Looking for some fun ways to keep preschoolers active during the cold winter months? I have some ideas to share with you today, that will help your little ones burn off some energy indoors this season.
We were incredibly lucky to have some fairly mild temperatures this season, however it appears that the cold temperatures have finally arrived to stay. Despite the dipping temperatures outdoors, toddlers still need to burn off all of that excess energy! The past few weeks, I've taken to doing a few fun active activities indoors with my little guy, and they all seem to be a big hit!
Read on for 3 fun ways to keep preschoolers active indoors during winter, below.
Monthly subscription boxes are all the rage these days! But which monthly subscription boxes are best for kids? With so many subscription box services available, it can be hard to pick the right one. Which monthly kids subscription box service holds the most value? Which service will your kids actually enjoy?
Whether you want to gift a one time, one month subscription box to a kiddo this holiday season, or you're looking to gift them with an entire year of monthly surprises, these are 13 of the best subscription boxes for kids, to subscribe to and gift this holiday!
13 of the best monthly subscription boxes for kids:
Friends, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about all of the great new toys from LeapFrog; especially this Count Along Cash Register! But first, can I let you in on something?
As a mother of two young children, and two older children, I've had a front row seat to the evolution of the toy industry over the past 13 years. Honestly? I started to feel a little jaded and saddened by it all. With kids becoming increasingly more interested in screens, I often found myself wondering what that would mean for the youngest generation. How would they develop the critical thinking skills, so desperately needed, yet not often taught these days? How would they develop crucial fine motor skills? How would they learn much of everything they need to know, if they were simply "swiping screens?"
Now don't get me wrong, we love some of the learning tablets currently on the market. However, like everything else, they have their place. Children, especially very young children, require years of hands-on learning, through play. Tons and tons of it! It helps them to develop problem solving skills and good listening skills, which in-turn helps them to follow directions, which in-turn helps them to learn - and so on- and so-forth. Real life hands-on play is so incredibly necessary for children to develop normally; it's something that can't be achieved virtually. It just can't.
Read on for more on the Count Along Cash Register by LeapFrog.
I've been on the hunt lately for screen-free learning activities and fun for our toddler. While we love some of the fun kids tablets currently on the market, it's equally as fun and important to have screen-free activities for preschoolers to explore, too.
We are absolutely loving the new LeapStart™ Interactive Learning System by LeapFrog! It's a wonderful screen free tool for early learning, that actually grows with your child. There are two versions of this interactive system currently available; "Preschool" and "Kidergarten & 1st Grade." While our soon to be 3 year old is using the Kidergarten & 1st Grade version [pictured], it accommodates all of the preschool "level 1 & 2" books, too. You simply need to connect the learning system to your computer [via the on-board USB port] and download the content for each of the books, from the LeapFrog website. It only takes a few minutes [it's super simple] and I love that the system will continue to grow with him through 1st grade.
American Girl has a brand new line of building sets by Mega Bloks! These fun construction sets feature characters from American Girl's popular Girl of the Year (GOTY line, and scenes from their individual storylines.
My daughter is absolutely loving all of the creative play and building fun packed into each set!
Read on for more details on where you can find the American Girl Mega Bloks sets and to check out pics of ALL of the American Girl Mega Bloks building sets that are currently available.
This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed are our own.
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Things have definitely changed since I was a child. Technology is woven into nearly every element of our daily lives now, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. There's a balance to be struck between the virtual and physical worlds, and it's a balance that we must help our children find as parents. Admittedly, it's a pretty tough task though!
Whether your taking to the friendly skies this summer, or your headed out on an epic road-trip with the family, get there safe! If you have young children, don't leave home this Summer without the essentials.
Our top summer travel safety essentials picks for families include:
With the record-breaking brutal Winter finally behind us, we are ready for some much-needed time outside, and SUNSHINE! Lots of sunshine! We don't waist any time diving into the next season around here either! We already have our summer plans in the works. This year we are planning some fun exploration around the city, a few fun day trips, and a long weekend away. Nothing too big; it'll surely be memorable though. In all honesty, some of our most memorable moments tend to be spent at home, just relaxing and having fun in the backyard with the kids.
