Dora, la exploradora

Dora is one of the few, if any female stars of an animated show. The problem solving, bilingualism and non-violent approach is a breath of fresh air in the blast-em-up world of children's animated shows. How could anyone argue with that?

I have a 16-months-old girl and she LOVES Dora. Trust me I have tried to get her to like other cartoons or Sesame Street, but no luck. I agree, it gets annoying after a while, but I don't have to watch it. I can do stuff around the house, while Dora is on TV.

If you have ever worked with kids, or have kids, you may have noticed that they like interaction. They don't know that Dora cannot hear them. At this age they have no concept of what TV really is. And they need repetition. How many times have read the same book(s) to your child in one day? I can tell you have a read most of her books plenty of times (I don't have to read them anymore). They learn by repetition...

As for the person who said kids should be learning their ABCs, yes they should, when they are 5, and not at this age. Even though, Dora is supposed to be for "pre-schoolers" I don't think many kids over the age of 4 are interested in Dora anymore. So, lighten up and let kids be kids before you make them learn a whole bunch of stuff before they really need to know it. Your child won't read any better if he/she knows the ABCs by the time he/she is 2.

To sum this up, I think Dora is great for kids from 1 to 3. They will learn some words, maybe remember some of the Spanish, and maybe learn to count. But even if they don't learn anything, it's a good way for them to relax and have some fun. They don't have to learn ALL the time. And best of all, it's NOT violent!!! So for all the complainers, stop watching it!!! It's for your child, NOT you! There are shows for adults on TV, but probably not on Nick...

All three of my kids and their friends aged 2 - 5, absolutely love Dora the Explorer. Dora is a five year old girl who sets out on a different adventure each episode with her friend Boots the monkey and her talking back pack. "Back Pack" has objects to assist on her journey, of which children can decide which would be the best item to use to get round different obstacles. Along the way she also encounters different characters to assist her. Some of these characters only speak Spanish so is a great way of introducing the language to infants. Educationally it is very stimulating, teaching pre-schoolers the basics in counting, colors, shapes and sizes with the introduction of Spanish. It also brings to children the understanding of different cultures. Highly recommended.

I have a 3 year old daughter who loves the show. Not every show is great, they are all repetitive however when it comes to small children that helps them to learn. Thanks to this show my daughter has developed excellent decisive skills and puzzle solving skills. While it is incredibly annoying for an adult to watch as the songs get quite aggravating however, the kids seem to just love it. Throughout the show kids are asked to find things to help them along the way. They keep it simple so that small kids get a feeling of accomplishment when they get it right. There is always a little jingle played when they complete a task which makes the kids smile. When waiting for a response from the viewer they actually wait long enough for small kids to formulate a response, unlike many other children's shows. Keep in mind when watching Dora that it is not intended for older kids nor is it intended for adults. As much as we may hate to watch it, small kids love it and do learn a lot from it.

It seems that Dora feels she must yell at all times to get attention, which makes her as pleasant to listen to as fingernails on a blackboard. Even after enduring a few episodes of this show, I'm still trying to figure out what the creators think they are teaching? The few words of Spanish that are used aren't enough to form simple phrases, so why are they there? Mostly, it seems like they're trying to teach prepositions (up, down, through, etc.) and they're padding it with a few Spanish words to fill out the half-hour episode. I think her parents should keep better tabs on her and around the house more instead of letting her wander through forests and valleys all the time. That, and there's something evil about her eyes.