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.
My daughter would love this!
My daughter would love this.
This little table is awesome!! I love anything interactive that teaches my child while he’s being entertained! lol!
This would be perfect for my 2 little ones! I’d love to toss the iPad to the side!
My littlest one would love this!
What a cool toy! Thanks for the great recommendation!!
My 3-year-old just started preschool. I think he would love this!
This is the cutest toy. My sister has one and my daughter cried when I told her we had to leave. Usually cause of the drive home, but this time because she wanted to bring her school desk.
Great toy, looks perfect for kids! Trick them into learning, I love it! Keep up the great work….can you fit one of these in the next swag bag?!?
I have a two year old and a 3 year old that would love to win this!!
My almost 3 year old would love this! Something just for her!
I know what you mean by the ipad!…My daughter just turned 3 and if we didn’t set a time limit she would probably use it all day long. It sounds like a great learning toy for the girls to use.
Ohh!!! Look fun. My kids would enjoy this.
This seems like something my daughter would love.
Looks fabulous!
Me me me!! We need a way to break from the screen. No more Peppa pig!
Love this toy and ideal for 2.5 year old… 🙂
My daughter would love this!!!!
This is an awesome toy! I know my 4 year old would love it. Along with my daycare kids!! Definitely on the Santa list!!
That looks so cool!
Looks like a cool toy! 🙂
It’d be amazing to win this!
What a great give away! I know a certain little one who would LOVE this!!!
Oh I feel like this would be right up my daughters alley right now!! She’s obsessed with technology and learning letters and numbers. How cool!
My almost 3 year old would love this!
My 2 year old daughter is just starting to be obsessed with my phone/iPod and sometimes it drives me crazy!! She loves anything interactive. This would be a perfect substitute!
My son would love this! I’d be tempted to hide it from him until the weather gets bad because I know we are going to go stir crazy this year! I know he would g nuts over it! Glad Harlow enjoyed it too. Such a cutie.
Awesome! Totally an avid subscriber and my toddler would love this!
I want this!
I would love to be able to find my sons eyes. They’re lost somewhere deep into the iPad. Every single time I let him watch it. ?
Oh, man. This looks really cool for my 3 and 1 year olds!
I have a couple of girls who would love this!
I know my daughter would LOVE this! And bonus, her birthday is coming up in November!
I hadn’t seen this before, my daughter would love it!
My 3 year old would love it! pick us! 😀
This would be a perfect educational addition to our playroom!
Please help me escape the death grip the iPad has on my youngest!!
My twins would love this. I am also trying to get them off the I pad.
My 3 year old son would love this. Hopefully I can find one before they sale out for the holidays.
So fun! I’m sure my son would love this!
Would love to win!
My 2, almost 3, year old nephew would love this. Anything that has abcs on it is a winner to him. He already knows how to spell and this would help him further his learning.
This looks awesome! We definitely need to look into getting one.
So cool! Would love to try one out!
Would Love this for my daughter! Looks so fun!
My almost 4 year old would love that! She plays ABC Mouse on the iPad all the time but is starting to get into drawing and coloring, so the deluxe would be perfect for her. I think I’ll have to get it for her November birthday if I don’t win! 😉
i like the multi use of this toy!
My 2 year old son would love this toy! His favorite thing to do is learn, so I know he’d appreciate what this toy has to offer.
My little 3 yr old seriously needs this to break her tablet addiction! We have to limit the daily time too but everyday she will ask for it…those you tube videos will be the end of me!!! ??
Please and thanks!!!
We have been trying so hard to get our child to prefer something to his electronic device. This is really a great find!
Since an IPAD & internet on my phone is simply not in my budget, this would be a great alternative for my 3 year old. He would really enjoy playing with something like this.
My 2.5yr old would definitely love this! Her favorite part of going to the library is using the kid computers. She would absolutely love to have something like this of her own.
Love all your post on new products, it’s nice to get a real opinion before purchasing! Looks like my kids would love this!
