There’s an obsession in my house right now.
Frozen.
So. Much. Frozen.
My kids love it, and it really bewilders me how the can watch it over and over again. I’ve started to pause the movie at certain parts and elicit information about their understanding of the plot, characters, and the meaning behind the lyrics to the songs.
This got me thinking about what repeated exposure of a storyline can do to increase language and narrative skills.
My 4 year old has begun to understand the nuances of inferences when you already know details of the story from a previous watch. My 2 year old has begun to predict when something exciting will happen with the knowledge of a previous watch.
While I don’t suggest extended periods of watching TV/tablet I do think there are some ways you engage your child specifically on the 2nd or 3rd time they watch something.
Pause the movie and try the following:
Ask concrete questions about the last scene just watched [who, what, where]
Ask why questions about the last scene just watched
Suggest what you think the previous scene sets the characters up for later, aid your child in helping you develop a case for this prediction
Choose key words and phrases from songs and try to determine what you think they mean
Examine characters and their nonverbal reactions - what do you think these reactions mean?
Following the movie try to the following:
Summarize the story orally
Draw or write favorite parts of the movie
Create an alternate ending
Pop some popcorn and try these activities out! Maybe it’ll bring new life to a movie you’ve endured over and over again.