We are excited to tell you about a new product that recently launched! We think the way the Trip Clip keeps your kids busy and helps them learn by doing, is a great concept. It's also a nice alternative to handing them yet another electronic device. Here is a little bit about it from the developer Molly Rhoten:I originally came up with the idea for The Trip Clip™ when I was doing the grocery shopping with my older son when he was 4. He was tough to manage in the grocery store, but I figured out that if he could “help” me shop, he wouldn’t spend so much time creating his own fun/chaos. He could recognize pictures of things we needed and cross them off the list, and he loved to feel like he was part of the process. Now that he's older, he is truly helpful in the grocery store. He knows our brands and where things are, and can get a number of things by himself while I help his younger brother who is starting with a picture list all his own.
Squeezing in learning, fostering parent-child interactions, AND keeping children occupied in a meaningful way is definitely something we can support! We got a blue Trip Clip, 4-color pen, and a gift code, so we could pick our favorite activities to print out.Right away I was impressed by the sturdiness and the size of the Trip Clip. It's special size is approximately 6X9 inches, making it perfect for little hands to hold and use. It also fits nicely into most bags; easy to grab and go without taking up much room. My four year old has no problem handling it and can work the clip independently.
I think one of her favorite parts of the Trip Clip is the neat 4-color pen that's looped on by a string and can also be attached by velcro to the top of the clip board. Clicking through the four colors keeps her pretty busy all by itself! It's also scaled down to a child-friendly size and I'm glad to see replacements are available as I can see us needing more in the future! As an FYI to keep in mind the Trip Clip also offers one free clip replacement per purchase! So if your child is touch on their things or loses it, you can get a back up! 
What really makes the Trip Clip special, are all the neat activities available on the website! You can purchase five for $4.95 and once you add an activity to your account you can print them out as many times as you'd want. They are perfectly size to print out two to a page, just cut in half and they are ready, quick to prep and no wasting paper. Some are even customizable, like the shopping list, so you can make one to fit what your family is shopping for each time you go!I noticed that there are activities for a range of ages and abilities. For now, my four year old is most interested in Tic-Tac-Toe, her current favorite game so we'll be printing that out A LOT, and the Coloring Pages. I have begun to use the shopping list with her as well, the Daily Checklist and Packing Lists are both customizable and would also be age appropriate. Count on It is probably the next one we'll chose to add, because she likes to count things as we pass them on the road.
I use the picture and word versions of the activities but for older children you can choose word only. There are also more advanced choices like My Alphabet Game, in which the child is to find things that start with each letter. Crossword Puzzles work on spelling and range from very easy first-letter sounds for young kids, to much harder clue-based ones for older kids. There are Word Searches, Bingo Boards that generate a new board each time you refresh the page, so there are thousands of different possible boards you can print. The boards can be catered to a restaurant, a car trip, a plane trip, a sibling’s sporting event, and more. My favorite, Write a Story, provides a space for a hand drawn picture and room to write.
These choices mean that the Trip Clip can grow with your child and that more than one child in the family can use it, but if that's the case, you'll probably want to get each child their own Trip Clip. At $19.95 the sets make great gifts and would look cute poking out of the top of a stocking...I'm just sayin' ☺ We got our review copy very quickly, so if you order now it should come by the holidays and it's a great tool to add to your parenting arsenal any time of the year!
Giveaway!One of our readers will win a Trip Clip set that includes a Trip Clip Clipboard, 4-color pen, and 5 Activities!
To Enter:
To Enter:
Visit the Trip Clip website and tell us which activity for the clipboard you think your child would like the most.
Extra Entries: Be sure you leave a SEPARATE comment for each additional method of entry you choose to do!
Extra Entries: Be sure you leave a SEPARATE comment for each additional method of entry you choose to do!
- Tell us when you could use a Trip Clip to keep your child busy...doctor's office, in the car, church etc.?
- Suggest a new activity you'd like to see be made available for the Trip Clip.
You can also earn more entries to this giveaway by following us via Google Friends Connect, email, Facebook, or Twitter so you'll be the first to know about giveaway opportunities in the future! Spreading the word is also appreciated. Just let us know what you do in a separate comment for each extra method you do.
This giveaway will be open until December 15 EST to US residents. A winner will be chosen via Random.org and have 48 to respond to our notification email. Good luck!
Disclosure: A review sample was provided; this post relates our own personal and unbiased opinions with the Trip Clip.
This giveaway will be open until December 15 EST to US residents. A winner will be chosen via Random.org and have 48 to respond to our notification email. Good luck!
Disclosure: A review sample was provided; this post relates our own personal and unbiased opinions with the Trip Clip.
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