Do you have a child that wears eyeglasses? Help ease the transition into wearing and caring for their eyeglasses, with these new plush cases from Lenz Frenz! SUPER CUTE, right?
These plush animal cases house a hard shell {lined} case, that protects your child's glasses while en-route and at home. These little cuties also help prevent loss of eyeglasses both by design and size; the Lenz Frenz is far easier to spot {especially for a child} than a standard eyeglass case!
I know I say this every year, but seriously, where did the time go? I can't believe that the holiday season is already upon us!
Like most, I'm already scouring the stores and the internet in my spare time for toys that will occupy, entertain, educate, and allow my kids to stretch their wings creatively. I put a HUGE amount of thought and effort into what we gift our children each year, and I appreciate that the folks at YoYo.com have put the same visible amount of effort into curating a prettyfabulous, 2014 Top 35 Hot Holiday Toy List.
"We know that holiday shopping can be quite overwhelming, and we're here to help with the heavy lifting," said Emilie Arel Scott, Senior Vice President of Retail at Quidsi. "We've sifted through thousands of kid-tested toys to create a list that engages children and fosters development. Best of all, these toys can be delivered right to your doorstep in 1-2 days. We want to make the shopping experience easier for parents, allowing them to spend less time in stores and waiting in lines and more time enjoying this special time of year with their families."
YoYo.com's Top 35 Hot Toy List includes mainstream brands that parents have come to know and love such as, LEGO, Fisher-Price, LeapFrog. They've also included some great item's from premium boutique brands like Janod, Djeco, and the newest hit amongst young girls, GoldieBlox. Some of these awesome top 35 picks also made their way into our top picks - which will publishing shortly with our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide. Keep an eye out for hands-on video reviews of some of these fun finds over the next few days too!
Now, without further adieu, I give you YoYo.com's 2014 Top 35 Hot Toy List:
LEGO. What can I say? It's a way of life for our son (and many for that matter). He is completely enamored/awed/into it. I could go on and on ... but you get the point, right? He's a big fan!
The new school year is upon us! My children kicked off the new school year today and we have been gearing up for the past few weeks. One of my favorite thing's about this time of year is spotting all of the fun new trends.
These are some of the top 2014 back to school trends that we are loving this year:
It's that time of year again - the back-to-school shopping frenzy is officially upon us! Before you head out to the stores to stock-up, learn how to save BIG on Back to School shopping this year - with these tips:
There's a new LEGO line in town and you won't want to miss it! The much anticipated LEGO Fusion line of building sets brings brick creations to life, like never before. LEGO Fusion marries physical brick play and modern technology, creating a new level of creative play that's sure to be a hit with LEGO fans of all ages. Check out all of the details on this new line and enter to win a LEGO Fusion Prize Pack (includes 3 LEGO Fusion Sets - total RV $110) below!
Looking for that perfect present for the young guys in your life this holiday? We think that he will be over-the-moon excited to discover any one of these fun finds under the tree this holiday!
Our top holiday gift picks for boys this year include:
Looking for the perfect gifts for the girls in your life this holiday season? Add a bow to any of these items and you are guaranteed to bring a smile to her face this holiday!
Summer is fast approaching! Within a matter of mere days, school will let out and the kids will be ready for some Summer fun! While I love spending fun, active [and at times, lazy] Summer days with the kids- it's so important to keep them educationally engaged throughout the Summer months. It not only helps to ease the transition back into school at the end of Summer, it also helps them retain all of the valuable information that they learned throughout the school year.
One way we plan to help our daughter remain engaged throughout the Summer months, is with the Vtech InnoTAB 2S. Vtech was kind enough to send over a Vtech InnoTAB 2S and game cartridges, for my daughter to check out over the Summer. She is safely in the middle of the recommended age for the device [recommended for ages 3-9].
The version that we received came with preloaded with Apps [additional Apps available for download/sold separately], offering up tons of opportunities for fun packed learning and creativity.
So far, she LOVES the Calendar App [which is customizable with stickers for holidays and notes for events/schedules] , the Art App[ which allows you to draw free-hand, paint and color] and she adores that she now has the ability to record her own video's with the rotating camera [which also takes still photo's], as she absolutely LOVES to sing!
