English is no doubt the universal language. In most parts of the world, it is a common and effective alternative to establish effective communication among people with distinct language backgrounds. For parents coming from countries where English is not even its second language, movies play a key role in helping children learn English easier and more enjoyable.
Watching fun educational videos for kids offers a wide array of benefits. Entertainment aside, children become exposed to various cultures around the world while fueling their imaginations. Additionally, children develop abilities and values such as empathy and literacy skills as their minds become integrated with the story of the movie they are watching.
For parents, especially those with minimal background knowledge of the language, watching movies is a fun way of improving their children’s grammatical and communicative competencies while enjoying intimate quality time with the family. Watching English movies straight from the box enhances children’s vocabulary as they become exposed to phrases common in daily conversations, slang, pronunciations, idiomatic expressions, figurative language, among many others. Depending on the type of movies being watched, the whole process improves knowledge on history, science, environment, geography, and many other disciplines.
At Kids Academy, fun and entertaining English movies are an integral component of our whole-child approach towards holistically improving your young and energetic students. You can look upon our web blog for parents to gain more insights.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(1964 British Novel authored by Roadl Dahl)
(2005 Movie directed by Tim Burton)
Story:
The movie is based on the British novel written by Roald Dahl that was published in 1964. The story revolves around the magical adventure of the main character Charlie Bucket as he tours inside the huge and amazing chocolate factory of Willy Wonka. The said factory has been closed for years and has recently reopened with a bang allowing five winners of Golden Tickets hidden inside Wonka chocolate bars a grand tour inside the mysterious and rather delicious factory. Alongside his Grandpa Joe and four other lucky winners, Charlie Bucket embarked on a mouth-watering tour led by the factory owner himself, Willy Wonka. Unexpected twists and events took place throughout the tour. As it appears, the tour was just a test from which Charlie Bucket solely accomplished satisfactorily and won a grand prize.
Why it’s great for your children
As the title of the movie implies, the whole scenario of the story is filled with colorful elements that are tasty to the eyes. Besides, who doesn’t love chocolates? The title itself is more than appealing to children and the young at heart.
Scrumptious adventures aside, the story introduces an array of morals throughout its plots and characters. The movie creatively and appetizingly presents the consequences of disobedience and impatience. It also teaches about honesty and integrity in a rather splendid conclusion as Charlie Bucket becomes the new owner of the chocolate factory has been able to maintain his respectful behavior to the very end.
The story also introduces a plethora of new words to help improve a child’s vocabulary. Learning these new terms is quite easy as the motion picture consistently presents fun illustrations giving life to its meaning. With the aid of subtitles, the movie is both fun to read and watch!
Great for: children 5-8 years old
Back to the Future
(3-Part Franchise: 1985, 1989, 1990)
(Written by Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale)
(Directed by Robert Zemeckis)
Story:
Time travel, a cool ride, and rewriting the past are just some of the key elements of the story that have made Back to the Future an appealing movie to a widely diversified audience. A mediocre high school student, Marty McFly, travels back to the past through the invention of his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown and meets the younger version of his parents. The whole time travel exploit is filled with struggles of keeping Marty’s identity while safeguarding the romantic relationship of his parents. Throughout his time-conflicted journey, Marty faces endless troubles with his time-traveling DeLorean car and a gang of villains.
Why it’s great for your children:
Being a science-fiction film, Back to the Future is a riveting way of introducing the wonders of Science and all its possibilities to your children. It’s filled with lively conversations underscoring different emotions and the varying personalities of the characters involved. Although the theme of the conversations is somewhat complex due to the nature of the story, the message between the lines is easily comprehensible.
The movie is a fun way to fire up a child’s imagination and his / her motivation to live a life full of adventures. With the main character being a high school student, Back to the Future offers a relatable glimpse of the past to the teens of today who are more engaged with their gadgets instead of enjoying face-to-face interaction with family and friends. It teaches family values and the importance of preserving intimate family ties. The story shares the gravity of future consequences relevant to past decisions and actions.
Great for children: 10 and up
Spellbound
(Documentary – 2002)
(Directed by Jeffrey Blitz)
Story:
Spellbound is a 2002 documentary that trails on the academic journey of eight promising students in the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Being a non-fictional film, the documentary reflects real-life academic and personal struggles and triumphs of students engaged in such competitions.
Why it’s great for your children:
The whole film is a blanket of inspiration covering the unique endeavors of each of the team members. The excitement of the team’s journey as they worked their way up the ranks is as invigorating and electrifying to the audience as they are to the actual participants of the competition. The roller coaster ride of the team showcases the values of perseverance, hard work, and camaraderie – just some of the many life’s morals and principles a parent wants to impart to his child. Given the nature of the competition, the film is the perfect ingredient to enhance a child’s vocabulary while witnessing front row the actual journey of being an academic competitor.
