MAIN Toy Reviews Yo Baby Action Board

Yo Baby Action Board

Made in the USA, by GarageCo Toys. Retails for $9.95 to $13.95, Winner of several awards including 2007 Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence.

Suggested age: 3 years and up, with adult supervision.

Very often the simplest toys are the most enjoyable. Seldom, though, do you find a toy that is so simple — it's ingenious!

Welcome the GarageCo Toys Inc., Yo Baby Action Board. It is a radical new addition to the toy box. The Yo Baby Action Board is an uncomplicated molded plastic board that resembles a skateboard minus the wheels and truck (the metal piece the wheels attach to). Yo Baby Action Board was invented by the founder of GarageCo Toys Inc., Bob Ellis, a Dad of four, who also happens to be a lifelong surfer and involved in extreme sports.

Ellis got the idea while watching his young son practice with a skateboard. The Yo Baby Action Board was intended as a training board for kids to begin to develop the skills needed for today's popular board sports - surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. The result is great fun.

It doesn't matter if your kids "pop tarts" are in the toaster or on the slopes. Your little one can imagine themselves as the "Big Kahuna" McNamara, ready to hit the surf, a Tony Hawk landing a smooth kick flip at the X-Games, or a Lindsey Jacobellis completing a tight rodeo on perfect powder.

The Yo Baby Action Board is an excellent tool for gross motor skill development as well as a confidence builder.

The board allows kids to practice and develop skills minus the instability factors of wheels, snow, or waves. A definite bonus is that kids are less likely to get hurt which helps to diminish the fear factor (for kids and parents); providing them with the opportunity to attempt tricks that they might otherwise be too timid to try.

The Yo Board package says that it is designed for use on carpet, sand, and grass, but it seems to work beautifully on almost any surface. The board is small, lightweight, and fits in a backpack for easy take-along. It is straight up uncomplicated fun, powered by muscle and imagination.

The Yo Baby Action Board is available in an array of colors and made in the U.S.A. Its "no batteries required" element and modest price also adds to the attraction of this cool toy must-have.

About the Author: Mary Rose is a Mommy, a writer and an early childhood educator who believes in learning through play and the value of good toys.