The truth is that parents don’t need special products, DVDs, or books to encourage their
young child’s literacy skills. In fact, the ability of young children to learn from
“educational” media is questionable at best. A recent study at the University of Virginia
revealed that 12-18 month olds who viewed a DVD aimed at teaching vocabulary did not
learn any more of the words from the DVD than children who had not viewed the DVD.
The children who learned the most words in this study were in a “no video” group, in
which parents tried to teach their children target vocabulary during everyday activities
[3,4]. This study points to the advantages of using naturally occurring routines and play
activities to encourage young children’s language and literacy skills.