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Dora the Explorer episodes provide a mix of both entertainment and education for it's young audience and are suitable for the social and academic development of preschoolers. The interactive and educational aspects of Dora the Explorer are what set it apart from other shows that are aimed at preschoolers. Co-creators Valerie Walsh and Chris Gifford knew that they wanted to make a children's program which was an interactive adventure. A program that got the kids up out of their chairs and limited them from being in a passive state for any length of time.

Over the years there has been a lot of scientific research on how children learn from educational television programs, which has led to the production of children's programs like Sesame Street, which over the years has been regarded as one of the most important educational resources available to parents.
Programming however has become more and more sophisticated in the last decade and this has led to the creation of programs like Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clue's, just to name two.
Dora the Explorer taps into the fact that kids find learning fun. What may seem like work to an adult is a game to children, and children love games.

Parents do, however need to remember that educational television programs should form only part of a children's learning experience and that it is highly recommended that as a parent you interact with your child to enhance the educational content provided by such programs.

Parents can reinforce the lessons learned from Dora the Explorer episodes in their child's daily routines. If you are going to the shop, make a map and talk about how you are going to get there and what you are going to buy there."

Parents can also turn ordinary tasks into fun learning games. For example, if your child is helping you with some baking. You can ask them to count how many cups of flour you use or ask them to find the number of eggs you need.

Not only does Dora help to teach children about basic maths, problem solving and musicality but she also helps to teach children basic words in both English and Spanish.

With it's catchy tunes and fun, bright characters Dora is appealing to both children who want to be entertained and parents who want their children to watch quality educational programs.

There are many, many Dora DVDs currently available to choose from and are a worthy edition to your children's DVD library.

Learn more about this author, Rachel Suesskow.
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