U-Play Mat Review
I was recently asked to review the U-Play Mat and I will admit at first I wondered if my 2-year-old would get any use out of it besides as a runway. Instead once the package came and I pulled it out and started placing the cards in their slots I thought about whether or not Little A wou
ld be able to match up the pictures. I called him over and he quickly caught on, I mean really quickly too, so much that once we did the first batch he wanted the new deck of cards.
Before I get too far ahead of myself here is what we got:
- U-Play Mat
- 8 decks of cards (ends up being 240 cards total)
- tote with front pockets (this can hold the decks of cards)
The U-Play mat is an aqua color with orange trim and is the shape of a "U." On the topside there are 15 plastic sleeves where your child can place each card in. This makes viewing the car that much easy and if your child (like mine) decides to get up in the middle of the game and walk over it they won't go all over. The "U" shape makes it easy for the child to view all the cards and they have full access and will be able to reach each pocket. (take a look at the pic)
U-Play was designed by Dr.J, she has two sets of twins and got the idea after one of her twin boys ruined a bunch of cards that a speech therapist had. She figured out that it would be better to have a mat that went around the child with the little sleeves just in case they stood up.
The 8 themed decks are: U-Animals, U-Dress, U-play, U-Home, U-food, U-Fruits & Vegetables, U-Go, and U-Outside. Little A loves the U-go, his favorite is the bus. Oh and he can tell you if it is the wrong deck just by the color of the box, he will state, "No bus. Me bus." Meaning there is no bus in that deck and he wants the deck that has the bus. Each card has a brightly colored picture on it, the opposite side of the card is the same color of the deck box it belongs.
The little booklet that comes with that package teaches you different ways to interact with your child and teach them at the same time. One of course is memory, another is asking them where something is. For example: Sissy and BalletGirl ride what? How does sissy go to school? He'll then look through the deck until he finds the bus, or look around the mat until he spots it. She (Dr.Jen) states you should ask them what things are, point to a picture and ask what it is, if they
don't respond tell them and then ask again. Don't forget to praise them when they get it right. There are 10 exercises in the booklet, with little tips and notes for you to read.
(In this pic you can see he is placing the cards that match below the pic, he had been placing them on it. He created this new game of his own)
Every morning after the older kids leave he grabs my bag out of my room and says, "Play, Mom, Play." He will then bring it to the living room and sit in the middle of the floor and wait. Sometimes he'll move things out of the center if there are toys. He knows this is now his time and by the way he's the one that started this, I did not instruct him to play U-Play mat every morning, he asks.
The best part....no batteries needed, you don't have to hook it up to the television and it makes YOU spend time with your child. Trust me it can be a lot of fun and rewarding when you realize how smart your child really is.
U-Play costs $84 for the entire thing that I got, or $49 for the tote, mat and 3 decks of cards. There is also the option of only getting the cards which are 3 decks per package at $19 each. Here is the link to purchase U-play.
(This is a product I reviewed and got to keep, no I wasn't paid.)
ld be able to match up the pictures. I called him over and he quickly caught on, I mean really quickly too, so much that once we did the first batch he wanted the new deck of cards.Before I get too far ahead of myself here is what we got:
- U-Play Mat
- 8 decks of cards (ends up being 240 cards total)
- tote with front pockets (this can hold the decks of cards)
The U-Play mat is an aqua color with orange trim and is the shape of a "U." On the topside there are 15 plastic sleeves where your child can place each card in. This makes viewing the car that much easy and if your child (like mine) decides to get up in the middle of the game and walk over it they won't go all over. The "U" shape makes it easy for the child to view all the cards and they have full access and will be able to reach each pocket. (take a look at the pic)
U-Play was designed by Dr.J, she has two sets of twins and got the idea after one of her twin boys ruined a bunch of cards that a speech therapist had. She figured out that it would be better to have a mat that went around the child with the little sleeves just in case they stood up.
The 8 themed decks are: U-Animals, U-Dress, U-play, U-Home, U-food, U-Fruits & Vegetables, U-Go, and U-Outside. Little A loves the U-go, his favorite is the bus. Oh and he can tell you if it is the wrong deck just by the color of the box, he will state, "No bus. Me bus." Meaning there is no bus in that deck and he wants the deck that has the bus. Each card has a brightly colored picture on it, the opposite side of the card is the same color of the deck box it belongs.
The little booklet that comes with that package teaches you different ways to interact with your child and teach them at the same time. One of course is memory, another is asking them where something is. For example: Sissy and BalletGirl ride what? How does sissy go to school? He'll then look through the deck until he finds the bus, or look around the mat until he spots it. She (Dr.Jen) states you should ask them what things are, point to a picture and ask what it is, if they
don't respond tell them and then ask again. Don't forget to praise them when they get it right. There are 10 exercises in the booklet, with little tips and notes for you to read.(In this pic you can see he is placing the cards that match below the pic, he had been placing them on it. He created this new game of his own)
Every morning after the older kids leave he grabs my bag out of my room and says, "Play, Mom, Play." He will then bring it to the living room and sit in the middle of the floor and wait. Sometimes he'll move things out of the center if there are toys. He knows this is now his time and by the way he's the one that started this, I did not instruct him to play U-Play mat every morning, he asks.
The best part....no batteries needed, you don't have to hook it up to the television and it makes YOU spend time with your child. Trust me it can be a lot of fun and rewarding when you realize how smart your child really is.
U-Play costs $84 for the entire thing that I got, or $49 for the tote, mat and 3 decks of cards. There is also the option of only getting the cards which are 3 decks per package at $19 each. Here is the link to purchase U-play.
(This is a product I reviewed and got to keep, no I wasn't paid.)
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