U-Play Mat Speech and Lanugage Development Toy ~ Review & Giveaway

I love to get on the floor and play with my kids....especially when it's with educational toys. I have found that there are many wonderful toys out there that promote learning, however, over time Kaelyn seems to get bored with many of them. I do my best to think of new ways to use them to help scaffold her learning and keep her interest, but quite frankly, very few toys like this provide guidance for parents and caregivers on how to play together. Wouldn't it be great if there was a toy that got kids excited about learning and encouraged interactive play between parents or caregivers and children? One that only got more and more fun (and educational) with each and every use? One that could actually grow with your child? I have always asked wondered these things, which is why I was thrilled when introduced to the company Play This Way Everyday and their U-Play Mat!

The idea of the U-Play Mat all began when Dr. Jen (a pediatrician and mother of two sets of twins) realized the need for a a way to enhance interactive floor play between toddlers and parents. This sparked the creation of Play This Way Every Day, a company founded in 2008 with that exact goal in mind.

As I learned more about Play This Way Every Day, their mission and what they're all about, I was very impressed. As with many parents, I am all about giving my kids the best possible start in life, and that means encouraging a love for learning. That's why I was very excited when asked if I'd like to review the U-Play Mat - a fantastic speech and language development toy.

We were sent the U-Play Mat Professional Edition to review. This set includes all eight available card decks (for a total of 240 cards!), a tote, and U-Play Mat. It is recommended for the two to five year old child at home, or for the professional (speech therapist, teacher, etc) working with children of any age or ability.

U-Play Mat Professional Edition features:

• U-Shaped Mat with 15 clear pockets on its surface
• Convenient size at 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep
• Child-safe see-through pockets
• Pockets are slightly larger than cards for easy placement and removal
• Lightweight tote bag with 8 pockets for the 8 decks of cards
• All 8 decks of U-Play Mat cards

When the U-Play Mat arrived, I was very excited. Kaelyn has always had a love for learning and I knew this would be something she'd enjoy very much. I was right! She absolutely loves it!! I'll get to that in a moment though.

As I opened the box, the tote bag caught my attention right away. It's super-cute and made especially for the U-Play Mat! The inside is spacious and makes it easy to tote around the mat.

There is even a small pocket along the inside to place the instructions. To some this may be small, but I am forever losing instructions to things, so this is great.

There are 8 pockets around the outside for each of the 8 decks of U-Play Mat Cards also.

Everything fits great and having the tote makes it super easy to keep it organize and safely store when not in use.

Next, I pulled out the U-Play Mat and was very pleased with the quality. It's soft, durable, and designed with both the child and parent in mind.

There are 15 clear pockets on the surface of this 'U' shaped mat. Before receiving it, I wondered how well they would be attached and if they could endure the wear and tear of daily use. Any reservations I had are gone now that we've had the opportunity to play with and use the U-Play Mat many times. The quality is fantastic!

Finally were the 8 decks of U-Play Mat Cards. There are: U-Animals, U-Foods, U-Outside, U-Fruits & Vegetables, U-Go, U-Home, U-Dress, U-Play. Each deck of cards has 30 cards, containing 15 pairs of theme-based images which relate to the everyday life of a young child. I was curious to check them out and loved how colorful and fun the images were.

I also really appreciate the fact that they are made of thick and durable card stock (a must when using with young children) and are safe with round edges (no poking!).

I then read through the very user-friendly and informative 'How To Use Your U-Play Mat" instruction manual. It provides step-by-step instructions for ten exercises using the U-Play Mat and cards....

1. Exercise 1 - What Things Are (With A Hint)
2. Exercise 2 - What Things Are (Without A Hint)
3. Exercise 3 - Matching
4. Exercise 4 - Same
5. Exercise 5 - Different
6. Exercise 6 - Yes/No
7. Exercise 7 - 'Wh' Questions (Who, What, Where, When, Why)
8. Exercise 8 - Using More Words
9. Exercise 9 - Making Connections
10. Exercise 10 - Following Directions
    

Of course, after checking everything out, I was very excited to play with Kaelyn and see what she thought. As we began playing, I really saw how great the U shape is. It allows her to sit inside the opening of the 'U' and gives her full access to all 15 pockets. Everything is within in reach and full visual access which I think is great! The shape also allows me to easily sit across from her and engage her in the various exercises. I also appreciate the size of the pockets and the fact that they are made a bit larger than the cards. This makes putting them in and taking them out very easy for both me and Kaelyn.

She loves anything and everything to do with animals, so we started with that themed deck of cards. We have had a lot of fun doing the What Things Are exercises....getting Kaelyn familiar with the different themes and images. Lately she has been very much into matching and finding things that are the same, so we have also done those exercises many times as well. She loves taking part and laying the card on its 'match'. I notice that her excitement grows as we continue to play...she begins seated on the floor with her legs crossed and always ends up on her knees bouncing around with excitement. It's the best to see her learning and growing in her language and social interaction skills and loving it all at the same time!

Another great thing is that the U-Play Mat's pockets are 4 x 6 standard, making it possible to use home photos too. I thought this was great and opens up even more possibilities with using the U-Play Mat. We have a lot of family who live out of state that we don't see very often, so using family photos would be great for recognizing, and at some point even expanding upon it to include questions about where they live, etc.

Over the past couple of weeks we have had fun exploring with the U-Play Mat and engaging in interactive play together with her. It's been fun having a toy that is exciting for her every single day. There are so many wonderful ways to use the U-Play Mat that encourage her to learn, respond and use her imagination. Play-time has become much more meaningful for her, and I'm really enjoying our time together. We have not worked through all the exercises yet, as it's important to work through them at your child's own pace and she's not quite ready for some of them yet. That's what I love about it though...it grows with your child.

I really wish I had had something like this to use with my preschoolers when I was teacher. What a fantastic one-on-one activity that can be used with children at all different ability levels. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or speech therapist, I would highly recommend checking the U-Play Mat out. We absolutely love it and can't wait to use it with Kaden when he's a little older too! I could really go on and on about how great the U-Play Mat is. If you'd like to actually see how to use it, check out Dr. Jen's U-Play Mat video.

Buy It: You can purchase the U-Play Mat Starter Set (which includes the U-Play Mat, tote, and 2 decks of cards - U-Animals and U-Foods) for $49 and the U-Play Mat Professional Edition like we received for $84 PlayThisWay.com! Also, if you purchase the starter set, the other U-Play Mat Card decks are available as well.

Win It: One super lucky reader is going to win a U-Play Mat Professional Edition like the one we received!

Mandatory Entry - Visit the Play This Way Every Day website and name when Dr. Jen had her "lightbulb moment".

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 2 extra entries- 'Like' Play This Way Every Day on Facebook

2. 2 extra entries- Follow Play This Way Every Day on Twitter

3. 3 extra entries- blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and U-Play Mat and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

4. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

I want a U-Play Mat! #WIN one from @PlayThisWay! #momsbalancingact http://tinyurl.com/3axvjj7 Ends 11/9

5. 2 extra entries- Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

6. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

7. 2 extra entries- 'Like' A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

8. 1 extra entry- Share about this giveaway on Facebook (when sharing, please tag @A Mom's Balancing Act so I can easily verify) Share - You can click here for easy instructions on how to do this

9. 1 extra entry- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

10. Enter any of my other current giveaways running now. Leave me a comment on which one(s)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!

Leave one comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address so that I can easily contact the winner!!

This giveaway will end November 9th and is open to the US Only

**The products for this review and giveaway were provided for free by Play This Way Every Day. I was not paid for this post and all opinions found here are my own. The opinions and experiences of others may differ from my own**