How to Enjoy the Big Games With Your Kids

I have what some consider a large family: twin toddlers + a 6 year old + a 12 year old + a 1 year old dog; and one of the things my husband and I love to do with our kids is find ways to make current events a fun learning experience. With all the soccer buzz in the air right now, this was the PERFECT opportunity to use some of our favorite VTech® toys & score some goals!

Sports are huge in our home, whether it be playing them or watching them, they’re a whole family affair. Our kids are here for the fun, shenanigans, and all the extra ways we celebrate the monumental things happening in the world too. If you’re like us and you are ready to dive deep into the soccer craze, I have the perfect toys for your little ones to join in on the fun!

My twins are at the stage where my husband and I spend the day chasing them. They love to play and push all the buttons on the toys and the excitement for it all makes my heart overflow! So, to get our kids super into the soccer spirit and celebrate ALL THE GOALS, we re-enact our own games with our favorite toys!

VTech® Smart Shots Sports Center™

Ready for one of the twins’ ABSOLUTE favorite toys? I mean they can play and play and never get tired of it!

One of their favorite toys, and the perfect item to get your little ones into the soccer spirit is the VTech® Smart Shots Sports Center™. The Smart Shots Sports Center™ is perfect for kids 12-36 month old and is a whole experience! Kicking the ball into the net makes the Smart Shots Sports Center™ respond with encouraging sounds and phrases.

Not only can you celebrate all the goals, the VTech® Smart Shots Sports Center™ also counts the number of baskets on its LED screen and shows fun animations. The gears and shapes will help your little ones work on their numbers and they can hear fun sounds too.

VTech® Bright Lights Soccer Ball™

Now if you’re thinking that your child is not quite at the stage to kick a soccer ball, but you still want them to join in on the fun, I have something for you too. The VTech® Bright Lights Soccer Ball™ is great for rolling, passing, hugging…you name it.

Lucas loves the happy light-up face and hearing the fun songs and numbers. The ball is hand washable and such a soft ball, which is perfect for getting your little loves in on the fun.

VTech® Kick & Score Playgym™

I will always talk about how much I love that VTech® products are great grow-with-you toys! The VTech® Kick & Score Playgym™ is a perfect example of this! From birth, this playgym is perfect for tummy time, floor time, and working on those motor skills.

The colorful characters, the dumbbell rattle, and the twist-and-click kettle ball are perfect for tummy time and sitting play. To keep your little ones engaged, the learning panel teaches colors, shapes, and animals!

Ready for the grow-with-you part? The panel is detachable and great for on-the-go play! AND you can set up the net and let your toddlers kick the soccer ball in!

Growing up, getting ready for the big soccer games was huge. I remember it being a time when the whole family got together to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. As parents, we get to now do the same along with some help from our friends at VTech®!

P.S. Don’t forget to celebrate every goal!

Karen is the mom behind Mamma Bear Says, a family and creative brand empowering parents to live their most authentic and creative lives. She is a mom of 4, including twin toddlers, and loves to share her tips, tricks, and stories of all the good, the messy, and the chaos.

Why VTech Switch & Go Dinos are My Favorite Toys for Preschoolers

As a mom of three, I’m always on the hunt for the best new toys. If it will keep my kids happy, entertained, and provide some kind of developmental value, I’m all in! And trust me when I tell you the VTech® Switch & Go® dinosaurs, more specifically the VTech® Switch & Go® T-Rex Race Car, the VTech® Switch & Go® T-Rex Muscle Car, and the VTech®Switch & Go® Velociraptor Jet, fit the bill.

So, why do I love these part-dinosaur, part-vehicle, part-transformer toys so much? Let me count the ways…

1. They hone fine motor skills.

Not only do little ones need to work their brains and problem-solving skills to figure out how to transform the dinosaurs into vehicles and vice-versa, but they have to stretch their hands-on coordination as well. Plus, they’re easy to transform, so you aren't going to have to do it for them every time — although you might want to. They have a really satisfying tactile *click* when transforming that even I get a little sensory happiness from.

2. They fuel imagination.

I love a toy that develops my child’s skills, but I also want my kids to be kids! I love watching them use their imaginations and create their own worlds, characters and stories. The little digital faces on the Switch & Go® dinos change depending on which mode they’re in, and the different vehicles each have different voices, lights, and effects to keep those creative juices flowing.

It’s amazing to see all the different ways each of my three kids plays with these items. My 7-year-old son loves to crash, roar, and fly them. My 4-year-old daughter plays dino school (when they’re in vehicle mode, they’re the moms driving the kids to school, and then they transform into the dino kids once they arrive at school, obviously). My car-loving 2-year-old son zooms and races them all over the sofas and cabinets in vehicle mode. The possibilities are truly endless!

3. They’re interactive.

I don’t know about you, but my kids generally have the attention spans of a gnat, so for a toy to keep them entertained for longer than 2 minutes, it’s got to be interactive on some level. These Switch & Go® dinos light up, talk, change faces, make noises, and some of them even have little props that fire off with the push of a button. They keep my kids engaged and stimulated for long periods of independent play, which is basically the best gift a toy can give to a mom.

