Courage, honour, decency, doing the right thing even when nobody’s watching....good movies are great teachers, especially since kids seldom forget what they see in a movie! Hollywood movies can be every mum's nightmare, but not all English movies are bad for your brood. Here are some sterling DVD movies you can watch together as a family.
PS: You’ll love them, too.
Ages 3-7: Kids this age pick up words very quickly. It’s a case of ‘monkey see, monkey do’, so flicks that set a good example are a must.
The Care Bears Movie: Sweet, affectionate, thoughtful and courteous, the Care Bears are a wonderful introduction to the world! The Care Bears fight evil curses and worldly cynicism to make the children on earth loving and hopeful. The crux of this magical adventure is that it is essential to care about others, a maxim every child needs to internalize.
DAD’S CHOICE: Horton Hears a Who: The value of a life is strongly emphasized in this tale of Horton the elephant who moves heaven and earth to protect the microscopic Whos, the citizens of Whoville. Horton’s diligence, determination and a never-say-die spirit go hand-in-hand with a heartfelt kindness and compassion that makes him a worthy hero for any child.
MOM’S CHOICE: My Little Pony: The little magic ponies of Ponyland cherish, support and encourage each other, living in harmony and helping each other out of difficulties. The ponies cooperate and share, but the baddies, comically wicked witch sisters Draggle and Reeka, bicker and try to get each other into trouble. This cartoon film has an upbeat, can-do vibe, and shows how teamwork and cooperation win the day.
Ages 8-12: It’s character-building time! Children this age often watch their favourite movies over and over again, which makes movie-viewing a fabulous, pain-free way to reinforce positive messages. At this impressionable age, kids need to know that it isn’t unheard-of to be good. Counteract bratty influences with these wholesome family films.
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory: A must-watch - the adorably sweet-natured, honest and polite Charlie Bucket and his poor but loving family are portrayed with great sincerity and realism. Common failings among contemporary children, such as over-competitiveness, materialism obesity and even TV addiction are targeted, and of course, there is a happy ending for the good boy!
DAD’S CHOICE: Kung-Fu Panda : A cute animated parody of martial-arts movies, this movie’s offbeat stance and whacky humour is guaranteed to appeal to grown men and small children alike. Po the Panda shows that the unlikeliest person can be a hero and that what we see as flaws may be our pathways to success.
MOM’S CHOICE: Babe: This Oscar-winning tale of a talking pig is a heart-warming fable about the importance of new ideas and dreaming big. The themes of changing mindsets, overcoming prejudices are especially good for opening up young minds to the possibilities their world offers.
