Our approach

Movement, repetition, and song

Three simple ideas shape every Count & Do series book. None of them require a parent to be a teacher - they just require you to get up and join in.

The thinking behind the books

We are not trying to make toddlers study. We are trying to put words inside an activity they already love. Below are the five principles that guide how the books are written, said as plainly as we can say them.

1. Moving helps the word stick

When a child acts out a word instead of only hearing it, more of the brain is involved in learning it. Movement creates stronger connections and reinforces word memory more effectively than passive reading. That is why our books ask children to walk, hop and spin rather than sit still.

Research: Petrigna et al. (2022)

2. Singing turns repetition into something children want

Toddlers need to hear a word many times before it becomes theirs. A melody makes that repetition feel like fun instead of drilling, and singing enhances memory for early learners. Our text is written to be sung, with a steady, predictable rhythm children can join.

Research: Schwab & Lew-Williams (2016); Sutikno et al. (2024)

3. Action verbs are the foundation of early communication

Nouns let a child name the world. Verbs let them act in it. Action verbs are what move a toddler from single words to real sentences, and building vocabulary around them accelerates language development. Every book in the series is organized around verbs for exactly this reason.

Research: Aussems & Kita (2021)

4. Early musical engagement supports broader development

The benefits of music for young children reach past language. Early musical engagement supports broader cognitive development, including attention and executive function - the skills a child uses to focus, wait, and follow a sequence. A book that is also a song does double duty.

Research: Miendlarzewska & Trost (2013)

5. Joyful learning builds confidence that lasts

Joy is not a break from the learning - it is part of how the learning happens. Researchers treat joyful, willing participation as one of the things that makes play play, and a review of studies covering children aged one to eight found that playful, gently guided learning worked at least as well as direct instruction. We believe the confidence follows: a child who associates learning with delight keeps reaching for it. If your toddler is laughing and out of breath, the book is doing its job.

Research: Zosh et al. (2018); Skene et al. (2022)

A note on honesty: several of these studies looked at preschool and primary-school children rather than babies and toddlers. We think the principles carry down to the very youngest readers, but we would rather tell you where the evidence comes from than overstate it.

How the principles show up on the page

In Run, Run, Run!, the five ideas above are not an appendix. They are the structure of the book itself.

Ten verbs, one journey

The book moves from Walk to Run across ten action verbs, so the vocabulary arrives as a story rather than a list.

A number on every page

Each verb is paired with a number from 1 to 10. Counting is woven into the movement instead of being taught separately.

Written to be sung

The rhythm repeats and resolves, which lets a toddler predict what is coming and shout it out before you get there.

Why this works for bilingual and ESL families

A child does not need to already speak English to follow a book that is acted out. They can see the movement, hear the word attached to it, and make the connection directly - no translation step in between.

That makes our books a gentle first-English experience for families learning the language together, and a way for children to pick up ten useful verbs quickly. It is one of the reasons we build every book around actions rather than descriptions.

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References

Every study listed here was checked against the publishing journal's own record. Each title links to the source so you can read it yourself.

  1. Petrigna, L., Thomas, E., Brusa, J., Rizzo, F., Scardina, A., Galassi, C., Lo Verde, D., Caramazza, G., & Bellafiore, M. (2022). Does learning through movement improve academic performance in primary schoolchildren? A systematic review. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 10, 841582. View source
  2. Schwab, J. F., & Lew-Williams, C. (2016). Repetition across successive sentences facilitates young children’s word learning. Developmental Psychology, 52(6), 879-886. View source
  3. Sutikno, P. Y., Jazuli, M., Utomo, U., & Sunarto. (2024). The effects of singing activities on children’s memory, learning motivation, and creativity in an Indonesian kindergarten for preschoolers. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 12(1), e3123. View source
  4. Aussems, S., & Kita, S. (2021). Seeing iconic gesture promotes first- and second-order verb generalization in preschoolers. Child Development, 92(1), 124-141. View source
  5. Miendlarzewska, E. A., & Trost, W. J. (2013). How musical training affects cognitive development: Rhythm, reward and other modulating variables. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 7, 279. View source
  6. Skene, K., O’Farrelly, C. M., Byrne, E. M., Kirby, N., Stevens, E. C., & Ramchandani, P. G. (2022). Can guidance during play enhance children’s learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Development, 93(4), 1162-1180. View source
  7. Zosh, J. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Hopkins, E. J., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Neale, D., Solis, S. L., & Whitebread, D. (2018). Accessing the inaccessible: Redefining play as a spectrum. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1124. View source