M is for Monster is a monthly subscription box for toddlers and preschoolers with a focus on learning and development. Every month, they send 4 weekly themed activities involving numbers, letters, shapes, spelling, counting and more. You can select from single boxes, monthly subscription, or sibling set (if you have more than one child). Right now, you can get 50% off your first box by signing up for their newsletter.
The box I am reviewing is for preschoolers, which is for kids ages 4-5. This box was kindly sent to us for review purposes. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviews, and only provide our honest feedback.
Subscription: M is for Monster
Category: Kids, Learning & Development
What's Included: Weekly themed activities appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers.
Price: $38.95 per month ($42.95 for single box purchase, or $79.50 per month for sibling set).
Ships To: US only.
Coupon: Sign up for M is for Monster's newsletter and get 50% off of your first box.
Read more M is for Monster reviews.
The box comes with a double-sided print out with detailed instructions on the weekly activities.
On the back side of the print out, there are additional recommendations on books to read as well as songs and rhymes. I really like how the activities and extended learning suggestions are all directly related.
Week 1: Ice Cream
Week 1's activities revolves around developing early reading skills, color recognition, and letter recognition.
Week 1, Activity 1: Ice Cream Soup (by Ann Ingalls) - What happens when you try to make an ice cream cake, but add too much stuff? You end up with ice cream soup! This book is great for beginning readers. My little guy loves books that rhyme, so I can't wait until he can read it himself.
Week 1, Activity 2: Ice Cream Sprinkles - In preschool, your child learns to recognize how to mix two colors to create another color. This activity asks your child to match the ice cream cone colors to the ice cream sprinkles. For instance, blue and red sprinkles will match to the purple cone.
Week 1, Activity 3: Ice Cream Letter Match - The third activity of the week is letter recognition. You stick one set of letters to the cone, and another set to the ice cream. Your child will then match the letter on the cone to the letter on the ice cream.
Week 2: Lemonade
Week 2's activities revolves around a combination of skills for each activity: fine motor and letter recognition, number recognition and math, imagination and self help
Week 2, Activity 1: Smelly L - For this activity, spread glue on the letter L and sprinkle lemonade mix onto the glue. Give it a sniff!
Week 2, Activity 2: Ice Cube Counting - Show your child a number, and ask them to count that many "ice cubes" and place them into the cup.
Week 2, Activity 3: Lemonade Stand Pretend Play - Have your child make pretend lemonade with the pitcher and spoon. If you still have some of the lemonade mix left, you can even make a real one using the pitcher.
Week 3: Popcorn
Week 3 continues with counting, number recognition, letter recognition and fine motor skills.
Week 3, Activity 1: Count the Popcorn - This activity includes a little booklet with numbers, and popcorn scented stickers. The idea is to have your child recognize the numbers in the book, and then place that many stickers on the paper.
Week 3, Activity 2: Popcorn Letter Pop - Crinkle up the popcorn letters and place them in the popcorn container. Have your child shake it until a "popcorn" pops out. Unfold the paper popcorn, and ask your child to recognize the letter.
Week 4: Shapes
Week 4's activities are all about shapes.
Week 4, Activity 1: Sponge Paint Shapes - Place the little plastic shape pieces on the paper, and use the sponge to paint around the shapes. While you child is having fun painting, you can get involved by talking about the shapes they are making.
Week 4, Activity 2: Shape Game - Place all of the cards face down. Pick a card and ask your child to read it. Each card says "I have {a shape}. Where is {a shape}?". The idea is to eventually find the card with the shape that’s being asked for, and then keep repeating the game. This repeated exercise will help them recognize and remember the shapes.
Week 4, Activity 3: Chalk Shapes - This one is fun! Take the chalk and go draw shapes on the sidewalk. You can use the game cards to help your child remember what the shapes look like.
Final Thoughts: M is for Monster's activities are well thought out, easy to understand, and provides a lot of fun while engaging your child to learn. There are 2-3 activities provided for each week. You can do them all at once, or on separate days. All the materials are included so you don't have to worry about making a trip to the store. I really like the weekly themes, and all of the corresponding activities and materials ties in nicely. I can't wait to try everything with my little guy. For less than $10 a week, M is for Monster is definitely worth it in terms of value. Everything is planned out with instructions, materials, and shipped to your door. It really can't get any easier than that.
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