Pester Power! (CBeebies BBC Weekly)

Member Name: cmh4135

Product:	CBeebies BBC Weekly
Date:	02/01/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Kids seem to love it!

Disadvantages: Content and gifts vary in suitability

I must confess to having very pre-conceived ideas about children's magazines. These ideas include them being expensive, rather scant in content and that children are lured by the free gifts which, will, undoubtedly be broken and thrown in the bin within minutes.

CBeebies Weekly magazine hasn't really proven to be much different but it does have a few redeeming features. I still think that it needs to be looked at carefully each week to see whether the redeeming features are present though!

The front cover of the magazine is always a busy affair which feels rather frantic and reminds me a lot of the kind of flitty conversations that one has with a toddler as they switch from subject to subject. Many of the CBeebies characters appear on the cover to lure the toddler in.

The front cover is also where you'll find the free gift attached and, more often than not, it's this that appears to clinch the deal for the child. Cries that they really want the plastic item are hard to stop! However, all is not lost here. Sometimes the gifts are better than others. Whilst the plastic spinning top or whistle might have limited appeal items such as a post office set or skittles game might actually have some staying power. The toys, in general, are of a reasonable quality and are suitable from about 2 up (despite the standard CE warning that they're not for under 3s).

The inside of the rather oversized cover of this magazine always seems to include a reward chart for the child and parent to fill in. Stickers with suggested challenges are included in the centerfold of the magazine but you could always make up your own challenges. If your child completes the challenge then they can attach a reward sticker to their chart. I guess these things work for some and not for others. Only you will know.

Rather than just being a collection of stories or comic strips the magazine is more like a children's puzzle and activity book. There will be things to colour in, places to put stickers, puzzles to solve and, of course, stories to share. Sometimes the magazine will be themed, other times not. CBeebies characters are used throughout to keep the child interested.

I've found that the content of the magazine varies greatly from week to week. Sometimes I'll flick through and think that the whole magazine is suitable for my 2 ½ year old (he's quite good with letters and numbers); on other occasions I'll look and find perhaps one activity that would be OK and the rest are aimed at older children. There doesn't seem to be much consistency. Indeed, one can actually find copies where the whole is aimed at the older child and the gift at a younger child and vice versa. Sometimes they get it right!

The activities are quite well structured with handy hints being given for parents to direct play and learning. It's rare that you get something really silly or suggestions that will involve a lot of cost or mess but sometimes you do. Thankfully the parent suggestions are discrete enough that you can ignore those you think inappropriate! Parenting tips are also provided but worry not, they're not in your face!

This is, above all, a magazine to share with your child. It's not the kind of thing that you're going to get maximum benefit from if you just give it to your child and let them get on with it. Undoubtedly the older child will manage most of the tasks but they may well miss out on many of the learning opportunities on the way.

When my son gets a copy of this magazine he will repeatedly go back to it and even completed tasks will get a second chance. Sometimes he misses the point but then he still has fun.

The magazine should appeal equally to girls and boys under 4. Over that age, again you'll need to check the magazine, sometimes it's more appropriate to one gender than another.

At £1.99 I feel that the magazine is still quite expensive for what you get but the marketing people have got it right and it still appeals enormously to the pre-schoolers.
It's not really changed my overall impression of children's magazines (and I'd still rather buy a good book and a colouring set) but I am prepared to buy it occasionally, when the content is right, and sit with my son for a few hours of good fun.


Recommended with reservations

Summary: Good if you are prepared to vet it first AND to sit with your child while they enjoy it!