einstein-style videos. They are low-key and not very commercialized. This one is really cute for building vocabulary. There isn't live-action video in it like many other baby videos. Instead, there is animation - but the style of the drawings is very appealing.

I purchased this for my son when he was 8 months old. From the very first time he watched it, he was GLUED to the screen. I use this DVD to occupy him while he's in his play-pen when I shower, or while I make dinner, etc. and so far (2 months later) he hasn't tired of it. My husband and I have it memorized, but it's a godsend. There is one portion that's a little slow, but we've just started skipping it. Overall, it's wonderful.

I have one year old triplets and went looking for DVDs similar to the Brainy Baby series, that they love. I tried these, but they are SO slow paced, and the voice-over is so monitone, they lost interest quickly. The pauses between stories and words are too long and they would move on to play with something before the next section began. I will not purchase any more of this series.

So Smart! First Words is a thirty-minute video that effectively promotes parent-child interaction with an open-ended format as it presents fun-filled stories suitable for children ages 9 months through 3 years. Enhanced with animated animal characters and story time appropriate music, So Smart! First Words will build word identification, build vocabulary, and prove a welcome entertainment for its young viewers. So Smart! First Words is also available in a DVD format...

These tapes are poorly done. The unimaginative graphics and slow lesson pace bored my toddler and me.

I bought this DVD for my daughter when she was 12 months hoping she would be interested in it. It wasn't until around a year and a half that she actually started to sit through it. Now she is captivated. All she wants to do is learn new words so she loves this video. It isn't a bunch of lights and music like other videos but rather slow paced and calm. It is perfect for quiet down time at night and she really does learn the words.

I'm amazed that people haven't wised up to the deceptive marketing practices used in the titles of videos like Baby Einstein and So Smart! There are no data to support these videos making kids 'smarter' or more like Einstein. Unfortunately, many parents read the title and subconsciously (or not so subconsciously) decide that if the video is called this, it must make kids smarter. Think about it - would you be equally inclined to buy this video if it was called "Ketchup sandwich?" I would venture a guess that most consumers wouldn't.

Our local PBS station carries a lot of them. These videos are slow-moving and simple - which is fine for small children. They're probably no better than most other cartoons for pure (and questionable) entertainment purposes IF your child likes them (which our kids don't). However, don't buy them thinking you're doing something good for your kids. Reading, drawing, building with blocks - those are mind-building activities for little minds. Watching TV is not and should not be considered good for children no matter how the stuff put on the screen is marketed. Instead, I hope that consumers exercise a little consumer activism and stop buying things that may trick well-meaning parents into thinking they're doing something good for their children.