Here is a compilation of FREE online videos that we've successfully used to teach early education.
WARNING!!!
If you show these from YouTube, watch out for inappropriate ads, such as scary movies trailers!
(It has happened to us.)
Always be present with your child while watching, so you can prevent baby from seeing such an ad.
(Thankfully, I was, so Kai didn't see the trailer for "Anabel"!)
It's best to always be present anyway, so you can actively participate in baby's learning.
Probably the MOST helpful videos for teaching early communication, Baby Signing Time! (which is four volumes) teaches sign language, but also shows the word, and an image to associate it with. You can also see that individual babies sign differently, and that's OK—the goal is communication.
I find the complete episodes periodically on YouTube, but they quickly get taken down if found. So check your local library, or you can buy them. Many libraries borrow from each other, so if it's not at yours, be sure to ask if they can get it from another one.
Your Baby Can Learn! (formerly called Your Baby Can Read!) is amazing at teaching early reading. It's not exciting at first, but Kai loved it more as he realized he could read. Here is Volume 1, currently available on YouTube. It teaches word direction, sound patterns, etc.
The key to this program is doing it WITH baby. Sit baby on your lap, and clap baby's hands when it says "clap," wave when it says "wave," and so on. Parent interaction is vital. There are four volumes total.
Baby Einstein has many videos, and most are very entertaining for kids, but they have a few that are extra educational, such as My First Signs, First Moves, and First Sounds.
You can often find these free on the internet with a simple "video" search; but if not, check your local library, or you can buy them. You can also currently stream them on Amazon Prime.
The full title is "Teach a Child to Read 1 Minute a Day: Letter Sounds" by Jady A. (YouTube). Jady has a different accent than we use, however I still showed this to my son because he will meet people in life who talk very differently, and learning diversity in language sounds will help him communicate better in life. Just as showing words in different fonts will improve reading ability -- if you only use one single font, reading ability might be limited. Kai can read many fonts.
Kai loves this video, even today! It's great for teaching not only the alphabet, but PHONICS, as he repeats the phonetic sound for each letter in the song. It also includes a sample word that starts with the letter, and a visual too. Lots of good learning connections here — we LOVE this YouTube channel.
Keep and open mind — learning animal sounds is another way to teach communication! For example, before Kai developed actual speech, he would make an elephant "noise" when referring to his favorite toy elephant, or whenever we showed him the word "elephant."
Upbeat, hip, catchy, fun music for learning the alphabet, but also PHONICS, as he sounds out the letter sounds in this song. This guy's videos are great!
For added learning, I always sign the alphabet letters along to this song.
I won't post all 26, but he has a video for every letter of the alphabet, which covers the letter, phonics, short vowel sounds versus long vowel sounds, and demonstrate the sound used in words. And, he keeps it fresh — the music is different for each video. I'll post a few so you can see.
"Write an uppercase A in the air!" Ah, so great!
I won't post all 26, but he has a video for every letter of the alphabet, which covers the letter, phonics, short vowel sounds versus long vowel sounds, and demonstrate the sound used in words. And, he keeps it fresh — the music is different for each video. I'll post a few so you can see.
I won't post all 26, but he has a video for every letter of the alphabet, which covers the letter, phonics, short vowel sounds versus long vowel sounds, and demonstrate the sound used in words. And, he keeps it fresh — the music is different for each video. I'll post a few so you can see.
The actual title of this video is "Tons of Great Educational Toys for Toddlers!" by the channel Genevieve's Playhouse on YouTube. Warning: You child may become addicted to Genevieve's Playhouse, and desire all the toys from their videos (ours did, lol). But he also learned colors and numbers, so that was a plus.
Tip: Remember, Dr. Bob Titzer from Your Baby Can Read! says that kids are capable of easily learning specific color names, like sky blue and lime green, so try not to limit them.
Another goody by Genevieve's Playhouse, this one teaches ABCs, plus phonics, and numbers using fun toys. Again, warning: Your child may want these toys! But, they are educational toys, so go for it! *wink*
Super up-beat, fun-to-listen-to song that counts to 20. And actually, this particular link is to a collection of counting songs by Super Simple Songs, so you can check out more.
Super cute song with catchy Prince-like guitar, this one goes all the way up to 100, and has lately become our "singing in the car" song.
This cute video teaches the concepts of: on, in, under, by (as in, near / next to) with a silly spider. Kai likes this video.
Another video that teaches concepts such as: on, in, under, over, in front of, next to, between, behind. Kai also likes this video, which is why I'm including it. It's cute when you can take a stuff toy and put it on your head and mimic this song, and your kid loves and learns from it. Take a small panda... "Where's the panda? Where's the panda? The panda's in my shirt" (little head peeking out top, it's funny). Or, "The panda's on my head..." "The panda's in front of Mommy..." and so on.
A fun video, and another way to teach phonics by breaking down the word into individual sounds, plus reading by showing the word, plus comprehension by showing a visual of what the word stands for.
Another "Reading Machine" video by KidsTV123, Kai would watch both.
A fun video, and another way to teach phonics by breaking down the word into individual sounds, plus reading by showing the word, plus comprehension by showing a visual of what the word stands for.
Disclaimer: I'm just a regular parent who was lucky enough to learn that babies can be taught immediately in life to help them achieve early speech, reading, counting, potty training, and more. I am not a licensed expert or professional—just a mom who cares, and wants to help other parents and children by sharing what worked for us. This is just what worked for us, and may not apply to all situations, since every child (and parent) is different, and nobody learns the same way, same speed, nor even has the same interests and experiences.
This site contains affiliate links, but many of the books and videos I discuss can be found free at libraries; many videos on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon; and free games, videos, and printouts like worksheets and flashcards from other educational websites. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases (though I haven't yet, as of 2/2/2023, I pay $200/year for this site, but haven't earned anything from it). This does not affect you in any way should you purchase from a link, and may only provide a small supplement for my family. The original purpose of this site is, and always will be, to share educational information.
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