Tell me why your little ones like Dora the Explorer

jannawrites

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Is it the fun adventure Dora takes each episode? Her friendly personality? What draws your child to Dora the Explorer?
 

kristie911

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I wish I knew...maybe I would enjoy it more. :)

Actually, I think it must be the fun adventures that are different with every episode. She talks directly to the kids (rather than just watching the characters do something, the characters seem to talk to the kids and involve them). The characters are fun and engaging. I don't know for sure, I haven't been 3 in a very long time but I know my son loves her. (and her cousin, Diego, who has another show)
 

dolores haze

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"Dora" is very interactive. She speaks directly to the children who are watching, asks them questions, praises them, etc. My kids love Dora, and I like her adventurous spirit. They like Diego, too, and have learned a lot about nature, and endangered animals from him.
I also like all the spanish the kids pick up from these two shows.
Thumbs up from this mom for Dora and Diego.
 

Siddow

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I'd have to say it's the interaction as well. They love to scream at the television, "Swiper, no swiping!" and then I come in to say, "Oh, maann!" Fun for the whole family, really. :D
 

Stew21

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Mine don't like Dora . I have boys but I'm not sure if that's the only reason they don't show interest in her.

When given options of what is on tv, they never choose Dora - rather they go for things more fantasy oriented.

In fact, before Christmas it became a joke that if they weren't good, Santa wouldn't bring them "boy" toys, he'd bring them Dora underwear.

:)
 

jannawrites

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Thanks! I agree with what everyone said. My two girls like Dora for the reasons mentioned. My oldest (a week away from 5) still likes interacting by giving answers and such and my youngest (2) is crazy about all things Dora and Diego (Dohr-dah and Way-doh, to be more precise ;) ). I think it has a lot to do with repitition. Each character's show has a routine - which we all know by now kids thrive on - and the kids come to expect and love that.

I'm working on an article about Dora. May I use some of your comments, if fitting (I'd PM you for specific permission, of course)?

Thanks again!
 

PastMidnight

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I have two huge Dora fans over here! My four year old loves the way that Dora invites her to get involved. My eighteen month old son gets excited too when Dora comes on (probably because he can see how his sister adores Dora and he adores his sister). He joins in shouting 'Map!' and 'Backpack!'. I agree with you about the repetition. Although the places that Dora goes in each episode are different, the children have come to expect that she will go to three places, that Swiper will put in an appearance, etc. My daughter has a huge interest in learning other languages (has a lot of bilingual friends that she's learned things from), but that doesn't seem to be the draw for her. It's the interaction, the repetition, the fact that it is really designed for her level.

They have just recently gotten into Diego and my daughter has been amazing me with the random animal facts that she's picked up from Go, Diego, Go. We were at a natural history museum recently and were going through the animal hall. I drew their attention to a crocodile that I had spotted when my daughter sighed and gave me That Look (the one that I didn't expect her to start using before her teenage years) and said, 'That's not a crocodile, that's a caiman.' And she was right.

Her Christmas list this year had nothing on it but Dora stickers and a Diego DVD. She wasn't disappointed!
 

jannawrites

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They have just recently gotten into Diego and my daughter has been amazing me with the random animal facts that she's picked up from Go, Diego, Go. We were at a natural history museum recently and were going through the animal hall. I drew their attention to a crocodile that I had spotted when my daughter sighed and gave me That Look (the one that I didn't expect her to start using before her teenage years) and said, 'That's not a crocodile, that's a caiman.' And she was right.

Her Christmas list this year had nothing on it but Dora stickers and a Diego DVD. She wasn't disappointed!


lol! My two-year-old can correctly identify a puma, of all things, because of Diego! Isn't it crazy?

Sounds exactly like what we got under the tree. :D
 

heyjude

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I believe Dora has subliminal messages in the show: "You love Dora, you love to watch Dora, you will buy Dora products."

Works for me.
 

WendyNYC

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Mine don't like Dora . I have boys but I'm not sure if that's the only reason they don't show interest in her.

When given options of what is on tv, they never choose Dora - rather they go for things more fantasy oriented.

In fact, before Christmas it became a joke that if they weren't good, Santa wouldn't bring them "boy" toys, he'd bring them Dora underwear.

:)

I have two girls, and neither of them were into Dora. My older daughter likes fantasy-oriented stuff, too, or things about animals.

I think Dora's just not "fancy" enough for my younger daughter.
 

willwrite4food

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Both my kids love Dora and Diego. I believe it's the repetition that draws them the most. They know what to expect during each segment of the show. In fact, my son, who is almost two, gets thrown off by the one hour Dora and Diego specials because they vary from the standard formula. He loses interest quickly, where my daughter, who is four, enjoys both the 30 minute and hour long shows.

I think for younger kids the familiarity of each segment is comforting to them, especially during this point in their lives where they thrive on routines.