Advisory Council

Early Childhood Mental Development Expert

Dr. Lise Eliot is Associate Professor of Neuroscience at The Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science. A Chicago native, she received an A.B. degree from Harvard University, a Ph.D. from Columbia University, and did post-doctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In addition to teaching and writing, Dr. Eliot lectures widely about children's brain and mental development. In addition to more than 50 published peer-reviewed journal articles and magazine pieces, Eliot is the author of two books, "Pink Brain, Blue Brain," which examines sex differences and children's gender development and "What's Going On In There," which charts babies' brain development from conception onward and its relationship to children's emerging mental abilities. Dr. Eliot and her husband live outside Chicago with their daughter and two sons.

Articles
Understanding Developmental Milestones

Your child is unique and is developing at his or her own pace mentally, emotionally and physically. However, you’re probably still curious to know if he or she is developing normally. That’s why I’ve collaborated with VTech to organize developmental milestones you can use as guidelines to better understand your child’s unique stage. Each milestone fits into one of three categories that are important to your child’s development.

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Enhance playtime with Go! Go! Smart Wheels®

Whether it’s your basic train set or a high-speed, looping race course, vehicle and track sets are perennially popular toys. Beyond the fun, toy cars and tracks are great playthings because they engage children in imaginative play while also developing fine motor skills, mechanical sense and spatial reasoning. VTech’s new Go! Go! Smart Wheels® line of toys takes this basic play pattern and enhances it with several important educational features.Vehicles and tracks come in bright colors and are the perfect size for small hands. The playsets also connect to each other to create an entire world of Go! Go! Smart Wheels® tracks and accessories.

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Combat Summer Brain Drain in your kids with Smart Tips for Summer Learning Fun!

With the school year coming to a close, many parents are looking for ways to combat summer brain drain, and VTech has smart tips to help promote summer learning fun. Summer brain drain happens when students are away from the structured learning environment of a classroom and lose some of the knowledge and skills gained during the school year because they are not regularly exercising their brains. According to research from Johns Hopkins and other universities, students typically lose one to two months of reading and math skills during the summer break. But there are many ways you can help keep children's minds active during the summer months and avoid these setbacks.

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Toys that Stand the Test of Time

Some things never go out of fashion. For generations, babies have been happily diverted by toy activity centers—sturdy panels with an explosion of colorful, easy-to-move buttons, knobs, wheels, and sliders that make interesting sounds or change pictures when a baby handles them. VTech’s new version of this classic toy, the action-packed Alphabet Activity Cube, is sure to fascinate any curious infant or toddler.

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One Small Step for Baby Kind

If there’s one thing parents notice most about their baby’s development, it is the remarkably rapid emergence of motor skills. Imagine starting out as a helpless little slugger, all kicks and jabs, but without the strength or control to even roll over in your crib! And yet, by just one year of age, most infants are able to walk independently—a feat of coordination, strength, and agility that is light years ahead of where they started at birth. How do they do it?

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Smart Babies

Where does intelligence come from? Studies reveal that infants know a lot more than we used to think, and for good reason

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Infant Development and Learning – It’s Never Too Early To Start

It's never too early to incorporate learning into your baby's day. In fact, research has shown that babies begin learning well before they are even born! Here are some tips to ensure your infant is getting the right kinds of interaction to promote physical mental development.Parents Play A Key Role:

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Meet our Expert Advisory Panel
Dr. Deborah Sharp Libby

Early Childhood Language and Reading Expert

Dr. Lise Eliot

Early Childhood Mental Development Expert

Dr. Helen Boehm

Psychologist, Author, and Parenting Resource Expert

Dr. Carla C. Johnson

Science and STEM Expert

Dr. Francis (Skip) Fennell

Mathematics Expert

Stacey Heneveld

VTech Mom