They generously sent me three to review in exchange for my honest opinion and I couldn't be more than happy to share them with you.
They do also offer other products, such as: Globe Toddlers CDs & DVDs and Gift Set packs of three placemats geared for boys or girls. You can view them all on their website at www.tottalk.com.
I love these placemats because they are laminated and durable. They can be used during mealtime or downtime. We've done both. They are super easy to wipe clean and they can be ran under water without getting ruined (because of the lamination).
I especially like to pull these mats out when I want my daughter at the table and ready for her meal. While I'm dishing everything out, she can stay busy looking at the pictures on her placemats and learning about them. I know that she is enjoying it because she stays engaged, loves the colors, and talks about the pictures and shows excitement when she recognizes something on it or that she can repeat a fact she has learned over time from staring at them in her downtime periods. It's educational fun and it's a win win!!
Each side of the Tot Talk placemats have activities to help keep your child interested. One side is the colorful "learning" side and the other side is the activity "test your skill" side in black and white. This helps increase your childs learning opportunity and it's fun to check your answer by flipping it back over.
There are several designs & subject categories to choose from that ranges from ages 2-6 years old in difficulty. I love that there is something for everyone and feel that kids even up to 10 or so can benefit from the geography and math ones.. Although, Tot Talk informed me that they actually go up to age 100! A 70 year old had contacted them to let them know she uses the Hebrew placemat to learn Hebrew. How awesome is that?! Tot Talk mentioned that periodic tables and maps are useful to everyone, that couldn't be more true. :)
I really think the Kids Games Placemat would be alot of fun to take to a restaurant while waiting for those orders that can sometimes take awhile. I'm debating ordering one because I feel $7.00 is well worth it if its going to keep my daughter happy and patiently waiting while we are out without the tantrums and fussing.
We received the:
ABC Animal Tot Talk Placemat -This one really helped my daughter strengthen her daily letter recognition in preparation for preschool. We have had fun working on the letter sounds, tracing the letters with our fingers but you can also use dry erase markers if you want, singing the abcs, and recognizing which animal started with which letter.
Mommy & Me Tot Talk Placemat -This one is darling because it shares the names of the baby animals along with what the Mom/Dad animals are called. My daughter loves animals and all things nature so this is a fun one for her.
USA Placemat -It is so bright and colorful, so it's definitely an attention getter right from the start. Each state has icons pictured with something that highlights the state. It's fun to learn about each sate and their capitals as well. My daughter is alittle young to really understand it but she knows some of the states and she does enjoy looking at them. They are never too young to start learning ;).
Each Tot Talk placemat is $7.00 and made in the USA. They have been mostly durable and worth it to us. We have used them daily for several months and they are still in the same shape they were when we received them. Now, they can be bent if not taken care of and will get creases in them if you have a toddler that likes to bend things. This happened to one of ours but it is still usable.
The placemats have helped us many times keeping my daughter engaged in the activities while waiting at the table while I'm prepping a meal and she has also used it as a spot to play with her playdough during extra down time/quiet time. So I know she is staying interested and learning without realizing it. It's a win win!
If you are interested and want to learn more about the activity placemats, Tot Talk and other products that they offer, please visit them on www.tottalk.com and keep up to date with new products by following them on Facebook. They can also be found on Pinterest and YouTube!!
COMMENT BELOW:
Visit Tot Talks website and tell me which placemat you like the most and why??