If you follow me on Snapchat, you’ve probably noticed Harlow playing with a new toy. Actually, I know for a fact that a lot of you have noticed because I got like 100 messages from people saying, “Hey, what’s that toy Harlow is playing with?”
The toy is the Touch and Learn Activity Desk Deluxe from VTech and since they sent it to us, it has become quite the hit in our house.
As you all know, my kids are huge fans of their iPads and when they are not playing with those (which we try to limit to the mornings), they tend to play with dolls and dress-up stuff. There’s a lot of role playing and pretend play in our house. We have puzzles and number and letter themed toys but they tend to get overlooked. I think that’s one of the big dangers of letting your kid play on a smart device— other toys can start to seem boring.
The Activity Desk Deluxe excited me because it is interactive, with buttons and audio which takes you through the discovery tools and an LED display which teaches letter and number strokes and how to draw basic shapes. It comes with five double-sided interactive pages so your kid can switch up and vary the lessons. VTech sells expansion packs with different cartridges and curriculums so that you can have more advanced lessons like reading skills, math and occupations. The desk also transforms into a chalkboard and art station with ample space for supply storage, and it has a music player and a pretend phone to play with as well.
It seemed like just the kind of thing that could draw Harlow away from the lure of a smart device while still being able to teach her valuable new skills.
I can tell you that as soon as Harlow saw it, she got excited. My only issue is that Mazzy got excited as well so I had to mediate to figure out who would play with it first. The desk is made for kids 2-5 years-old, so after a few days of trying out the different expansion packs, Mazzy realized she was a little old for the desk and let Harlow have full reign. Harlow has found countless different things to do with it— from listening to letter sounds to pretending she’s the teacher with the chalkboard. She also really likes taking pretend calls on the phone.
Since Harlow is on the younger end of the age the desk was meant for, she is definitely more comfortable playing with the activity sheets that came with the desk than the expansion packs which are meant for older kids. She is also so intrigued by all the buttons and options that sometimes it’s hard for her to stick to the activity sheet at hand without getting distracted, which throws off the audio prompts. But I feel that will come in time.
Obviously, the desk didn’t stop Harlow from asking from her iPad (she still uses it in the mornings as always) but it definitely made her ask for it less often at other parts of the day, since the iPad is usually requested when she can’t find something else to do. She played with the desk for a good amount of time every day, from the day it arrived until we left it at the house when we moved back to the city last week. We didn’t bring it back to our apartment because we don’t have a lot of space for a big toy but I already wish we could find some room.
When Harlow is playing at the desk, I feel like she is discovering new skills and entertained and working on her fine motor skills, without the option of exiting a game to watch a YouTube video. And oddly enough, even though the desk is a larger sized toy that you can’t put away, it makes way less mess than pulling all the clothes out of the dress-up bin and scattering her Barbies and their various accessories around our living room.
Today, I am giving away one Touch and Learn Activity Desk Deluxe to one lucky reader!
You must be a Mommy Shorts subscriber to enter and then leave a comment below. I’ll pick one winner at random on September 29th!
WINNER UPDATE:
Congrats to Rebecca Hall! Please contact allie@mommyshorts.com to claim your prize!
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This post was sponsored by VTech, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Pick me, pick me!!
My little one would love this and I wouldn’t feel better that he’s using this instead of youtubekids!!
**would
This sounds wonderful! I love discovering toys that will grow with our kids! Hopefully it can survive that many years!!
Yay pick me!! My daughter would love this
What a great toy for my 2 1/2 yr old! Would make a great Christmas present. =)
I would I love this for my son!!! I am a subscriber and I follow you on facebook and instragram (all your accounts).
My kids would love this
My 3 year old is obsessed with writing her name and other letters. This would be FANTASTIC to have!
Haha my kid has totally done the learning app to Barbie video switch…many times! This looks awesome.
I love discovering toys that will grow with our kids! Hopefully it can survive that many years!!
My two boys would love this!
My daughter would love this!!
This would be a perfect gift for my 3 year old. I have been looking for something educational but exciting to give her to play with when I nurse my newborn (due in a couple months!)
My son would absolutely love this!
My almost 3-year old would love that desk! We don’t have enough tablets at our house to go around, so this would be perfect for her!
What an awesome toy! My girl would love this just like Harlow!
My daughter would love this and I would love this for here and not have her playing on the iPad
My 19 month old could use that for a LONG time and there’s no way we could afford it on our own. Fingers crossed!
Yes please! This looks awesome. 2 year old is iPad obsessed.
I would love to have this for my 2 year old! Maybe it will help keep him entertained when baby sister makes her big debut!
My 3 year old would love this desk!
My two-year-old would love this (I hope!)
My 3 year old would love this!! And it would actually be a new toy for him v. his older brother and sister’s cast offs.
My almost 4 yr old would love this! And I would love to lure her away from the tv! 🙂
This would be awesome for my 3 year old! We also need a little steering away from the iPad in our house! ?
My girls would love this!
Thanks for posting about this, I was wondering about it for my two daughters (5 and 1.5). Seems pretty cool! Fingers crossed 🙂
My son would love this! I am trying to get him to use the iPad less so this would be a great way to engage him.
I would absolutely love this. I follow your blog and fb and am always entertained or gain some awesome ideas. I have a 5 year old girl and 4 year old boy who would go crazy for this toy, it would be an amazing Christmas gift. 🙂
Yes. My daughter needs this!!
Oh man. I have a 2 year old and 3 and a half year old. I need to get them this, but I’m worried it’ll be a fight to the death every single day. But it looks so cool! I think it would be worth it. My older one has a kiddy tablet, so I’m thinking my younger one needs something just like this. Guess it’s not too early for some Christmas shopping! Thanks for the review Ilana!