Great for children: 7 and up
Toy Story
(4-part Franchise – 1995, 1999, 2010, 2019)
(Owned by Disney Interprises, Inc.)
Story:
One of the most iconic media franchises ever produced by Disney, Toy Story is a wish come true to every child. The story revolves around the adventures of a group of toys owned by Andy. Led by Woody and Buzz Lightyear, the toys come alive to survive the struggles they face in the daily life of their owner. From lost toys and fresh members to new owners and some misunderstandings on the side, the toys team up in making themselves relevant to Andy and his family.
Why it’s great for your children:
Every child imagines his or her toy to be alive. Toy Story tickles the child’s imagination with a group of friendly and funny toys. The theme of the movie ponders on the value of taking good care of one’s personal belongings, especially toys. It teaches responsibility and discipline in a fun and inspirational way. The story itself is a package of love, compassion, friendship, perseverance, and a whole lot more. What better way to learn the language than imagining your toys to be alive?
Great for children: preschool and up
The Lion King
(1994, 2019)
(Produced by Walt Disney Pictures)
Story:
Nothing beats The Lion King movie in teaching us about the “Circle of Life”. A family-musical animated movie, the story brings the audience into the patriarchal kingdom of the wild highlighting the life of Simba, a young lion cub, who is being groomed to succeed the throne of his father, Mufasa. But long before Simba could reach adulthood, his uncle, Scar, devised a plan to kill Mufasa and blame the young prince for the tragic incident. Out of shame and disgust, Simba banished himself from the kingdom and would, later on, reclaim the throne upon realizing the real story behind his father’s death.
Why it’s great for your children:
Both movies (original and remake) gained a number of awards including the prestigious Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards. Such accolades significantly highlight the quality of the movie in terms of entertainment and education. The life of Simba teaches children the values of honor and respect. It also exemplifies leadership, teamwork, empathy, and camaraderie. Besides, the entire film is riddled with fun and joyful songs that would certainly remain in your memory. Take “Hakuna Matata” by Timon and Pumbaa for example.
Great for children: preschool and up
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
(1966-Animated TV Film)
(2000 Live-Action Feature Film)
(1957 Children Story by Dr. Seuss)
Story:
Based on the 1957 children story written by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, How the Grinch Stole Christmas tells a story about an eccentric and grouchy character who prefers to live alone in his cave in Mount Crumpit, not so far away from Whoville, a small town of Christmas-loving Whos. Mr. Grinch on the other hand, hates everything about Christmas and gets irritatingly annoyed by the sound of happiness and joy in Whoville upon celebrating the festivity. Together with his loyal and hapless dog Max, Mr. Grinch sneaks into every house of Whoville to snatch trees, decorations, and gifts on Christmas Eve.
Why it’s great for your children:
Unlike most children’s stories and movies, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” is written in rhymed verse. It’s a fun and creative way for children to learn new words and phrases in the English language. Not to mention a number of values one can get from the story such as love, compassion, forgiveness, empathy, and a whole lot more.
Great for Children: 7 and up
Harry Potter
“Expecto Patronum!”
Story:
It’s no surprise Harry Potter landed in our list of best movies children can enjoy to boost their English Skills. Based on the seven-book novel written by renowned author J.K. Rowling, the film series follows the growth of a young wizard who was orphaned by the murder of his parents when he was still a baby. All of the eight movies share the adventures and struggles of “The Boy Who Lived” as he inches closer to the revelation and eventually a duel with the murderer of his parents, Lord Voldemort. Along the way, Harry Potter loses friends and makes sacrifices in his battle against the dark wizard.
Why it’s great for your children:
Watching a movie about the school can be pretty boring to children. Harry Potter, however, is an exception. Between the typical school blues of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a circus of everything magical such as giant spiders, fire-spitting dragons, griffin, werewolves, flying cars, and brooms, giants, and many others. With eight movies, all in all, the Harry Potter series surely won’t bore your children even if it means watching the films again and again. On top of that, the story gives a glimpse of complex real-life issues but with a magical twist and a wand. Besides, it’s a fun way to learn British phrases and accents!
Great for children: 8 and up
Lastly…
Learning is not just about reading books and working on lesson exercises. Parents should bear in mind that child development should be approached holistically and this very much includes letting them watch and enjoy educational movies. More and more teachers nowadays integrate movies into their lessons as an effective supplement to their instructions. Besides, it’s always fun to watch and enjoy fun movies with your children.
