Disney's Little Einsteins TV Show Review

Kids TV Program Teaching Children Music and Art Appreciation

Jul 31, 2009 Renee Carver

Disney's Little Einsteins kids TV program for preschoolers teaches children problem-solving skills, the works of famous artists and composers, art and music appreciation.

An educational tv program developed by The Baby Einstein Company to expand their system of learning to a preschool audience, Disney's Little Einsteins teaches children problem-solving skills and music and art appreciation, as well as introducing them to subjects such as geography and science. While watching each Little Einsteins episode, children are encouraged to interact with the action, performing specific physical movements and applying what they learn over the course of the episode to solve problems faced by the characters.

Little Einsteins Characters Model Teamwork

The Little Einsteins are a group of four children that model teamwork by going on missions to solve various problems. Although they do not have superhero alter-egos, they resemble the characters of Super WHY in that they begin each episode as normal neighborhood kids who then assemble at their clubhouse before going on adventures during which the children use their special powers.

Leo, the six-year-old leader, has the power of conducting and carries a special baton.
Annie, Leo's four-year-old sister, has singing power.
June, their six-year-old friend, possesses dancing power.
Quincy, their five-year-old friend, has instrument power and can play many musical instruments.

The Little Einsteins characters travel in Rocket, a flying red vehicle that uses tools and shape-changing (for example, sprouting arms) to help solve problems. Children develop a sense of rhythm and learn musical terms such as adagio while patting their laps at different speeds to get Rocket to go.

Taken together, the four Little Einsteins model for children how fun and important it is to appreciate music, the arts, and performing, and to be interested in learning about and taking care of the world.

Little Einsteins Episodes Teach Problem-Solving Skills

Each episode of Little Einsteins follows a similar form. A stage curtain rises before the beginning credits roll, and once the credits are over, the characters step onto the stage and introduce the art and music of the day. The art can be as specific as a particular painting by a famous artist or as general as a kind of art or artifact, like German folk art or African masks.

To familiarize children with music notation, the music of the day is displayed as sheet music, accompanied by a portrait of its composer. Phrases from this composition will be woven throughout the soundtrack of the rest of the episode, and often its main theme will feature in the plot.

During the episode, the Little Einsteins team may visit various places (including famous cities, monuments, and geographic landforms), learn new skills and pieces of information, and then use their talents and what they have learned to solve puzzles or help others. Often they state a problem and pause, giving the preschool viewer time to supply the answer. Hearing questions posed also helps preschoolers follow the plot by clarifying the current goals of the characters.

One example of needing to apply newly learned knowledge occurs in the Season Two episode Animal Snack Time. At the beginning, the Little Einsteins and the viewer learn how three different kinds of animals move. Later in the mission, Rocket must copy the movements of each of these animals to complete three tasks. The viewer must identify which animal Rocket should copy in each situation and then follow June's lead in performing a dance that mimics this kind of movement. Both the mind and the body of the preschool viewer are thus engaged in learning.

As the end of each episode, once the mission has been completed successfully, the characters gather back on stage for a curtain call during which they and the viewer take bows and review the main concepts of the episode, specifically the art and music of the day.

Disney Channel Show Teaching Children Music, Art Appreciation

What do kids learn from Little Einsteins, which follows the Baby Einstein system of using real-world objects to teach different concepts? While the Little Einstein characters themselves are designed to look like cartoons, the places they visit and the objects with which they interact are computer-animated from real life images. Preschoolers watching Little Einsteins are exposed to what actual art works, actual landmarks, and actual animals look like, as well as what actual classical music compositions sound like.

While the show does take pains to provide children with the correct names of the people, places, and objects featured on the show, the ultimate point is not to make young viewers memorize a series of dry facts, but rather to introduce kids to these cultural touchstones and interest them in further learning. It also models for kids how art and music appreciation can be fun.

Where to Watch Disney's Little Einsteins Episodes

Children can watch episodes of Little Einsteins on The Disney Channel and online at the Playhouse Disney Little Einsteins Web site. Families can also purchase Little Einsteins DVDs and videos.

Children interested in kids tv programs about relationships between friends and siblings may also enjoy watching the Nick Jr. show Max & Ruby. Kids interested in television series about solving problems may enjoy Busytown Mysteries (Hurray for Huckle).

The copyright of the article Disney's Little Einsteins TV Show Review in Children’s TV is owned by Renee Carver. Permission to republish Disney's Little Einsteins TV Show Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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