Movies as Teaching Tools and Fun + Giveaway!!
We love going to the movies! I remember going to the movies when I was a little girl! I remember sitting in the big seats with my feet in the air because I was too short to reach the floor. I remember grabbing popcorn out of the giant bucket and eating candy, while sipping on a cup of soda with a straw out of the side of my mouth. I remember laughing out loud and hearing my family laugh as well.
Now that I am a grownup, I experience the popcorn, the soda, the candy and the laughter, but my feet now comfortable rest on the ground. I love to go to the movies with Frank and our 6 kids. Every time we go, we buy a big bucket of popcorn (free refill of course) and then get 6 trays. We then pour popcorn into each tray and pass the goodies down the line. There is something so nostalgic about hearing our precious children laugh or gasp at the movies we watch on the big screen. These are memories they’ll carry with them just as I have.
Movies are not only a form of entertainment, but they can also be used as teaching tools. How do we use movies as teaching tools? Often times, we talk as a family about the movie we just watched. We’ll ask them what their favorite part or favorite character in the movie was. Then they talk about why it was their favorite part or favorite character (initiating group conversation). We’ll talk about what the characters did and should have done differently or how their bad choices lead to consequences. We also talk about how their good choices lead to positive outcomes. Sometimes we even talk about what the next movie in the sequel might be like (imagination kicks in here). So there you have it – movies can be used as positive teaching tools.
One of our favorite ways to go to the movies with 6 kids is by purchasing our movie tickets online (or on the app) with Fandango. It makes the process so easy and smooth. Basically we choose the theater, movie and time we want and then the number of adult and children tickets we want. We pay online or through the app and immediately receive a confirmation email. We then head to the movie theater, walk in and either print our tickets at the kiosk or show them our purchase on our phones. Then it’s into the movie theater we go. This is totally the way to do it, especially with a big family or little kids – or if you’re going to see a movie that is likely to sell out at the theater that day. We love Fandango!!!
GIVEAWAY
1 lucky winner on The Mommy-Files will receive a $50 Fandango Gift Card!!!
Have you used Fandango before? How do you use movies as a learning tool?
This is a sponsored post with Fandango. All opinions are mine.
Social modeling, presenting scenarios that may contain everyday situations that we all encounter at one time or another …and then showing how different people handle them successfully (or not) is one of the best ways I have used movies as a learning tool for my kids. Heck, sometimes I still do for me! 🙂
Aside from discussing the movie, it can also used as a teaching tool to teach manners. You can discuss how children need to whisper or sit still so others can enjoy the movie.
Thank you!
We discuss the movie and discuss the different lessons that can be learned in the movies. When we go to the movies, we teach them how to behave at the theater.
I use movies as a learning tool for my grandson when we watch movies that teach kindness or movies that show how someone overcame an obstacle.
Movies sure can teach us so much even as adults. I see how my 2 yr old grandson picks up on everything even the little things in movies. If there are good learning experiences in movies we talk about them with my son and daughter. it’s good to know what they are thinking and how they perceive things.
We use the movies to teach the kids how to respect others space and to sit in there seats and to whisper if they have to say something!
I haven’t really thought about it as a teaching tool except to distinguish between pretend and real
I like to take my boys to family movies that have good moral lessons in them. Kids learn more than we think from what they watch.
We talk about the subject, characters and setting and how it may or may not relate to real life.
we talk about the movie on the way home and discuss what happened and what they learned from it
I try to use movies to teach life lessons like being faithful or hard working. Those ideas can be hard to teach in an abstract way. When the underdog wins and is celebrated in a movie or something similar, those are rewarding moments.
We discuss characters and story after watching movies.
I show a clip from despicable me to introduce the concept of vectors to my senior math class. Thank you
I prefer movies based on high quality books. First we read and discuss the book. They we watch the movie. You can make a Venn diagram and compare and contrast the two.
Movies can open up many interesting conversations which can be teachable moments.
I like to show the many life lessons that movies play out to my daughter
We discuss some of the movies that we watch together and there was a time we asked the little one to write a brief movie review/report!
We have a discussion about the movie afterwards or use the movie as an example to teach my kids.
I watch movies about history so I can learn from them.
We read “The Time Machine” and then watched the 1960s movie. Then my sons wrote an essay about it.
We discuss what we learned and talk about why we would not do some of the things that we saw in the movie. We discuss better way we would deal with certain situations that can have controversy.
I commented on this blog post
Camping and Crafting with Kids
Sometimes we discuss what the characters did, whether it was good or bad.
We usually have a discussion about what we learned, liked, and disliked. I also use the theatre as a place were we practice our inside and whisper voices.
Well I make sure the movie is kid friendly and I always discuss the good bad and what ifs of the movie
I always discuss what the moral of the story is! Christmas movies make the best discussions!!
I use movies as a learning tool about history with my teenager.
We like to watch those Disney nature movies like the ones they did on the penguins, bears, and chimpanzees.
We talk about the lessons we learned from the movie.
We discuss the characters and plot.
We talk about what the movie is about and what lessons the characters learned
I like movies that have a moral to the story, not just any type of movie gets played in our house! When the kids were younger I loved choosing Veggie tales because they always have a good message!
He have a talk afterward about the things that happened in the movies and everybody’s thoughts on them.
It is a great way to talk about things we learned and did not understand.
I teach my child that art imitates life. We discuss how even the most sci fi movie relates to experiences we have in everyday life.
I left a comment here http://www.themommy-files.com/2014/12/5-things-can-learn-kayapo-people-amazon-rainforest/#comment-653845
We like to watch true stories and talk about them after. If the movie isn’t a true story but could very well be we talk about how we would react.
Normally going to the movies involves teaching social behavior and manners. Please and thank you. When its ok to talk and when you need to be quiet.
to show that actions have consequences