Respected speech-language expert Erika Cardamone announces her Top 10 PAL (Play Advances Language) product lists by category representing the longest standing industry recognition, promoting language development through great play. Parents and educators alike value Erika's decades of experience and benefit daily from her work with children, consulting practice, media appearances and articles.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Regular interaction and work with children guides Play On Words CEO and speech-language pathologist, , towards this unique set of the best toys, games, books and media that have the chemistry to develop language while delivering great play. Today, Play On Words is announcing its annual "Top 10 PAL Picks for 2024/Holiday Gift Guide" by age and product category. Our Top 10's take the guesswork out of giving great holiday gifts. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers use our lists to shop for smart toys with lasting play value.
are assessed and reviewed by Erika with input from parents, kids and educators. Observing kid's play in action, combined with her critical eye for language potential, Erika awards products and writes insightful reviews offering practical tips on how to maximize the educational value in each winner catalogued on Playonwords.com.
Language catalyzing are powerful additions to a child's tool box, since children learn through play, and language is integral to learning! Our 2024 Top 10's include a number of great winners that inspire imagination and story-telling with engaging props from the Dino Temple Conquest from Schleich, to exploring the ocean with Moana during bath time with PLAYMOBIL, to creating café scenes with the Oh So Fun! Coffee Café and Cookies and Baking Set by MindWare. Promoting children's critical thinking is a strong theme throughout this year's winners, often combined with STEM skills as children design and build magnetic marble runs with CONNETIX, get virtually transported to the outdoors with Abacus Brand's "Xtreme Weather Lab," and learn spatial reasoning and planning with "Crash Cats" by ThinkFun. The toy industry continues to value new toys, games and books to promote literacy. Kids listen to stories from superhero characters with "Spidey and His Amazing Friends" and take new adventures exploring cities with "Trip Jones" to encourage planning and executive functioning.
Erika's expertise has been tapped by in Milwaukee, in Philadelphia, in Syracuse, , The New York Times, and ASHAsphere (official blog of the American Speech Language Hearing Association).
For Erika, great play is not just about fun, or language development, it's about going deep in both. Her expertise has been built on science and thousands of hours of client experience. Each set of Top 10's represents a breadth of themes and genres, but they all have one thing in common - they are trusted lists of fun products that boost learning through play. Here are 2024's Top 10 PAL Picks - See her reviews at
TOP 10 TOYS: INFANT
- Baby Squishy Spikes Alligator by VTech
- ECO Junior Sand Set by Miniland
- Flower Whistle by Toy Lab
- Grip-n-Stack Silicone Wood Blocks by Hape
- Melody Mansion by Hape
- Ms. Rachel Speak & Sing Doll by Spin Master
- Ms. Rachel Surprise Box by Spin Master
- My Little Artist Playset by GUND
- Pop & Discover Shape Sorter by The Learning Journey International
- SwimWays Pop Up Pool
TOP 10 TOYS: TODDLER
- 4-in-1 Learning Hamburger by LeapFrog
- Bright Explorer Educational Lightbox Playset by Battat Education
- BobBee by Griddly Kids
- Dino Dash Up & Down Roller Coaster by Step2
- Gabbers by VTech
- Moana's Boat by Disney's PLAYMOBIL Junior
- Music Jam with Ms. Sarah Jane by MindWare
- Nest & Count Turtle Tower by LeapFrog
- PAW Patrol Rescue Wheels Super Loop HQ Tower by Spin Master
- TekFun Nao Doodle
TOP 10 TOYS: PRESCHOOL
- 60-Piece Rainbow Starter Set by CONNETIX
- Adventure Tower with Ice-Cream Booth by PLAYMOBIL
- Cat Dig N' Build Concrete Playset by Funrise
- Cook & Care Corner Kitchen and Nursery by Step2
- Dinosaur Adventure Set by BRIO
- Oh So Fun! Cookies & Baking Set by MindWare
- Oh So Fun! Rise & Shine Coffee Café by MindWare
- Sandy Snacks-a-Lot by VTech
- Scribble Scrubbier Jumbo Pets - Wilbur by Crayola
- Stir & Sort Food Court by Battat Education
TOP 10 GAMES: PRESCHOOL
- Barn Buddies Floor Puzzle by MindWare's Peaceable Kingdom
- Cake-N-Bake Challenge by Hey Buddy Hey Pal
- Crash Monsters by MindWare's Peaceable Kingdom
- Giant Feed the Woozle by MindWare's Peaceable Kingdom
- Match It! Alphabet Match by The Learning Journey International
- Meowdy Partner by MindWare's Peaceable Kingdom
- My Fun Shapes by SimplyFun
- PAW Patrol App by Spin Master
- School Readiness Games by University Games
- Sight Word Bean Bags by Educational Insights
TOP 10 TOYS: SCHOOL AGE
- Bill Nye Xtreme Weather Lab VR by Abacus Brands
- Color and Crayola Hot Rod by PLAYMOBIL
- Curious Kingdom: Castle Playset by Playper
- Dino Tempe Conquest by Schleich
- Eldrador Creature Battle Cave Arena by Scleich
- GeoSafari Jr. Rocknoculars by Educational Insights
- GRAVITRAX Star Wars Death Star Action Set by Ravensburger
- KidDough Play Kit by Earth Grown Kid Doughs
- Master of Disguise by MindWare
- PoppinColorz Hydra 2-in-1 Blaster by South Beach Bubbles
TOP 10 GAMES: SCHOOL AGE
- 10 Days in the USA by The Op
- Bouncin' Billy Goats by MindWare's Peaceable Kingdom
- CONNETIX 80-Piece Pastel Ball Run
- Crash Cats by ThinkFun
- Disney Lorcana: Gateway by Ravensburger
- Empower Empathy
- Math Path Monsters by ThinkFun
- Prickly Path by SimplyFun
- Stratego Classic by Jumbo Games
- Trip Jones Kids' Guide to Los Angeles
Each holiday season, millions are spent on kids' toys, games and books. These above are not only great fun but also encourage rich language development. This optimizes your toy purchases to build language while maintaining all the fun. Now's the time to be intentional about your child's toy chest, game drawer, bookshelf and tablet!
ABOUT PLAY ON WORDS
is run by well-respected speech-language pathologist, Erika Cardamone. Her nearly 18 years esteemed PAL Award, popular blog, and insightful tips to parents set her apart as the leading advocate for the language component in toys.
Thousands of hours working directly with children has shown her that a unique set of the best toys, games and books have the capability to develop language while delivering great play. Studies show:
- Kids with highest IQs at three, had the most words at one and two
- Language learning is cumulative – early words => early sentences => language & reading
- Most kids maintain their verbal advantage through childhood
- Creative pretend play that sparks story-telling can advance future literacy
Erika continues with the PAL Award to identify unique toys, games and books that through their design, quality and character, encourage play that advances language. PAL winners in the hands of kids, spark fun and creative play with lots of talk. Such toys, recognized on the basis of her child development expertise, are complemented by practical coaching in her blog, showing parents and caregivers how to get the most from toys, games and books to build language and underlying cognitive skills.
Media Contact
Erika Cardamone, Play On Words, 1 2032284438, [email protected],
SOURCE Play On Words
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