Teaching young children the alphabet and the fundamentals of reading seems to come second nature to parents.  It seems that one of the first songs I sang to Riley was the alphabet song and we've been working on learning the alphabet and letter sounds ever since.

Educational Insights offers a variety of unique and interesting toys which teach literary skills and I recently had the opportunity to review one of their newest with the Phonics Firefly.  Keep reading to learn more!

The Phonics Firefly from Educational Insights is designed for children ages 3 years old and up and requires 4 "AA" batteries (included).  This charming Phonics Firefly invites young children to explore the exciting world of letters, sounds and words.  Seven different levels of play offer entertaining and challenging games for kids just learning the alphabet as well as beginning readers of three-letter words.  Light-up letters guide play along and high-quality digital voice technology speaks the names of letters as well as the sound each letter makes.

In order to begin, just press the "ON" button and then turn the large red dial to the mode of play you want.  The further right you go on the dial, the more difficult the games and activities are.  For instance, the very first option is for singing the alphabet song only while the letters light up in time with the tune.  The next two modes deal with letter recognition, the two modes after that deal with letter sounds and then finally, the last two modes are the Word Explorer game.

In the Word Explorer game, early learners can make their own three-letter words.  Phonics Firefly's word bank speaks nearly every common three-letter word (over 500) in the English language!  Convenient features include built-in speaker with volume control and automatic shut-off so as to conserve battery power.

If you are looking for the perfect toy to help your youngster become more alpha-savvy, then I highly recommend the Phonics Firefly from Educational Insights.  This fun and portable educational tool will keep your child engaged and entertained whether at home or on the go!

Disclosure:  I received the Phonics Firefly from Educational Insights in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my own personal experiences with this item and is completely honest and objective.