“It’s working!” I look at my husband with a completely lit-up expression on my face. My whole body wants to dance, but in an effort to play it just a tiny bit cool, I instead gesture with a side-nod of my head. He has knowing eyes and a smile, too. The moment has finally come:
Our two daughters are playing quietly together.
To what do we owe the honor of this magical moment—when our toddler and almost-toddler have finally become their own tiny eco-system that can self-sustain on kids-only play for, like, even 30 seconds? I’m amazed it’s taken me this long to tell you, because in real life I’m shouting it at every parent I encounter.
Lovevery’s Play Kits are it. They are the winner. Or are we the winners? Maybe everyone wins?
Lovevery Zeros In on Age Appropriateness
We first tried Lovevery for our “baby,” Una. (She’s barely a baby anymore—weep!) She’s newly a one-year-old, and such a busy bee! When her older sister was this age, she had tons of one-on-one attention and I was fabricating games and toys that were completely customized to her interests. That second kid has to fend for themselves a bit more, and so I set out to find ways to help my little one be lovingly entertained a little more independently.
It was an easy decision. Considering the research behind Lovevery’s developmentally appropriate kits—plus the sustainability and pleasing aesthetics—I felt immediate ease and confidence in inviting Lovevery into our home. Unsurprisingly, my daughter had an instant draw to these toys, and she quickly connected with the activities catered to her development in The Pioneer Play Kit. She’s been practicing two-handed coordination with the bead lacing set, exploring gravity and motion with the racing cars, building dexterity by opening and closing the fabric bug container. Her level of focus is remarkable. And she’s been having so much fun, too.
Siblings Take It to the Next Level
Okay, so here’s the part where things get really good.
The Pioneer Kit that’s meant for toddlers who are 16, 17, and 18 months old is also really engaging for my older daughter, Lorelai, too. They don’t feel like “baby toys” that are beneath her—they challenge her in unexpected ways, amazingly, but even better yet, they foster her taking on a teaching role with her little sister. Can you see why I can’t stop smiling?
Through my two daughters’ sibling play with The Pioneer Play Kit, I witnessed Lorelai teach her little sister new ways to interact with her toys:
While Una figured out how to “make the cars go” on their ramp, Lorelai taught her how to wait and release her car at the same time so they could race.
While Una flipped through her books and babbled about the pictures she saw to us, Lorelai sat and “read” them to her (she can’t quite read yet, but she can create her own storyline based on the photos).
And, when Una was taking a nap, Lorelai played with Una’s kit in more nuanced ways, applying her imagination to them rather than just using them at their most basic functions.
We Loved It So Much We Went Bigger
Given how great of an experience my kids had with the first kit we received—The Pioneer Play Kit for our one-year-old—we decided to subscribe for our older daughter, too. No-brainer!
While Lovevery only offers play kits for children up to the age of 4, knowing how much Lorelai enjoyed her baby sister’s play kit, we felt certain that even squeezing a couple of kits in before she ages out of Lovevery would go a long way.
We got her The Observer Play Kit, and wouldn’t you know it, the magic multiplied. Of course Lorelai is having a blast with her kit—I mean, it is so her speed—but Una also found ways to plug in and have fun with her big sister’s kit. And, as a parent, I was really pleased and impressed that the kits for older children don’t contain small parts that pose a risk to their younger siblings.
Bottom line: we are Lovevery lifers.
