Parents searching for family-friendly Christmas specials for preschoolers can try the Dora the Explorer: Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure DVD, a new Dora the Explorer movie in which Dora and her friends present an age-appropriate version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. By traveling to the past and future, Dora tries to help Swiper the Fox learn the true spirit of Christmas and to teach him not to swipe things so that he will not be on Santa Claus' naughty list anymore. During her travels, Dora encourages preschool viewers to be active and helps them practice learning skills such as using clues to answer riddles, spotting hidden objects in a picture, and doing simple math.
Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure DVD Plot
As usual, Dora must solve a problem over the course of this movie. Dora and her friends are preparing to have a Nochebuena party (a Christmas Eve celebration) and teaching the young viewer about Christmas customs like placing presents under the Christmas tree. Suddenly, Swiper shows up to steal the Christmas star off of the tree, which places him on Santa's naughty list.
The only way Swiper can get off of Santa's naughty list is to earn ornaments by showing the Christmas spirit. He is given a card picturing a Christmas tree that is missing four ornaments and its star, and he must travel to the past and future to collect the missing decorations. Dora offers to help, and she and Swiper visit the grumpy old troll to earn traveling capes that will allow them to travel through time.
Although Swiper has promised to behave, at the beginning of his adventure with Dora, he is still trying to swipe things by sneaking up on different animals (children must develop their identification skills by naming each animal). Slowly, over the course of the movie, Swiper mends his ways and learns not to steal things after witnessing the effect that his past and possible future actions had and have on those around him.
Dora the Explorer Movie About Christmas Spirit
The time travel element makes this Dora the Explorer movie a bit more complicated to follow and interesting to watch than a normal Dora the Explorer episode. Preschoolers will enjoy seeing Dora and her friends as babies and as little kids and witnessing the birth of Swiper's penchant for stealing things (when, as a baby, he discovers that he loves receiving Christmas presents so much that he decides to take everyone else's holiday gifts, too). Young children will also enjoy meeting the older Dora (who resembles the new Dora Links doll) and seeing how Dora saves Swiper from ending up alone and friendless.
Although this Dora Christmas DVD does emphasize the joys of receiving Christmas presents, it also points out the greater importance of having friends who care about each other and help each other out. Older Swiper has hoarded everyone's Christmas presents in his home, but he is the least happy of anyone in the future. Furthermore, it is seeing Dora and all of her friends work together to try to help him that convinces Swiper to change once and for all and try giving things out instead of taking them.
Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure DVD Review
Overall, this Dora Christmas DVD will entertain and teach preschoolers simple skills while also helping them learn the value of giving and the true spirit of Christmas. Kids will enjoy acting out shaking the travel cape to move through time and solving riddles about Christmas figures like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. Young children will also enjoy extras like a "Jingle Bells" music video, a "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" music video, and a behind the scenes featurette about the Young People's Chorus.
Preschoolers may also enjoy other educational DVDs about Christmas and winter holidays, such as Dora Celebrates Three Kings Day! or Go! Diego! Go! Diego Saves Christmas!
Renee Carver - Renée Carver has an Elementary Education degree and over ten years of experience writing and editing children's educational products.
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