This would be awesome for all 3 of my kids! My only fear is that I’d end up buying more than one, lol
my almost 2 yo would love this and can grow with it!
That looks awesome. I know my 5 and almost 2 year old would fight over it but…..the screams might be worth it 🙂
That is the cutest thing!! My son would love one of these! He’s three and is just now (finally) talking so something like this would be perfect for him to expand his vocabulary and knowledge! Thank you for doing this giveaway!
I think my 2.5 year old would love this!
My two girls would have a blast with this!
My daughter would love this! And I would love having my iPad back and maybe less toys scattered around the living room.
This sounds awesome. My 2 yr old asks for my phone or tablet several times a day. Hopefully something like this would help get her to do more learning activities over watching videos of a lady taking toys out of random things.
Yes. My daughter needs this!
This looks so great! My son would love this for his third birthday!
My 3 year old has trouble concentrating when we sit down to learn and responds much better to interactive technology approaches and so this would be PERFECT for her! We are huge fans of vtech products and big bonus as well, I would much rather have her play with this verses using mommies phone.
Love this!
I would love to win. I have a 3 and a 4 year old and it would perfect for them!!!
This would be so awesome!!! Both my 2 and 3 yr old would love this and I can finally get them off my tablet and phone.
I would love to get my son away from “my” phone. This looks great!
My kiddos would love this! Nice alternative to all the electronics we have today!
My son would love this!
We love vtech toys. This would be aw some to have as a learning tool for my almost 3 year old.
My toddler loves her other vtech toys and would love this one even more. Her baby sister would love it too in a couple years!
My 2 year old son would love this!
My son would love this, and it would be especially useful since I’ll be bringing a new baby home in less than a week.
This seems like a great activity toy!
My 3 year old just started PreK and this would be awesome for an after school activity!
Will have to keep this in mind for holidays this year!
VTech is very smart moving away from the screen while still creating technology that is interactive and engaging!
It would be really nice to have this at my house for my granddaughter. We would both love it!
My kids would love this! Particularly my 2 and 4 year old! How cool!
Love for both of my daughters!
My daughter turns 3 in December. This would be an awesome gift for her!!!
Looks like a lot of fun (and educational at the same time).
Would love this for my boys.. we limit the screen time in the mornings too, but this would be a great educational addition for my son who just started Kindergarten ?
This is very interesting! Obviously, it would be great to win a free one, but I’m adding it to my son’s gift list now…just in case! 😉
My 3 year old would really love that as would my 3 year old niece!
This looks fantastic for my 2 year old who wants to navigate her older sister’s iPad but can’t work it yet.
This has to be one of the coolest toys I’ve seen this year! I have no doubt that my almost 2 year old would adore this!
This sounds awesome! My little guy just turned 2 yesterday and I only bought him one toy because with a 5 year old and a 3 year old I feel like we have enough Lego duplos and cars and stuff. But this sounds like something he and my 3 year old will love. And if it gets them off the iPad a little that’s great!
My three year old would love this!
Thanks for sharing! This would get a lot of use in my house with my 3 girls (4,2, 2 months). Adding it to their wish lists now!
My almost two year old would love this! Pick us please!
My 3 year old daughter would absolutely loves this! Thank you for giving us the chance to win this fun learning toy!
I have a four year old and a one and a half year old. This would be amazing for both of them. Here’s to hoping!
I think my 2 year old will love this! With a new baby sister on the way she needs a few new distractions the are from her iPad… the alphabet is actually her latest obsession so this looks perfect!
Ooh! So cool! My daughter would love it!
I would love to win this for my son! He will be 2 soon and he would be thrilled with it!
My 3 year old would love this- and I’d love her to put down the youtube videos!
Oh, oh! Pick me! I have a 2yo that I’d love to see on this! I’m definitely buying him one for Christmas if we don’t win this. 🙂
I saw Harlow playing with this on your snapchat and was very curious what it was. It looks fun! I’d love to be considered for one. Thank you Ilana!!
My 3 and 1 year old would love this!! I hope we win!
I would love to win this for my son. Plus I babysit and all the kids would love it =)
This looks great! Would love something to entice him away from the iPad :).
My kiddo would love this!
My daughter would LOVE this. She’s obsessed with the alphabet. Thanks for the opportunity! Love your blog. XO
My 4-year-old would love this!
Amazing! My daughter turns 4 in November and I’ve been trying to convince my husband she doesn’t need her own iPad. I think one of these desks could do the trick.
I think this is going to be the gift my 2 year old gets when he becomes a big brother in a couple months. Perfect to keep him entertained while taking care of the baby.
My 3 year old would LOVE this! Thank you for the opportunity! XO
Would love this for my nephew! He just turned 3 and is super excited to start preschool!
This looks great. My three year old was hanging on me while I read this and said she really wants that!
I am so glad you posted this! I was looking at this yesterday and was wondering how’d it go over with our 2 year old! Of course Itd be even more awesome to win one! Woohoo
I’m accidentally homeschooling my nearly 4 year old this year and that would come in so handy for times I don’t have an activity prepped. He would love it!
My son and daughter would love it! And I can get a break from listening to paw patrol.
My son turned 2 in July. We’ve managed to limit his iPad use to mostly just watching Netflix shows on the weekend but I know that’s going to be harder and harder to do. This seems like the perfect alternative!
This looks awesome!
This looks like so much fun!!:) please pick me!
Oh boy, we need this for the cold weather that will be here before we know it. Definitely a little too much screen time when we’re cooped up!
We need this in our house! My 4 year old would love it!
Looks like fun!
So neat! My daughters would love this!
Looks amazing. My kids would love love it!!! Please
Pick me