Bottom line: Elmo and Abby's Birthday Fun! features preschool favorites Elmo and Abby Cadabby talking all about birthdays, parties, games and more. Preschoolers will adore this DVD, and it is a great tool for getting kids ready for their own birthday party or a friend's.
MPAA Rating: NRGenre: Children's educational
Age range: Preschoolers
Runtime: Approx. 47 minutes
Elmo and Abby's Birthday Fun! - Overview
Elmo and Abby are into birthdays in this fun-filled DVD from Sesame Workshop. Preschoolers will learn all about birthday celebrations in far away places, as Elmo and Abby discuss what happens at fairy tale birthday parties and compare them to the way kids celebrate around the world.
Things get a little crazy, though, when Elmo and Abby get stuck at Little Red Riding Hood's party and can't get home. Too bad Elmo already used his fairy tale birthday wish to get a toy. How will he ever make it to his fish Dorothy's birthday party now?
Elmo and Abby's Birthday Fun! - Guide Review
Elmo and Abby connect with preschoolers like no other characters can. In this birthday-themed DVD, viewing kids learn about birthday celebrations in other countries, and they will laugh along with Abby as she mis-performs her fairy magic, putting a snail on the donkey and a big pile of braids on Elmo's head. She does get one thing right, however -- Elmo's flower party hat is sure to be the next big thing at preschool parties.
The DVD incorporates lessons about rhyming, animal sounds, fairy tales, and more as Elmo and Abby learn about birthdays. The last segment of the story is an Elmo's World episode in which Elmo learns all about birthdays, wrapping presents, making cakes and more as he gets everything ready for Dorothy's big bash.
The DVD presents a good mix of material that gets preschoolers excited about their own birthday, and at the same time conveys a sense of generosity in showing how fun it is to celebrate others' birthdays. Elmo and Abby don't come out and talk about the good feeling giving brings, but parents can use different parts of the DVD to point out the concept and help preschoolers become as excited to give presents as they are to get them.
Elmo and Abby's Birthday Fun! - Expand on the Curriculum
- Kids can learn a lot from planning a party. Help your child plan out a party for himself or someone else. Talk about how many guests will come, what theme to decorate in, and what food to serve. Kids can sign their names on the invitations, make party signs, help prepare food and more. Learning by doing is the best way, and nothing's more fun than party planning!
- In the story on the DVD, Elmo and Abby go to Little Red Riding Hood's birthday party. Abby makes sure Red wins one of the games by subtly using her magic so Red pulls out the plumb. Talk to kids about birthday party ettiquette at someone else's party, and prepare them so that they won't feel jealous when the birthday child gets all the attention -- and all the presents.
- Choosing a present for someone else can be an enlightening and sometimes difficult experience for a preschooler, but it's a great opportunity to learn about the joy of giving. At first, it's fun to watch as preschoolers choose their own favorite toys to give to the birthday person -- every dad wants a baby doll, right? -- but as they grow and mature, kids learn to think of what the other person likes when making the choice, so picking out presents actually help kids develop empathy and social skills.
Elmo and Abby's Birthday Fun! - Preschool Birthday Ideas and Resources
