My 5-year old son has been working on sounding out words and writing letters. In fact, he carries around a stack of post-it notes and is constantly writing words and posting them around the house! It’s been sweet to see his newfound enthusiasm in reading and writing. That’s why PB Kids' Super WHY! has been a great choice for our family recently. Here’s the scoop on the show and why it’s one of our top picks.
The Show:
Super WHY!, for pre-school aged children
Where We Watch:
TV (local PBS channel), online or download the free PBS KIDS Video App
The Gist:
Wyatt is a little boy with a love for reading and solving problems. In each episode, he and his friends are faced with a new challenge. Wyatt and his friends jump into a book and transform into literacy superheroes. They read a story that parallels the problem they are facing in real-life and are tasked with uncovering “super letters” to find the “super story answer” to a problem in the story. Each character brings a different set of literacy skills to the situation (e.g., letter recognition, phonics, reading comprehension), and once they uncover the “super story answer,” they use it to address the problem they are facing in real life.
Why My Kids Like It:
Wyatt and his friends talk to viewers frequently and ask them open-ended questions. My son loves shouting out the answers! He especially likes identifying the letters for the characters and sounding out words, as these are two things he’s been working on at school. My daughter is intrigued by the stories and loves some of the fairy-tale characters that appear in the episodes (e.g, Three Little Pigs, Sleeping Beauty).
Why I Like It:
This program supports literacy development and problem-solving: two very important skill-sets for preschoolers. This show gives early readers a chance to practice their literacy skills in a supportive and engaging manner. My son beams when he answers the questions correctly, and I believe this show helps build his confidence in reading.
I also love the collaborative approach the characters take by asking for viewers’ help. Their open-ended questions give more advanced readers the option to answer questions on their own, while the characters also offer support and clues to viewers who might need a little extra help.
And finally, I appreciate how the show promotes reading books to find solutions to problems. With so much information available online, it’s refreshing to see a library setting and a book club where the characters are eager to “jump into a book.” --Marcie
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