The U-Play Mat is a U-shaped mat with 15 clear pockets on its surface. The mat is 4 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. The innovative "U" shape allows the child to sit inside the opening of the "U" with full access to the 15 pockets. The child has full visual and tactile access to the whole surface, without having to crawl atop the mat. Child-safe see-through pockets allow fifteen theme-based cards to be secured to the mat surface. This unique shape allows for the caregiver to sit across and engage the child in a variety of exercises using the adorable theme-based card decks. The pockets are designed to be slightly larger than the cards, allowing for the cards to be placed and removed easily.
The U-Play Mat’s accompanying tote bag has eight pockets, allowing for all available card decks to be easily carried with the mat. The tote is lightweight, surface washable and adorable!
There are a total of eight theme-based card decks available for use with the U-Play Mat: U-Animals, U-Foods, U-Home, U-Go, U-Play, U-Dress, U-Outside, and U-Fruits and Vegetables. Each deck includes 30 cards (15 pairs of theme-based images). The cards are 4 inches x 6 inches, have rounded edges and are of a thick and durable card stock.
The pride of the U-Play Mat rests not only in its design, but the amazing instructional manual available that accompanies the mat. In this manual, ten exercises per card deck are outlined in an easy and fun manner. These include: What Things Are (With a Hint!), What Things Are (Without a Hint!), Matching, Yes/No Questions, “Wh” (Who, What, Where, When, Why) Questions, Same, Different, Using More Words, Making Connections, Following Directions
The product is packaged as a Starter Set for $49.00 (U-Play Mat, Tote, Instruction Book, Two Card Decks) or as a Professional Set for $84.00 (U-Play Mat, Tote, Instruction Book, Eight Card Decks). For those choosing the Starter Set, the additional six decks are sold separately.
The U-Play Mat is an interactive language and social development activity system designed by a pediatrician and mother of two sets of twins. Dr. Jen’s “Aha!” moment arose during a speech therapy with her son. He was focused and engaged while playing a simple interactive floor game involving a large paper poster and picture cards. As a typical toddler would, he crawled on top of the paper poster during the game, nearly ripping it and causing the cards to fall off. Dr. Jen thought, "We should have the mat curve around the child - rather than the child sitting on the mat!"
Dr. Jen’s idea sparked the creation of the patent-pending U-Plat Mat! The U-Play Mat is an educational toy intended for use with children ages one and up learning to talk and develop social skills, and with children of all ages who may have particular language and/or social development needs.
Inventor: Jennifer Canter
Jennifer Canter aka “Dr. Jen” is a board certified pediatrician with a specialty in child abuse and neglect. As if being the mother of two sets of twins and directing a regional child abuse medical evaluation program wasn’t enough, Dr. Jen embarked on a new adventure in 2008 – entrepreneur. Dr. Jen invented a new educational toy called the U-Play Mat and has brought it all the way from idea to the homes of children around the world. Dr. Jen and her invention have received rave reviews from parenting experts and media outlets including Dr. Toy, Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, Scholastic Administrator, CookieMag.com, and Mom In The City. The U-Play Mat’s first special needs supplement (a manual for using the U-Play Mat with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders) was released in December 2008.
This entire project was founded on the principle of networking and taking risks. As a pediatrician/mom, Dr. Jen didn’t know the first thing about taking an idea and getting it safely in the hands of children around the world. An intellectual property attorney friend, a designer friend, a speech pathologist friend, and many friends of friends soon became the “U-Play Project Team” and with hard work and motivation, this idea in September 2008 landed in the hands of its first customers in September 2009!
Hilary says:
Feb 23, 2010 at 11:47 am
I love the U-Play mat. It's such a great tool to help kids learn and develop! Great product!
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Jenn Frisch says:
Feb 23, 2010 at 11:36 am
Excellent product. Helps with eye hand coordination, speech, and very good for fine and gross motor coordination. My children were born prematurely and I feel that this is a wonderful product for them to enjoy and promote their development.
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Bonni says:
Feb 23, 2010 at 5:34 am
I bought the U-Play Mat for all of my grandchildren. All can use it to learn or to teach each other. I also have worked with special children and see this product as a multi-faceted learning tool. It requires the child to participate on any level they … more are able to. Therefore it encourages success and not just "winning" or "losing". It teaches, it encourages, it's GREAT!
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Diana says:
Feb 23, 2010 at 12:40 am
We have this product and play with our 2 yr.old all the time. He loves it because it's a cool fun toy. We love it because we know he is learning and it's a great tool for bonding and communication. Highly recommend!!
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Rachel says:
Feb 22, 2010 at 10:26 pm
As a therapist I love the U-Play Mat. It's such a great way to encourage conversations and work on eye contact. I recommend it to parents.
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