Independent toy store Adventuretown Toy Emporium, based in Los Angeles, didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic stop it from creating a new product exclusively to help parents keep their kids developmentally on track.
Fledglings’ Flight, a free app and a customized subscription box, aims to aid parents of kids ages 0-3 in the optimization of their kids’ development with daily exercises created by specialists in pediatric occupational therapy, developmental optometry, and speech pathology.
“In August of 2020 when the second COVID wave hit, I realized that this pandemic wasn’t going to go away anytime soon and that pandemic-related isolation was going to have a profound effect on the development of the youngest children,” says Adventuretown President Annamarie von Firley. “You can’t lock a child in a house for two years and not expect their development would be delayed.”
The difference between this subscription box and the many available on the market is that, as a premium member, each monthly box is specifically tailored to a kids’ unique needs. For $60 a month, this includes toys picked according to parent-provided data about milestones and exercises completed, along with feedback from parents about their kid’s experience with the toys. The customized toy “Toolbox” features one or two developmental toys culled from 35 countries and chosen for their educational value, as well as certain supplies needed for daily exercises that may not be found in the home such as balloons, pipe cleaners, pompoms, or straws.
At $24, the basic membership includes tracking the 812 milestones kids should achieve by their fourth birthday, plus access to exercises and more than 1,200 articles on child development and self-care. Additionally, Adventuretown offers exercises and articles for free through the app, so any parent can focus on their kid’s developmental needs whether they are delayed, on track, advanced, or asynchronous.
Founded in 2016 by von Firley, Adventuretown puts learning top of mind by cultivating kids’ curiosity by learning through play with hands-on activities from around the world. She’s an advocate for parents monitoring their kids’ development because early intervention is the key to helping those who are showing signs of developmental delays.