We have also been enjoying exploring the interchangeable game cartridges [the device is packaged with 1 game cartridge-others sold separately].
Madagascar 3 for the InnoTAB 2S offers up endless hours of learning fun. The player can choose to either use the touch screen or the tilt sensor within the device to play the games and navigate the e-book and other activities included in this cartridge. This cartridge offers learning opportunities in the subjects of math, spelling and more.
As a parent, my favorite features on the InnoTAB 2S are the "Wishlist Maker" and the e-books [included in cartridges and also available for download online-charges may apply] .
The Wishlist Maker on the InnoTAB 2S: The "Wish list Maker" is a wonderful tool to incorporate into a child's reward system. My daughter can place apps, games and books into her wish list. I can then download/purchase from her list as a special reward for staying on task, reaching a goal or doing her chores.
E-books on the InnoTAB 2S: Whether your child is independently reading or is having the book read aloud by the narrator, the words are highlighted in the e-books as they go. This has really has helped our daughter with sight-word recognition and recognition of larger words.
Attention NYC Moms and Moms to-be - this is the can't miss event of the season! Big City Moms Biggest Baby Shower Ever event is like no other
baby shower you've ever seen! With over 100 of the best companies in
the baby industry, it's a one stop shop to test out, touch, feel and
get educated on everything you can possibly need for your growing
family. Enjoy mingling with other expectant and new parents while you
enjoy sweet treats, mocktails and more - in the elegant setting of the Metropolitan Pavilion.
This star studded event showcases fabulous products for your growing family from over 100 different companies - including baby gear,
accessories, furniture, clothing, skin care, parenting services,
retailers, and more. The Biggest Baby Shower also offers tons of learning opportunities via informative seminars throughout the evening. Hear from experts such as Liza Huber, Latham Thomas and others... on
important topics ranging from sleep safety to healthy eating to
navigating NYC as a new mom. *Special gifts and prizes will be given to
all attendees of the seminars.*
Pregnancy and those early months of motherhood are joyous but they can certainly take a toll on mom- so how about some much-deserved pampering? Style experts will be on hand to help moms and moms to-be look their best and get that
"pregnancy glow"...take a load off and relax with a massage or two with
leading skincare lines.
Pregnancy cravings have your taste buds in a frenzy? Big City Moms has thought of it all - Enjoy sweet treats
including frozen yogurt, cake pops, and more. Plus, sip the Big City
Moms signature mocktail!
Cozy and familiar, unique and adorable clothing, trusted and attentive salespeople. Now imagine that same friendly inviting space consistently filled with beautiful, hard to find brands and loyal, global customers - you've found the boutique experience, but online. Meet Bitty Birdie Boutique.
Bitty Birdie currently offers over 50 boutique brand favorites such as Livie & Luca, Deux Par Deux, Lilly Pulitzer Tea Collection and MANY more!
In addition to all of the gorgeous boutique clothing {offered at incredible price points} we LOVE that Bitty Birdie Boutique is giving back through generous donations to Jessica Seinfeld's charity, Baby Buggy. Since joining forces in 2012, Bitty Birdie Boutique and it's boutique vendors have donated thousands of pieces of clothing to families in need, through Baby Buggy.
Does your daughter enjoy endless hours of creative doll play with her Barbie's, just like ours? Then she will absolutely adore the new Mega Bloks® Barbie® line of building sets!
We fell in love with the Mega Bloks Build 'n Style Luxury Mansion back in December [when the line made it's debut in the U.S.]. It's one of those toys that is a daily go-to in our household and offers hours of creative play and building fun that our daughter never tires of.
The Mega Bloks Barbie Build ‘n Style Pet Shop has created the opportunity for her to expand on the fun and being that she LOVES animals [she wants to be Veterinarian when she grows up] it was an instant hit! She also really enjoys that each set offers interactive play via the Mega Bloks Barbie [and friends] mini-fashion figures and interchangeable fashions.
As a parent I appreciate that the sets are comprised of larger structure pieces and smaller customizable accessory pieces, because it creates a frustration free platform for creativity that both younger and older children can enjoy.
