The Dora franchise boasts a decade's worth of marketing, resulting in a recognizable brand name and a bunch of toys, books, games, videos, and clothing.
Positive Messages
a lot
The show focuses on cooperation and working together with others to achieve goals. Major themes include communication, curiosity, and perseverance.
Educational Value
some
Dora, who's bilingual, translates Spanish phrases into English and vice-versa. With all of the repetition, kids are bound to pick some of it up. Kids will also learn about culture.
Positive Role Models
some
Dora is a spunky, determined girl who approaches problems with a can-do attitude.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Dora the Explorer is a show about a bilingual communicator who can speak with all of the critters and humans in her vicinity. Some of the language lessons may rub off on kids -- but other viewers might get bored. Since phrases are constantly repeated, parents may want to consider whether they want their kids to be repeating the same episodes all day. The series offers good exposure to language, culture, and creativity.
The show teaches compassion and empathy for others, different cultures, and animals. I like that it gets your child moving by stomping their feet or clapping their hands. Each episode encourages the viewer to problem solve by presenting solutions to choose from that involve math, such as shapes and numbers, or art like music and colors, while your child is none the wiser. The characters treat each other with kindness and respect, never speaking ill of each other or being violent, and help each other when in need (including the bad guy, Swiper, to recognize how swiping from others affects them). Not to mention, your child will pick up on Spanish, because the show includes the viewer by asking for your help from growing flowers to reuniting a baby bird with it's Mommy. However, you might catch your kid yelling while watching the show, because it does tell you to say whatever phrase they need help with ”Louder!” often, so one star off for that. That aside, I also like that it helps build memory by asking the viewer to remember the map order they need to travel by each episode.
I’ll be honest, I tried to hold off on my kid watching tv as long as possible, and especially Dora the Explorer (or any show that can be seen on the shelves of most toy isles) - but someone put the show on for her while baby sitting, and I gotta say it’s a great show.
The other bad reviews seem to be commenting on the movie, Dora The Explorer in the Lost City of Gold, which I’ll agree is geared towards a more mature audience. But the tv show is so good that my daughter now speaks in Spanish phrases interchangeably. For example, “Sientate perrito.” Or “Sit puppy.” And she’s 2 and half.
Not sure what the other bad reviews mean about paganism, I've yet to see that issue and we’re on Season 5 now.
DORA THE EXPLORER is about a young girl and her companion, a monkey named Boots, who are always on the go. They travel over rivers and mountains to reach whatever goal has been set for a particular episode. Dora gets help from her trusty talking backpack full of necessary items and her map, which illustrates the obstacles between Dora and her goal. When Dora reaches her destination, she and Boots break out in song and dance, exclaiming "We did it, we did it!"
On one hand, Dora is an admirable character with a can-do attitude, but on the other hand, the show can seem simplistic -- even for young viewers. Challenges are often similar, which may get a bit monotonous.
Still, the bilingual and cultural aspects of Dora the Explorer are right on target, featuring music, holidays, and plants and animals relevant to Central and South American culture. And Dora often decides to "stop and think" about a problem when she can't immediately solve it, proving her to be a thoughtful, patient heroine.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Dora the Explorer's repetition -- is it a good learning tool, or does it make the program seem like virtual brainwashing?
What do kids think about the show's lessons about language and culture?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
