While my kids have plenty of toys to play with, I mean it.  But getting Maggie to sit down and “play” something with me isn’t always easy, especially if I am aiming for some one on one time while her brother is sleeping{I use the term sleeping loosely}.   I’m a huge fan of educational toys and was happy to get the chance to review a few things from Educational Insights.

We were sent the Alphabet Bean Bags {review here} and Hot Dots Jr. book set with the “Ace” the talking teaching dog pen. I knew right away that she would love the set of 4 Hot Dots Jr. books and the talking dog pen.  We can read the books, and do the activities together.  Whether it’s counting objects, rhyming, finding a certain color or shape, she loves using the pen to find the right {or wrong} things.  And, Ace the dogs eyes light up when he touches the page.  Green for right answers or red for wrong answers.  Not a dog lover {really?}, you can get Kat, the talking, teaching cat pen.  Plus, the volume on the pen can be adjusted up or down.  The dog makes happy dog sounds when it’s a right answer, and sad dog sounds for a wrong one.  It’s so much fun.  But even more fun, with the press of a button, you can change it to words.  Sorry, or Good Job!  My kids adore animals, so the animal sounds is kind of their favorite thing.

I love that the books are fun to do with your child, but can also be used independently.  The activity on each page has pictures with it that your child can identify.  For example, after the sentence explaining what to do, {find things that are green} is a green picture.  This makes it so that the books can grow with your child and help them read more independently.

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What are some fun activities you and your children do together to learn letters and sounds?  What products from Education Insights would be helpful to have around your house?

Enter to win Hot Dots Jr. or Alphabet Bean Bags through December 16, 2013.