Sounds like something great for when you’re busy with chores and can’t give your little one full attention. They can play with something that’s actually benefitting them and we can have 5% less less mom guilt that night! Heh. My 3yr old would love it!
My 3 year old grandson would LOVE this!
This is so cute. My daughter loves to pretend she is going to work so I’m sure she’d love this!
My 3 year old would love this!!!
Ooo! Ooo! Pick me! My daughter is getting ready to turn 2 and would absolutely love this. We’ve been looking for something to tear her away from her tablet too.
Perfect Christmas present!! Thanks
My 3 year old has a birthday coming up – this would be perfect!
That’s awesome! I love the functionality of it and if it makes a child ask for an electronic device less often, that’s a major win!
Intriguing toy!
My daughter would love this. She definitely works on her abc’s on my phone, and then all of a sudden she is playing this creepy hair game :/ plus if she had this maybe I could get my phone back!
looks like the perfect solution for my almost 4 year old who keeps asking for her own computer for her birthday
This looks like an awesome toy for my little guy!!
I’d love it for my 3 yr old since we’re making him practice his alphabets and numbers and looking for some fun tool that can help make this learning easy and smart!
Sydney would love this!
Love it!
yes, please!
My daughter would love this, thank you for the opportunity!
What a great table! My 2 under 3 would love to be able to use this for years!
My daughter would absolutely love this!
I think my 3 year old would love this. If we don’t win, maybe Santa will bring it to our house 😉
My 3.5 year old would love this!
My son is turning three in a couple days. He has nothing like this v-tech activity desk. I think this would be great to try. He too loves his iPad. He is into watching toy reviews. I think this would be a great educational toy for my boy.
P.s. I love watching you guys on snapchat.
My almost 3 year old would love this!!
My 2-year-old son Jason would love this! ?
That is an amazing toy!
I have a 2 and 4 year old. if I win one I’ll def have to BUY another one! PICK ME ANYWAY! 🙂
My kids would love this!
My happy little learner would love this!
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for… this would be perfect for my (almost) 3 yo and 4yo girls.
Neat toy. Vtech is constantly coming out with innovative toys. Thank you for the chance. Good luck to everyone.
Pick me!! Looks so awesome for my twins!!!
This looks so great – fun and educational! Looks like a great idea for a Christmas present!
Oh my goodness this would be great for my daughter. She too is 3 and Really likes the iPad and those darn videos of a lady singing no more monkeys or Micky mouses jumping on the bed over and over again. We need this!
My daughter would love this desk set.
My soon to be 4 year old needs to be lured away too. He was crying because there’s no tv or iPhone at his pre-school. I feel like a terrible parent!
Looks like such fun! My little will be turning 2 on 9/29, so it would be a perfect bday present 😉
I’d love this for my 3 year old who refuses to go to preschool without mommy! It would be great for her to learn letters and numbers this year so she can be prepared for school next year. Thanks for the chance!
My son Lukas would LOVE this!
My almost three year old would LOVE to have this!
This looks awesome. I have 4 year old twin girls that would love it!!
How cool! My 2yo has really gotten into reading interactive books on our family shared tablet but each app takes up so much space and we don’t have wifi so it’s kind of a melt down situation sometimes if we are at home and she demands it’s hers then tells me “it’s broken.” She loves anything interactive so this wouldn’t depend on wifi and give her lots of interactive hands on learning skills. Thanks!
Would love this for my little 2-year-old!
Love this! My girls are iPhone-obsessed so this would be a great alternative!
My daughter already sits at my desk so she can “work” it’s adorable, she types and pretends to make and receive calls, It’s adorable. She would go crazy for this, and I might actually get to use my desk.
This looks amazing! My youngest will be 4 on the 30th and this is right up his alley!
My daughter has already gone through her toys and she gets bored. So we would resort to electronics to entertain her and keep our sanity at the same time. This would be perfect for her and I know she would live it!
my toddler would love this!