Disclosure: The VTech product, information, and giveaway have been provided by VTech. No other compensation was received and all views expressed are my own.
Who couldn't use a little bit of help around the Holidays? For this blog event, I have teamed up with a whole bunch of your favorite bloggers - sit back and let us be your Santa’s Little Helper! We're giving away prizes that just about anyone would want to see under the tree! You might find the perfect gift for a little one on your list – or even for yourself, so hop around to all the blogs on the linky at the bottom of this post and don't miss the
Santa's Little Helper Grand Prize from
Step2!
If there is one thing I've learned in my (almost) four years as a mom, it's that kids develop
at their own pace - and none of them is exactly the same. It can be really hard not to play the comparison game when your child is the one who isn't potty trained yet...or isn't speaking in full sentences...or doesn't sleep through the night. I've struggled with this a lot, but I am figuring out that there's just no way to know how quickly a kid will pick up a new skill. Sometimes, the best we as moms can do is to encourage them, make learning fun, and (eventually) seek outside help if needed.
Milestones seem to always be happening around here! Lately, we're marveling at
how much Addie talks - though when Lincoln was the
same age, he was barely speaking! I have two chatterboxes on my hands right now...it's amazing to me how differently they have worked on their language skills.
VTech has put together a
panel of experts including Dr. Lise Eliot, Early Childhood Mental Development Expert, to create
Developmental Milestones to help parents as they strive to understand how their children are advancing. The milestones are broken down in ages that range from newborn to nine years old - and each age range is divided by three categories of learning:
-Language and Cognitive
-Social and Emotional Development
-Physical and Motor
The categories explain different characteristics and developments that your child is faced with at a specified age and is then followed by recommended products that best cater to your child.
Dr. Lise Eliot took some developmental and Milestones questions from fellow bloggers and I'm sharing a few of her answers below.
Q. As a parent, what are your suggestions on things I can do with my child to help them develop their social and emotional skills? What are ways I can help my child to get the most of their playtime?
A. Social-emotional skills are the bedrock of learning, so good for you for taking an interest in cultivating them in your child. The best way to promote emotional and interpersonal skills is through interaction--reading, singing and lots of talking with your child. Make eye contact with him or her. Laugh together. Direct your child's attention to interesting things in your environment. When you read together, ask your child questions about the characters' thoughts and feelings. This can help build empathy. Another way to think about it is to use books or videos as a stepping stone for dialogue with your child. It's the two-way, back-and-forth sharing of words and feelings that build emotional and communication skills. Playtime has ample opportunity to do this, whether you are visiting the zoo, finger-painting, or playing with toys. Take every opportunity to talk about the feelings and relationships among characters your child is drawing or playing with.
Q. As a stay-at-home mom, I feel like I'm responsible for most of my toddler's learning the first couple of years. How can I ensure that I'm teaching him all he needs to know? What are the best games or play to help him learn basics things like numbers, colors, words, etc.?
A. Children learn through play, so almost any activity is a learning opportunity for your child. Show your child how to count banana slices at lunch time, or toothbrush strokes at bedtime. Read ABC books to him to teach letter sounds and recognition. But don't worry too much about academic skills in younger children. Most important at this age is for children to learn the joy of discovery. Try to avoid drilling exercises (like flashcards) and instead focus on learning about the real world around him--animals, people, vehicles, music, art--whatever you encounter through books or the world outside that excites your child. When kids find a passion and get absorbed in it, early literacy and number skills follow easily.
Q. How do doctors come up with specific milestones for each age group? What are some milestones for older age groups (up to age 9)?
A. Infant developmental milestones have been cataloged by studying thousands of babies from all walks of life. In healthy children, the various milestones emerge in a predictable sequence and time, give or take a few weeks or months. This predictable pattern is due to the maturation sequence of the developing brain, along with the typical sequence of practice most babies engage in, given their gradually growing strength and coordination. Some milestones you can look for as your child gets older include: able to draw a circle at age 3, asking lots of "Why" questions at age 4, knowing his or her letters at age 5, tying shoes at age 6, reading aloud fluently at age 7, and a big spurt of social independence beginning at 8-9 .
What milestone has
your child achieved lately?
VTech sent us some educational toys that are perfect for kids ages 0-3!
Chomp & Count Dino™
(Ages 12-36 months; MSRP: $19.99)
· Simply place one of the eight brightly-colored play pieces in the dino’s mouth and watch as he eats and recognizes each piece.
· Play in either food or counting mode and the dino responds with rewarding sounds and phrases all while introducing colors, numbers, shapes and more.
· Press the question button and kids can answer the dino’s questions to show what they’ve learned.
· Five shape buttons help kids learn shapes and numbers, while spinning the disc on the dino’s back will play sing-along songs.
· The dino can also be pushed or pulled by a string for even more fun melodies.
Roll & Surprise Animal Train™
(Ages 6-36 months; MSRP: $15.99)
· Your little one will enjoy peek-a-boo fun and develop fine motor skills through turn, slide and press activities.
· Animal friends introduce animal names, animal sounds and colors.
· This educational toy also rewards curiosity and teaches cause and effect with pop-up surprises and 55 songs, melodies, sounds, and phrases.
Lil’ Critters Play & Dream Musical Piano™
(Ages 0-12 months; MSRP $24.99)
· Learn and play music with animal friends! The Lil’ Critters Play & Dream Musical Piano by VTech has a variety of fun musical activities that engage your child on the floor or attached to the crib.
· This soft piano features five animal piano keys that introduce music, instruments and animals.
· The piano also includes a light-up sun that shines and flashes to the music to attract your baby’s attention.
· Choose from two modes of play for fun learning and music activities.
My kids are obsessed with all of these toys. I am normally not a big fan of "noisy" toys, but if they are educational and helping my kids to learn, that's such a great benefit!
How do you keep track of the milestones your children achieve? Make sure you're following along with VTech on
Facebook and
Twitter for all the latest updates.
Giveaway
One Director Jewels reader will win
a $60 Prize Pack from VTech - containing all three products featured above! This giveaway will end on
December 18 at 11:59pm CST. This giveaway is open to US readers only (no P.O. Box addresses).
To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well. All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Good luck!
Once you have finished entering my giveaway, hop on over and enter all of the other fantastic giveaways, too! And don't forget to enter to win the
Grand Prize!
Disclosure: I received no compensation for posting this contest. Prize will be provided by Vtech. So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Santa's Little Helper participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. Prizes may NOT arrive in time for Christmas Day. All opinions expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.
