All parents want the best for their children, especially during the most valuable young ages when they need to learn basic skills. You want them to be the first one walking amongst your group of friends, you want them to say their first words as fast as they can, learn their colors, learn the alphabet ... you want them to excel in everything they do.
I began searching for ways to teach my four-year-old at home, to prepare him for VPK (Florida's voluntary preschool). I got him workbooks to practice with, but those just didn't keep his attention well. He would work on a page or two with me, get bored or distracted, and wanted to run off to play or to go watch dad play his gaming system. Boy does he love gaming — he takes after his father, of course.
The author received a VTech Level Up Gaming Chair™ and compensation for this article. All thoughts and opinions expressed are her own.
Obviously adult games can be a little unsavory for young eyes, so we wanted to find something else, something more child-friendly and educational at the same time. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to try a gaming chair, and I jumped at the chance! With the VTech Level Up Gaming Chair™, my child gets exactly what he needs — an educational gaming experience that he will enjoy, just like the big kids!
The VTech Level Up Gaming Chair™ is a combination of fun pieces for your child: a real swivel chair, pretend gaming headphones (with a pretend mic), and a portable kid-friendly learning tablet for ages 1.5 to 4 years old. The tablet requires no wi-fi at all and is completely battery operated, so you only need to replace the batteries once they've run their course. The tablet automatically shuts off when your child hasn't interacted with it for awhile, so if you are worried about replacing the batteries frequently, don't!
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Once out of its packaging, the chair needs to be assembled, but no tools are required – you simply click the four blue legs into the green swivel bottom, click the seat back into the seat base, and snap the gray armrest and tray table into the sides of the seat base and it's ready to go. My son enjoyed helping me put it together as well – it made him feel accomplished and proud! It also helped build up his excitement, knowing that he was one step closer to being able to play with his new toy.
The chair itself is a toddler-sized plastic chair that swivels! If your younger kiddo can't navigate the swivel, you simply switch the base button over to the lock position.
There is a green tray table that holds the game tablet and when the tablet is removed, kids can use the table for virtually any other purpose as well. My son likes to sit in the chair and eat snacks from the tray, but he can also use it like a school desk and work on small coloring pages from the tray table.
The blue seat cover has a hidden storage compartment underneath, which my son found so exciting. He said it was his "secret hiding place" for his small toys and even the headphones.
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The gaming headphones come complete with a cute mic that swivels forwards, backwards, and down. These non-operational headphones let the kiddos make believe that they have a gaming headset like their older role models. The headset itself is adjustable to fit over their heads. The headphones can be stored on one of the arm rests or inside of the chair's storage compartment.
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The best part of the VTech Level Up Gaming Chair™ though, is the detachable tablet! My son finds it so cool to be able to take it off and carry the tablet around! He brings it with us on longer car rides, to sit on the couch, to sit in his tree house, and to lay on his bedroom rug and play in peace. I also bring his tablet along so that he can enjoy some learning and entertainment while we wait in the school pick-up line for his sister.
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The tablet has multiple games for multiple levels of play. You can slide the blue switch from letters to words and phonics, from music to sing-along songs. You can also adjust how "hard" the games are by using the green button that says "Level 1" and "Level 2."
On Level 1, the letters game will talk to your child and ask them to "find the letter S," and on Level 2, it will ask for the letter that "makes the sssss sound." If they get it wrong, the game prompts them to try again. If they get it right, the game cheers, and my son loves that! The word game asks them to find and "click the dog." My son will then find the picture of the dog, which is the same button as the letter "D."
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The other games are music and sing-along songs. There is a ten-key piano, with numbers on each key. Your child can set it to music mode and when they press a key it will play a tune like "London Bridge." There are over 100 sing-along songs and 15+ piano melodies to play!
The LED screen lights up as kids play and shows the letters and numbers as your child presses them. It also shows music notes when they're on the music mode.
The bottom right corner of the tablet has a blue "dial," or joystick, which has gaming sounds that play when moved around. Are you concerned the tablet may be too loud? No problem! There are parent-friendly volume settings too.
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My son can sit in his own VTech Level Up Gaming Chair™ with his headphones and mic on, just like his father. He feels like he is really immersed in a "grown-up" activity, but he is actually learning while playing his games! He can grow his vocabulary by listening to and learning the letters, sounds, animals, and objects. This is especially important for him because, though he has not officially been diagnosed with any learning disability, he does have a pretty strong lisp when speaking. I feel that this game and the phonics portion will really help him hear and work out how the letters are supposed to sound!
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Another benefit of the game is the auditory stimulation. The gaming tablet encourages musical exploration with the piano and sing-along songs. It also helps him to practice his listening skills when playing the games because he needs to be quiet and attentive to listen to what button he is supposed to find.
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The easiest way to purchase your own VTech Level Up Gaming Chair™ is via Amazon for $49.99! The product gets shipped directly to your home, and you don't have to worry about venturing out. However, it's also available at Target and Walmart too.
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The VTech Level Up Gaming Chair™ really has what my son needs! It will help him learn, in a fun way, so that he can sharpen his letter, number, sound, and word recognition skills and it boosts his confidence when he gets an answer correct and the game cheers for him. His face lights up with excitement, making him want to continue to play it more!
I highly recommend the VTech Level Up Gaming Chair™ to anyone with a toddler, preschooler, or a child who needs a little extra help with recognizing and understanding their letters, numbers, and sounds.
