Little minds are like sponges, soaking up everything they see and hear. It’s really important to give your child learning tools that are also fun. You don’t want your child to hate learning, but you also want to take advantage of these years when their minds are so impressionable.
I’m amazed all the time the things I hear and see my boys pick up. They are just so cool! I get asked all the time if I have been homeschooling my oldest or what I’ve done to help him advance so much so I’m writing up this post with a few of the things we’ve used and loved for them.
I love LeapFrog! I love all the DVDs they have put out and we own a bunch of them. We started with Letter Factory and grew our collection from there. Letter Factory is a fun story of Leap learning his letters and letter sounds. It’s really basic, but the tunes/songs they use are really catchy and I have found myself singing the letter sounds while washing dishes or something else. haha.
Andrew caught on really quick and within a couple weeks he knew all his letters and letter sounds. He didn’t watch it all day everyday, just a couple times a week starting when he was about 18 months or so. Ben isn’t as clear of a talker as Andrew was at that age, but he knows all his letters and most of their sounds and sometimes will spot them on a sign or in a book and will make the sound. It’s very cool how they’ve caught on.
We also own: Sing and Learn With Us!
, Math Adventure to the Moon
, The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park,
Math Circus
, Numbers Ahoy
, Phonics Farm
, Word Caper
, Storybook Factory
, and Talking Words Factory
. Like I said, we love LeapFrog and pick up a new one when we see them in the store or see a new one pop up on Amazon. These are fun books. They have a variety of questions to help kids learn relationships, shapes, colors, word skills, and more. These are really good for times you need to be quiet, like in church or other meetings. There are several different levels and even workbooks from this brand. Andrew really likes them and got so good at them we had to create our own questions to change things up.
We love ABCMouse.com! It is awesome. Andrew has learned soooo much since starting. He was playing with his toys a few days ago and started telling me about Jupiter and how it’s the biggest planet…seriously! He has learned how to use a computer mouse and can play/learn independently. I usually have something he needs to do before he gets to play, like clean up toys or put away laundry and he’s happy to do it. Then I’ll just set a timer and let him decide what he would like to do. I ask him to do at least one lesson during that time and he does. The best part is you can have up to 3 kids on one account so Ben gets to enjoy it too.
There are games, coloring, songs, lessons, and lots of other fun activities to encourage learning, creativity, and curiosity. We just discovered ABCmouse.com earlier this year and have been loving it since day 1 ! Be sure to check it out…
ABCmouse.com - Over 3,000 Educational Activities - First Month Free - Click here!
We actually don’t own these, but grandma brings them with her when she comes to visit and they are great. Andrew was reading them to grandma this most recent visit. They are simple and fun. It’s a really great place to start for not only reading but also comprehension. They definitely get kids started on reading and loving it! There are several different sets depending on your child’s level.
and worked up from there. We have really enjoyed the Melissa & Doug puzzles because they are sturdy wood and well made. Both boys really enjoy this Construction Puzzle Set
… Andrew would do them over and over and over again when we first got it and Ben is starting to as well. We have a United States puzzle that has been really helpful in explaining to the boys where grandparents live, where daddy is going on a trip, or where we are going on vacation. Puzzles really help children develop fine motor skills, coordination, and problem solving. Plus they help to keep a child’s attention and keep them focused on one task, a skill that will help when they get to school.
So there you go, those are my favorite learning tools that I’ve been using for my kids. The boys love learning and I credit these tools for making it fun for all of us.
What are some of your favorite learning tools?
on Amazon that are pretty similar to mine. I had to order a TON so I went straight to the wholesaler. However, there is a minimum order from them so unless you’re doing a ton of these I recommend Amazon or Michaels, although the one’s I’ve seen at Michael’s aren’t as solid. 