4. They have longevity.

Not only are these well-made and able to withstand the usual preschooler abuse, but they also have proven to keep my kids’ interest over many ages and stages. In my seven years of parenting, I’ve seen countless toys come into my house, only to be pushed into a corner and forgotten about a week or two later.

But we got our first Switch & Go® dino nearly four years ago, and they’re still a go-to toy in our house! My 7-year-old has just as much fun playing with them as his little brother — they really stand the test of time!

5. The price is right.

Best of all: These VTech® Switch & Go® items are affordable! They’re offered in so many different varieties and sizes, that you can really find one for any budget. They’ve become one of my go-to birthday party gifts for my kids’ friends, because I know it’ll be a slam dunk, no matter who the kid is. With three kids, we’ve got birthday parties out the wazoo, so it’s nice to not have to spend a fortune on gifts!

So, if your child doesn’t have any VTech® Switch & Go® dinos yet, what are you waiting for?! Go grab a couple and make your kid’s day!

Author Bio:

Chrissie Jones is a mom to three little maniacs, IVF survivor, and writer of OneHangryMama.com. Join her there for a dose of family-friendly meals, infertility support, gift guides galore, and a heavy dose of chaos.

Baby Playtime During First Year Milestones

Whether you’re a first time mom or a third time mom like me, baby milestones are just as exciting each time around! And, you better believe it goes by even quicker the more kids you have. I absolutely LOVE cheering on my new baby girl, Olivia, during each of her incredible first year milestones. I one hundred percent believe that childhood learning is done best through play.

BABY MILESTONES 1 – 3 MONTHS

Your baby will start holding their head up. They will also begin to smile, laugh and coo. Those are the sweetest sounds! The first baby “toy” I usually take out is a visually pleasing and soft play gym. The VTech® 7-in-1 Senses & Stages Developmental Gym™ is perfect from birth and beyond. I can encourage Olivia to explore the sights, sounds and textures of the mat, musical xylophone and sensory toys.

Babies can gaze at the overhead arches and linkable toys. This play gym truly can grow with Olivia all the way to toddlerhood. The developmental guide explains how to use the play zones for each stage. Look at her little feet getting ready to kick and play the xylophone!

BABY MILESTONES 4 – 6 MONTHS

Your baby will start to roll over, sit up, and grab at objects. Olivia is 6 months old and this is such a FUN stage! Her naps are becoming more scheduled now, so we are taking advantage of that special playtime period during the day.

The VTech® Tummy Time Discovery Pillow™ is perfect for both tummy time action early on and sitting up, which emerges later in the stage. The pillow has multiple textures, patterns and colors for visual and tactile stimulation. The light-up piano keys on the removable piano introduce numbers, colors, shapes and animals. It plays sing-along nursery rhymes, music and short tunes.

How adorable is the VTech® Explore & Crawl Elephant™?! I swear Olivia looks like she’s trying to make the same cute face the elephant is making. This crawling, ear-flapping elephant with a bright light up-star, encourages gross motor development as little ones crawl and walk after him. Olivia started to crawl right at 6 months, which is a bit early for this milestone. I keep telling her to slow down. Mama’s not ready for this to go by so fast! This cute elephant will grow with her beyond the crawling stage. It asks kids to identify colors and numbers by pressing buttons and has 45+ songs, melodies, sounds and phrases.

BABY MILESTONES 7 – 9 MONTHS

Your baby will start to crawl, stand up, and the baby babble begins. This is also when more solids are introduced, and highchair time becomes more frequent. I’ve had a version of the VTech® Turn & Learn Ferris Wheel™ for each of my babies. The Ferris wheel will stay put with a suction cup bottom so you don’t have to keep picking it up off the floor. It will keep wiggly kids entertained as each spin plays sounds and songs with three flashing stars to capture their interest.

Olivia just had her first solid food! We went with mashed bananas. I’ve done avocado with my other two, but the avocado I bought went bad, so the next best thing we had in our pantry was bananas. She spit it out right away, but I love watching her explore new things!

BABY MILESTONES 10 – 12 MONTHS

Your baby will start to talk and say their first words (I’m rooting for “Mama”!). They also might begin to walk. But don’t worry if they don’t. That’s normal too. Neither of my first two walked before their first birthdays. Olivia seems to want to keep up with her older sister and brother though, so maybe she will surprise us!

Either way, the VTech® Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker™ is perfect for playtime during the later stages of that important first year. Start out with the easy-to-remove activity panel for floor play, then step it up with the fun-to-maneuver walker. Spinning gears, five piano keys, colorful rollers, light-up shape sorters, light-up buttons and a telephone handset offer endless fun that will stimulate your baby's learning and develop their motor skills.

You made it mama; that first year went by in a flash! Seriously, I can’t believe how fast my little one is growing (cue the tears!). You better believe I’m soaking it all in and taking advantage of playtime with our engaging VTech® Baby toys. For other motherhood ideas follow along at SUGAR MAPLE notes or on Instagram @SUGARMAPLEnotes. Let’s be friends! - xoxo Sarah

Sarah Harmsen is the creator behind SUGAR MAPLE notes – a lifestyle blog about home, family and motherhood. She’s a mom of two imaginative kiddos, Levi and Evelyn and one NEW baby girl, Olivia Jay. Grab a cup of coffee because Sarah is sure to have one in her hand. Come feel at home with her and her family as they make everyday moments into something special!