How To Start Early Education at home

Excited to partner with Noggin on this honest review. Thank you to Noggin for supporting this post.

Oh my Lanta! Noggin has been such a blessing this past few months.

I’m a stay at home mom while also being a full time business owner. To say it has been easy is truly an understatement. I know that everyone has always said, enjoy this time while they are little, it goes by so fast and I couldn’t agree more. I first had Nyla, and then blinked my eyes three times and now I have three little ones who require three different things. That’s why I decided to start Noggin in the first place. Noggin was something I had my eye on for the longest and knew that if I were to start early learning before pre-school at home, I would go this route. Noggin was my first pick because it’s ad-free and made by early childhood educators. So they know what every child needs based off of their expertise in this area. Nyla and Leyah are getting what they need based off their age, development and where they should be. As a mom, I don’t have to worry about if they are getting what they should be and that’s what important to me. 

Noggin is the holy grail of ALL HOLY GRAILS because it’s functional and extremely easy to use for kids and parents. I love that they have three key features: play, watch and read. I know I can trust Nyla to pick and love watching her play games, and YES I know I said play games but not your ordinary video games but interactive games that challenge her and problem solving and cognitive growth. I usually set the girls up in the morning with breakfast and let them watch their favorite shows while I sit beside them and knock out work emails.

Leyah and Nyla absorb so much in the morning which is why I think it works so well for them. If you were to ask me what my favorite show is, I can easily tell you it’s JoJo & Gran Gran because it shows them the importance of spending time outside of the home with their nana and papa on the surface but then deeper than that, you see it implements other children and insight on what they love as it pertains to the subject of the episode. The girls love seeing other children and I can see how it influences their mood and their decision-making. It helps me see how other people can benefit my kids even if they have a different learning style while also giving the kids a different experience that adds value to their development.

If you were to ask the girls why they love this app, they would definitely say they love it because it’s so easy to use for them. It has every single show they love on the app and I know it’s great for every parent because it doesn’t need parental controls. You can trust your child is learning without the need to feel like you have to watch them every five seconds. I’ve seen the girls light up in so many ways as they grow with this app and Nyla’s favorites would probably be anything Matching and Sorting like the Perfect Pair Match game or the ABC Farm that encourages her to write. She loves the game so much that when we are in the middle of something, she will randomly say, “Mommy, can I please write.” It catches me off guard because we could be in the middle of going for a walk or getting ready to watch a movie and she is more excited about getting back to writing. That makes my heart so full because I want this to be fun for all of us and not just me. 

Another one of her favorites is The Matching Game Perfect Pair. It shows an educational fun video on how to match and uses the cutest characters to reel the girls in. After showing the video, they encourage the student to do it on their own and keeps them engaged at all times. I’ve seen Nyla get so excited when she would draw letter on ABC farm and scream, “Mommy, I did it!” I never saw her get so excited while learning before so this just made me so SO proud and content. It’s even encouraged me to sit down and want to learn all over again as if I’m not an adult and know exactly what I’m doing! LOL On the other hand, Leyah has been loving anything that allows her to sing along or discuss feelings.

While my mother-in-law was here, she made a mood board for the girls and we would often go over how we are feeling. I didn’t think anything of it at first because it was something we did naturally and wanted to get them started on expressing themselves and working on how they feel verbally and not just screaming. Now when something happens, we can help them walk through any scenario and they are able to communicate how they feel. So, when I say I am going to continue to encourage it, I mean it! Leyah likes to go into Blue’s Clues & You to see how everyone is feeling. It’s so great to see her go through each character and see how each friend is feeling. Not only does she find out, she can make feel pictures and place the emotions on a real person. From eyebrows, to eyes, to their mouth, down to the very body they get to choose from along with their background. I like that we get to walk through different scenarios with each character and make their moods come to life. It’s so powerful and helps the children depict.

After a few months of using Noggin, I’ve seen the girls become better communicators, better sisters even if we still have a few squabbles here and there. I’ve also seen them become passionate about learning. I felt the pressure of having to be the mother and teacher - it was overwhelming. With the help of Noggin, I’ve been able to let my children learn at their own pace and not feel the burden of pushing them towards certain milestones. Nyla has been using full sentences and Leyah has become so much better at saying how she feels. They are more independent and have our routine down to the T. They want to learn just as much as I want them to and it shows so many benefits right before our eyes. Everyday Nyla will run up to me and ask me if I’m happy and that one little question helps me in so many ways. I never knew I would be able to correct myself based on my daughter’s words and that means so much to me because it felt hard being surrounded by toddlers and babies and not having that adult interaction. Over these last few months, I’ve grown a true friend in my daughter and she understands feelings, emotions and how people are so much better. Leyah is still working on that but she’s getting there! Ha 

Overall, Noggin is definitely something I would recommend to my friends and family. Again, it's safe, easy to use for parents and children, and ad-free so you don’t have to censor what they watch or stand over them like the over-concerned parent. It’s made by early childhood educators and it stars some of your children’s most-loved characters. I don’t know a better app than this one that is available right at your fingertips. It’s something that can travel with you on trips, grocery runs, and quick stops. Whether they use it in the morning, mid-day, or night, it’s totally up to you but I think it serves best at any time that works for you and your family. 

Thank you, Noggin, for having such an honest platform and app that truly echo’s a parent’s and child’s needs. This has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I feel so equipped and ready for their early childhood development. It has been such a great time and has made a lasting impact on the family and I. Tap here to check it out and try your first 60 days for free. As I always say, it’s better to try and see if you like it than to never try and not know. I can’t wait for Luca to get older so I can start this for him too but for now, we both enjoy just listening and singing along. 

Xoxo, the patient mama