Video Game Fun, Role-Play, and Gaming Safety

As a mom of 4 (12, 6, and 3-year-old twin boys), I know just how much little ones love to mimic their parents and older siblings. That's why I was thrilled to discover the VTech® Level Up Gaming Chair™, perfect for those who are 18-48 months old. This “super cool” (as my kids call it) gaming chair provides the perfect way for little gamers to have their very own preschool gaming station with no Wi-Fi and no worries for us parents!

One of the great things about the VTech® Level Up Gaming Chair™ is that it comes with an interactive gaming tablet that teaches letters, numbers, animals, and music with gaming sound effects. Not only is this a fun way for kids to learn, but it also helps them develop important skills like hand-eye coordination and problem-solving. It is a total win-win for all of us!

The gaming tablet is easy to use and comes with a variety of games that are designed specifically for preschoolers. These games are age-appropriate and provide a safe and educational gaming experience for young children.

Another great feature of the VTech® Level Up Gaming Chair™ is that it allows little ones to be just like the big-kid gamers, or even dad in our case, with a swivel chair, joystick, and pretend headphones. This makes role-play even more fun and allows kids to feel like they're part of the action.

Now, if you’ve read my thoughts on VTech® before, you know that my favorite feature of all their products is their versatility and multi-use options. The Level Up Gaming Chair™ has a portable tablet that easily detaches from the tray, which allows my kids to use the tray for snacks, drawing, or even story time. This means that the Level Up Gaming Chair™ is not only a fun toy but also a practical piece of furniture that can be used in a variety of ways.

As a mom, I also think it's important to teach little ones about video game safety. The VTech® Level Up Gaming Chair™ is a great way to start these conversations and get some real-life practice. By playing games on the gaming tablet, kids can learn about the importance of taking breaks, and not sharing personal information online or spending too much time in front of screens. I think it’s never too early to start having these conversations.

The Level Up Gaming Chair™ provides a safe and educational gaming experience, promotes role-play, and can help teach important lessons about video game safety. Plus, it's just plain fun! So, if you're looking for a way to keep your little ones entertained and engaged, be sure to check out the VTech® Level Up Gaming Chair™.

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.

Easter Basket Gifts For Everybunny!

Yay! Spring is right around the corner and Easter is quickly approaching. It brings me so much joy to create magic around the holidays for my kiddos. Surprising them with little goodies from the Easter Bunny is one of my favorite holiday traditions. I created a gift guide filled with really cool VTech® and LeapFrog® toys to get you started on ideas for Easter basket goodies that everybunny in your crew will love!

For our Easter baskets, I like to fill them with a few items they NEED for the new season like rain boots, swimsuits, and sunglasses. Kids grow just like the spring flowers do – FAST! Next, I fill them with things they WANT, like fun new toys to provide them with endless hours of entertainment. And, BONUS, parents can get excited too, just by knowing that their child is developing important skills when they’re given VTech® and LeapFrog® products. Let’s check out these Easter basket gift ideas.

EASTER BASKET GIFTS IDEAS

These VTech® and LeapFrog® gift ideas will make your little one smile on Easter morning. Does your Easter Bunny hide the baskets or put them out in plain sight? Ours hides the baskets in not-so-hard-to-find hiding spots. The kids wake up and hunt for their baskets on Easter morning. (The rule is, if you find someone else’s basket, you can’t tell them. You have to keep it a secret unless they ask for help. Shhhh!)

1. VTech® Switch & Go® Gorilla Muscle Car (ages 4+ years old) – A perfect-sized toy to add to my son, Levi’s, basket. He’s five years old and action cars are at the top of his list. This ferocious, transforming ape beats its chest with two strong fists when you press the action button. A few simple moves turn the gorilla into a mighty muscle car. The LCD screen brings the toy to life for endless back-and-forth fun.

2. VTech® Switch & Go® Hatch-a-Dino Velociraptor Racer (ages 4+ years old) – Get ready for an egg-shaped building toy! For my son who loves to build things, this is the ultimate Easter basket find. Open the egg and find all the pieces you’ll need to build your 2-in-1 dinosaur racer. You’ll build a speedy racer with roaring engine sounds that easily transforms into a screeching velociraptor! There’s even the option to race or challenge the entire ferocious crew by purchasing other Hatch & Roaaar Egg creatures.

