Counting with Elmo Review

When you've birthed as many babies as this girl, and babysat dozens more before becoming a mommy as I have, you can honestly claim to have watched far too much Elmo. Or, as Bogey would put it, “Way a lot of that show!” But there's a reason why we as parents watch so much Sesame Street. It's good programming. Although we love to revisit our favorite Elmo shows (Elmo in Grouchland anyone?) it's good to see the developments that have happened on Sesame Street in the time since Bogey was into the show. It takes a lot of careful planning and attention to detail for a program to endure for 40 years. And that's exactly how long Sesame Street has been providing early education learning to preschoolers.

Dare is just now getting into Elmo, and his favorite Sesame Street character is Grover. Probably because we read There is a Monster at the End of This Book at least a half dozen times a day. To have an episode featuring the two of them? Bliss. To make his transition from book-Grover to DVD-Grover, last week I received a copy of Preschool is Cool! Counting with Elmo to review.

Seriously, how cute is Professor Grover!?

It's important to me, as a parent, that kid's programming be age appropriate, which Sesame Street definitely is. Beyond that though, the program manages to be on target for kids at various points of cognitive development. Virtually any age child can find something relevant to their academic progress in this video. Whether you've got a toddler who happily bops along to the music and laughs at the funny furry monsters, or a preschooler who counts along and shouts answers to Professor Grover, or even an early school-ager who computes the skip counting that the show touches on, your child is learning.

The TV will never be a more important influence in the life of a child than his or her parents, the rest of the family, and their community. However, there is most certainly room in a child's life for Sesame Street's talent in bringing educational content down to their level. As Warner Home Video puts it, this show, “helps children understand that a purpose of counting is to determine the total number of things in an overall set.”

Now see, there's where Sesame Street shines. I can teach my kid to count by showing repetition and adding/subtracting items from a group. But understanding the purpose for counting that way? Well, I'm a lawyer, not a teacher, so I wouldn't have thought of that. Just another reason why Bogey's right when he says I watch “way a lot of that show.”

You can find a copy of Preschool is Cool! Counting with Elmo at major retailers both online and at brick and mortars. Best part? Like nearly all Sesame Street swag, prices are reasonable (I've seen it from $9.99 to $14.99), and with the holidays already upon us, I think we can all appreciate that!

*No compensation was received in return for this post. Warner Home Video provided me with a copy of the DVD in the hopes that I'd share my honest opinion with you. Thanks to Pitch It To Me for the opportunity.