Steps and Stages of Play Contest

We get it: on top of school, mealtime and a million-and-one other tasks on a parent’s to-do list, playtime with the kids isn’t always one that demands priority. But, not only is play critical to your child’s development, it can actually give parents the chance to laugh off some stress while bonding as a family. 

Our series of Facebook Lives will help you do just that. Each week focusing on a different age group, we’ll have one of our Today’s Parent friends show us the toys and gadgets that are encouraging playtime in their own homes. Join us throughout the month, where we’ll share tips on how to have fun with kids of every age as we unbox and test the toys live on camera. 

Don't forget to mark your calendar and RSVP on our Facebook event page here.

Our Facebook Live videos, by week

All Facebook Live videos will premiere at 8 p.m. EST. Can't make it to the live stream? Don't worry—we'll post all the videos to todaysparent.com after they've aired on Facebook.

Oct. 7: Baby and Infant 
First things first. For your baby to properly engage with you in simple play, they’ll need a proper night’s rest. Here, we speak with family sleep expert Alanna McGinn of the Good Night Sleep Site, who tackles everything you need to know about creating the perfect sleep environment for your little one. 

Oct. 14: Toddler
At this age, your child’s quickly developing their speaking skills—babbling away or even saying their very first words. Here, we join Mai Le Edwards of Everyday Eddies to test out the Speak & Learn Puppy, which plays music that helps reinforce language skills and teach about letters, numbers and emotions.

Oct. 21: Preschool
Let their imagination run wild at this age. Medge Beauvoir-Yellowlees of My Voguish Diaries and her kids test out the toys from the popular Netflix series, Go Go Corey Carson. There’s lots of ways to play pretend here, with several characters and sets to choose from.

Nov. 4: School age 
After school and extracurriculars, unstructured time is key at this age. Let them pursue new hobbies and give them toys to help explore their creativity. Parent blogger Humara Kausar shows us the KidiZoom Creator Cam, which lets your kids produce fun, imaginative videos that incorporate special effects and animated backgrounds.

Here's how to enter:

Tune into each of the videos for your chance to win one of six toy prize packs! Just watch out for the secret code word in each video, then enter that in your ballot form below. 

What you could win:

Each prize pack consists of seven toys:

• VTech RM5754HD Smart Wi-Fi Video Baby Monitor, $179.99
• VTech KidiZoom® Creator Cam, $79.99
• VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Ultimate Corkscrew Tower, $39.99
• VTech Go! Go! Cory Carson® Cory's Stay & Play Home, $49.99
• VTech Myla's Sparkling Friends Mia, $24.99
• LeapFrog Speak & Learn Puppy, $39.99
• LeapFrog Blue's Clues Handy Dandy Notebook, $19.99

Contest closes on Nov. 8, 2020, at 11:59 p.m.

These Official Rules govern the Contest. By participating or attempting to participate in the Contest, you will be deemed to have received, understood, and agreed to these Official Rules. You can find them here: Download PDF