Rock Stepper was born from an idea to create a stylish and design-led educational playmat.
The playmat market featured either brightly coloured illustrations aimed for children only or mats with subtle patterns to complement different interior styles, there wasn’t one that brought the two together.
As a mother who experienced lockdown with three young children, I had to juggle a lot of responsibilities whilst embracing homeschooling for our girls. I quickly discovered a variety of resources to keep them occupied by playing and learning simultaneously, however these were mainly screen-based. School was being held over video calls, homework was online and so was a lot of their favourite entertainment. I was overwhelmed by my children’s screen-time, and I was worried about the detrimental effects this could have on them.
I wanted my children to get back to learning in a fun and creative way that was less dependent on sitting motionless in front of a screen. One evening, after watching my older girls imaginatively use their jumping skills to do their spellings on their baby sister’s alphabet playmat, my husband and I came up with the idea of creating our own version of a playmat featuring letters, numbers, shapes and colours. Children could use the playmat independently and in conjunction with technology, in a safe and secure environment.
My children’s simple playmat spelling game evolved to become Rock Stepper.
Spotting a gap in the market for a stylish and versatile educational playmat, we have created a mat that complements the Early Years school curriculum and looks beautiful in the home too. Rock Stepper encourages a less sedentary form of learning, through movement and interaction. With the use of our flashcards children can play a variety of games and build on their recognition of letters, numbers, shapes and colours. The app gives adults access to educational games (such as phonics, numbers and spellings) that they can play together with the child on the playmat.
We have created a mat that is multi-functional, wipeable, versatile and has longevity. We understand as parents that there are times when you don’t want to see children’s paraphernalia lying around the home and so the reverse side of our playmat has a subtle design to complement your interiors. The Rock Stepper playmat is supportive and safe, and can be used for Yoga, Pilates, stretching, mindful meditations…or simply for you and your children to lie on and enjoy quiet reading time or play a game of cards.
Ultimately, left on the floor the Rock Stepper playmat can be enjoyed by the whole family, young or old.
We hope you love it as much as we do!
