Dora the Explorer Helps Preschoolers Learn

Dora is known as the Explorer for a reason. For young children who are developing curiosity, imagination and a sense of adventure, Dora the Explorer makes a great role model. In each episode of the popular show (developed by Nickelodeon in 1999), Dora tackles adventure by storm, helping others along the way.

The show is designed to teach children math and music skills, physical coordination, as well as how to assess situations, solve problems and basic Spanish. Dora is always up for an adventure, and she's good at resolving conflicts and treating others kindly.

Family, Friends, and Talking Objects

Dora's extended family and numerous friends also appear on the show, not to mention friendly animals and even talking objects. For instance, she has a talking purple backpack that seems to hold an endless list of supplies. This magic backpack provides Dora with what she needs to complete her adventures. Backpack has been known to miraculously produce ladders, space suits and other necessary items. In addition, Dora finds her way around using a talking map. Map helps Dora the Explorer navigate and offers friendly advice. Map lives in one of Backpack's side pockets and when he is needed, Dora asks the viewers to say "Map." He also sings a song that goes "If there's a place you need to get, I can get you there I bet, I'm the Map" before helping Dora. The whimsy of these two helpers appeals greatly to young children, and also demonstrates some important qualities about Dora-Backpack shows that she's prepared, and Map shows that she isn't afraid to ask questions.

One of the main benefits of the show is that Dora is bilingual; the show teaches basic Spanish to preschoolers through songs and story context. One of Dora's catchphrases is "We did it," (in Spanish, "Lo hicimos"). For instance, children will learn Spanish words for family members; Dora lives with her mami and papi, but often visits her abuela (grandma) as well. Diego, Dora's slightly older cousin, often embarks on adventures with her, despite having a show of his own. His parents own the Animal Rescue Center, which explains why Diego is often rescuing wild animals.

Dora's best friend on the show is an energetic monkey named Boots. He has a yellow tummy and wears red boots, and accompanies Dora on most of her adventures. Boots is prone to impulsive decision-making, which gives Dora a chance to reason with him, showing how important it is to be thoughtful instead of careless.

Additional characters include the Fiesta Trio, a grasshopper, a snail, and a frog. They always appear at the end of Dora's adventure to congratulate her with music. Swiper the fox could be considered the "villain" of the show-he likes to steal things, but will sometimes return them voluntarily. Dora frequently asks the audience for help in figuring out where Swiper put something. Swiper isn't always the "bad guy", he does have some positive qualities, which probably accounts for Dora and Boots rescuing him on occasion.

At Play With Dora the Explorer

Dora the Explorer toys and games are endlessly popular with toddlers and young children because they allow children to explore their world just like Dora. Some Dora the Explorer toys give children their own kid-size space to play in, crawl through, or explore, such as the Circus Gazebo tent or an interactive playhouse, a kid-size tunnel, or the Mega-Maze, which combines tents and tunnels. These toys offer a safe "kid space" that's theirs to let their imagination run wild. Parents can even get a life-size Dora doll for their little explorers to take along on their imaginative adventures.

Other fun play spaces include the Talking Kitchen, which plays music, bilingual words, and sound effects, or Dora's Lets get ready vanity complete with a Dora styling head that lets budding hairdressers sharpen their skills on Dora instead of Mom.

When your Dora fan wants to get from place to place or just go on a fun ride, the Dora ATV-style quad is a good choice, as is the Dora the Explorer trike. For indoors based adventures, choose a Dora the Explorer board game like Treasure Quest, or a computer game like Journey to the Purple Planet.

Dora On Stage

Dora the Explorer is such a hit among preschoolers that there have been two stage versions of the show on tour. The first was City of Lost Toys which featured Christina Bianco as Dora. The second Dora's Pirate Adventure featured Danay Ferrer as Dora.

Kids can act out their own Dora adventures with toys like the Colorforms: Dora the Explorer Fold & Play Travel Set or Colorfelts story boards. There's also the Storytime Theater, which projects pictures from a Dora book onto a wall and plays a story while the child reads along in the accompanying book.

Practical Dora Gear

Just as adults do, kids like to have their interests and tastes reflected in the things they use every day. A Dora rolling backpack is handy for those heavy schoolbooks or for going on a trip, while a Dora pajama set is great to snuggle up in at night. Dora the Explorer drapes and toddler bedding can also help make bedtime more fun.

If your toddler enjoys learning and exploring with Dora the Explorer, perhaps they will also enjoy learning wholesome values with Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Additional options include, but are in no way limited to, Fisher Price toys, American Girl Dolls, Barbie, (of course), Disney Princesses, or maybe even the Bratz Dolls.

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