3. VTech® Take Me with You Zebra™ and VTech® Squishy Lights Learning Tablet™ (ages 3+ months) – Great on-the-go options for the littlest ones on your list. This bold black and white Zebra invites little ones to explore their senses including touch, sound, and sight. I’ll be hanging it on Olivia’s car seat to keep her entertained during all the school drop-offs and pickups she has to endure. Same goes for the VTech® Squishy Lights Learning Tablet™, which teaches words for animals, colors, and shapes along with music and songs. She’ll love the colorful squishy buttons too!

4. LeapFrog® Spin 'n Learn Fruity Smoothie™ (ages 6+ months) – We enjoy smoothies several times a week in this family! Now, Olivia can join us by exploring the LeapFrog® Spin 'n Learn Fruity Smoothie™. Meet Crystal the Cup plus five funny fruits, like Sherry Strawberry and Oliver Orange, who introduce themselves and their colors. How cute is that?! I love that the straw is also a teething toy! She figured that out immediately!

5. VTech® Kiddie Cat Cassette Player™ (ages 9-36 months), VTech® Pull Back Skater Cat™, and VTech® Toddler Tech Laptop™ (ages 12-36 months) – More basket-sized toys packed with tons of learning fun! With the VTech®Pull Back Skater Cat™ all it takes is a gentle push or pull, and this pull-back skater kitty is ready to roll, skating back and forth all by itself. You can also press the light-up shoes to make the cat twist on its board.

The cute VTech® Kiddie Cat Cassette Player™ may remind you of a small, portable tape deck, but this fun toy doesn't need cassettes to play music. You’ll be bopping along to jazz, country, and rock-n-roll style melodies and the Alphabet Song. (We love music in this household!)

Olivia loves to grab anything that looks like mom’s things – remote controls, keys, and even laptops! The VTech® Toddler Tech Laptop™ will let her be just like her mama. Her little fingers can get moving with its spinning disc, slider, arrow, and five colorful app buttons.

Tip! Take toys out of their packaging prior to placing them into your Easter baskets. You’ll have more room in the basket and the toys will be ready for playtime! Don’t forget to tuck any instructions you want to keep into the bottom of the baskets.

6. LeapFrog® My Pal Violet Smarty Paws™ and LeapFrog® My Pal Scout Smarty Paws™ (ages 6+ months) – Paaaaw-dorable! I love including a cuddly friend in my kids’ Easter baskets. There are too many cool features to list when it comes to these items, so you’ll have to check these adorable puppies out for yourself! You can press Scout or Violet’s ears to play 40+ songs, lullabies, and melodies, or to explore games and activities. But I think my favorite feature is that they can teach my kiddo how to spell their own name. Plus, they’re customizable! A plush friend and a learning tool in one. So cool!

7. VTech® Turn & Learn Driver™ (ages 6-36 months) and LeapFrog® 100 Things That Go™ (ages 18+ months) – Now for the final two products in this Easter basket gift guide. (I know, it’s a lot! But, who doesn’t like options?!) The LeapFrog® 100 Things That Go™ book has six double-sided, interactive pages that feature different modes of transportation as kids learn age-appropriate words chosen by learning experts. My five-year-old loves that he can hear the words in both English and Spanish! He has fun touching each picture and switching back and forth between the two languages.

Vroom, vroom! The VTech® Turn & Learn Driver™ has three play modes so your little driver can learn in either animal, driving, or music mode. The cute dog even moves back and forth while your little one drives.

Easter will be hoppin’ by before you know it! There’s just nothing like watching little ones experience a holiday. I know I won’t forget searching for Easter baskets and hidden eggs on Easter morning and I love creating those same fond memories for my kids! I hope you were inspired by this VTech® and LeapFrog® Easter basket gift guide for kids. For other motherhood ideas, follow along at SUGAR MAPLE notes or on Instagram @SUGARMAPLEnotes. Let’s be friends! - xoxo Sarah

Sarah 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 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!

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.