There's no denying the wide variety of toys that are on the market today for young children.  But as a parent, I do my best to make sure that every toy Riley plays with contains a degree of educational value too.  Toddlers and preschoolers are soaking up the world around them like a sponge, which is why I love introducing toys to Riley that promote valuable skills to better prepare her for school.

Such is the case with the Pizza Mania early math game from Learning Resources.  Now young children get to combine new skills like addition, subtraction and listening carefully with their love of pizza!  Keep reading to learn more!

Get ready to make some delicious pizza with the Pizza Mania action-packed, early addition and subtraction game from Learning Resources!  Listen to the chef, then add or subtract the right amount of toppings.  Build the perfect pizza and win the game!

The Pizza Mania game is designed for 2-4 players, ages 4 years old and up.  It requires 3 "AA" batteries (not included) and comes with the following:

• 5" high talking chef
• 4 pizza game boards
• 48 toppings (12 each of pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and peppers)

Playing Pizza Mania couldn't be simpler, for it only requires the player to follow the directions of the pizza chef.  There are two modes of operation: Pizza Party and Pizza Panic.  Pizza Party is a great game for younger players.  Just listen closely to the chef and follow the directions.  This game will reinforce addition and subtraction of numbers 1, 2 and 3.

Pizza Panic is a game for more advanced players.  This game plays the same as Pizza Party, but the speed is much faster.  Think fast, act quickly and get to building those pizzas!

Each game lasts approximately 60 seconds, which is perfect for younger children's attention spans.  At the end of the game, the chef will tell you which toppings should still be on your pizza.  All players who managed to successfully build the correct pizza are winners!

Although Riley was still a little too young for Pizza Mania, I thought this early math game was a lot of fun and crucial to building essential listening skills.  I like how math concepts of addition and subtraction are used throughout this game, but I was really impressed at how young children were being asked to listen closely and follow directions.

Listening in this manner is a lifelong skill that will serve any student well, so why not start from the beginning and make it a lot of fun to do?  I also love how more than one child can win this game at a time and that the pizza chef even has self-checking audio for additional support.

I highly recommend the Pizza Mania early math game from Learning Resources for any preschooler would enjoy making their own pizza using a variety of toppings.  Only you as the parent will actually know the valuable addition, subtraction and listening skills that are being taught to them all the while they're giggling and having fun!  :wink: