Destiny Baby

You know those cool toddler activity play centers with spiral zig zag mazes for counting beads that you find in your pediatrician’s office? Well, this is an affordable portable version of those activity centers that your child can take with them on the road. The EverEarth Triangle Activity Center for Toddlers features three different activities. These include bead fun, a sliding wood peg maze and sliding wooden beads! (Read more…)

365 Activities You and Your Toddler Will Love has four age ranges: 12 to 18 months, 18 to 24 months, 24 to 30 months, and 30 to 36 months. Kid-tested activities — ranging from catchy tunes to interactive games — channel a toddler’s natural curiosity and energy into play that builds developmental skills such as balance, problem solving, and language.

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My parents were big on phonics. I can still remember the drills on breaking down syllables and connecting sounds to letters that helped me learn to read by the time I was two years old.

At BrillKids, you will find early education tools for children as young as 4 months old, allowing you to take a few minutes a day and teach your child to read for life. They have great tools to help parents teach children to read, pick up math concepts and more. Give your child the gift of learning with the Little Reader digital flash card program.

Are you confused about how to Homeschool your preschool child?
ABC Home Preschool now offers online courses for parents on how to homeschool their children. You can also pick up their age-appropriate curriculum workbooks–each 9-month curriculum workbook contains ABC Home Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Science and Social Studies.

For slightly older kids (from 4 years old) you can try out ClickN’ READ Phonics. This phonics program has been developed by ClickN’ KIDS, Inc, an Agoura Hills, CA based firm that develops online educational software. ClickN’ READ Phonics contains 100 precisely sequenced, research based lessons designed by nationally recognized research professor Dr. J. Ron Nelson. The result is a beginning reading program that is beyond compare and has redefined computer based instruction. It is the first of it’s kind to simulate live instruction. Play the video for more information.

Discover ClickN’ READ Phonics
Learning to read has never been this fun and easy!
Click here to learn MORE!

It has been a while since we last posted…things got quite busy during the last quarter in the non-digital world. Don’t worry…we are gearing up to keep you up to date on all the latest information in 2009 on deals, discounts, reviews and more on educational toys, games, puzzles, electronics, activities and resources for the special little ones in your life. All of us here at DestinyBaby.com hope your holidays have been enjoyable and wish you a peace-filled and joyful New Year!

As parents and caregivers, most often we are looking for what are the best products to help our little ones learn, be they books (especially picture books), alphabet or counting toys, toys that allow our children to pretend and use their imagination (important to forming the building blocks of science and math learning) and more.

But what about everyday activities like letting children help with cleanup? Helping children develop their independence is not an easy task, but it is an important learning experience for both adults and children. Our children must be free to come to us and feel safe enough to go from us.

From the time our children take their first steps, the whole world becomes a place to explore. We fear for our chiildren even as we feel pride at their consuming curiosity and desire to learn that underlies their independence. Of course, we childproof the house as best we can and do our homework as parents (made easier by signing up for toy and product recalls via free email alerts from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in choosing safe toys to encourage the confidence they develop from being allowed to explore freely. Noise and touching are good! (Tell yourself that.)

So, where and when do chores come in? As early as age two, learning to participate is another educational experience that leads to new aspects of independence. It may be easier to do things yourself, but your child will become more confident when she or he is allowed to help. For example, when I do the laundry, my two year old helps to carry the lighter things (the fabric softener, an almost empty detergent bottle, a small bag of his clothes) and he loves it. (The added bonus is that it keeps him near me and diverts him from running away when we step outside.)

Our children learn to be part of the family, and later, part of the community, by helping. It is important to show children how much fun these activities are. Just as committed as we are to bringing science activities and teaching math concepts to toddlers and preschoolers, showing and expressing appreciation for a task they have completed and forgiving the occasional mistake are just as critical to education, learning and independence in our children.

My son and I stumbled across the Fisher-Price online games and activities website. For over an hour, we played the games online for toddlers and infants. What was cool was that most games are set up where your little one can push any key on the keyboard and get a visual and sound reaction. Some games are peek-a-boo style learning games where animals pop up and make sounds, others feature ABCs and 123s. He particularly liked the coloring games, where pushing keys would color in a scene. He also got hooked on the ABC games, making the game sing the ABC song over and over again while he worked to keep up. Overall, it was fun for both of us and is a site I am bookmarking to return to often.