It’s that time of year of spoiling children silly with stuff from Santa. I love Christmas, but I don’t like getting my kids toys just to get them toys because, let’s face it, kids have an attention span of ten seconds, and it will only take a matter of days for those toys to be forgotten. Plus, I don’t like the clutter. I am like the opposite of a hoarder. If I am not using it right now, it’s out of my house (just don’t look in my garage). I can’t stand going into my son’s room and seeing all the crap toys he gets from bday party goody bags and trinkets from school parties. So hubs and I try to seek out purposeful, meaningful, and engaging toys that will teach our son something and encourage him to build, create, or think outside of the box. Of course not ALL of his toys are like this, but when I go shopping for Santa that’s the kind of toys I look for first.
Over the years Thing 1 has had some toys that really are worth sharing. Some were given to him by family members or friends, some by the guy in red, but they are way cool and worth a shout out. This is one of two posts because it would be ridiculously long if I crunched it all into one. So this first post is just toys. The second post will be centered around apps for kids. And here we go….
So this is actually for kids ages 8+, but my 5 year old is of the science mind, so we figured he’d love this. The package includes 200 different projects kids can do exploring electricity. Some are complex, but the directions are very simple and easy to understand. They can make a lightbulb light up, make a fan turn on…lots of different things. I consider my husband a pretty freaking smart man, but even he said he was learning something!
Downside: If using with younger kids their hands will be a little small to snap the circuits in place. My son could do it, it just took a teeny bit more effort. They will also need more assistance, of course.
Ages: Minimum 5, but it’s made for 8+. There is a junior version, though.
Blokus
I had never heard of this game until I saw it at Barnes and Noble one day. This game is fantastic to play with your kids to encourage critical thinking. (It received a Mensa award.) If Tetris and Chess had a baby, it would be Blokus. Basically, the goal is for all of the players to fit their shaped pieces onto the board. The person at the end who has the least amount of squares left, wins. Each shape is different and they must touch each other only at the corners. It’s so fun that we played it with my parents and sister when they came into town. There is also Blokus Jr. which has strategy cards to help children learn strategic moves, but only 2 players can play. Thing 1 has both games, but prefers the regular.
Downsides: None that I can think of!
Ages: 5 and up for both Blokus and Blokus Jr.
Leap Frog Scribble and Write
Of course, this is for the little bitties, but my son toted this thing around for months. He LOVED it, and it helped him learn how to write his letters. A must have for any toddler!
Downsides: Noise. It has two volume levels, but it can still get annoying. But what toddler toy doesn’t have noise these days? Also, even if the child draws the letter incorrectly it still says they did a good job; it is not sensitive to the stylus.
Ages: 36 months +
Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Letter Set and Fridge Words Magnetic Builder
4 years ago when I was teaching Thing 1 his letters, this little thing helped a lot. It was just another reinforcement of what I was teaching him. It made the letter sounds for him and sang songs. I swear I still hear them in my sleep to this day.
Downsides: This sucker is LOUD. Period. Each letter is a different piece and sometimes they would get stuck under the fridge. Next time I’d get a magnetic container to keep them in or something.
Ages: 4-8 years
Pattern Blocks
If you are a teacher, these look very familiar! I knew from the get go that when my boy was old enough I wanted to introduce pattern blocks to him. These in particular from Melissa and Doug have design boards that already have a picture on it; kids have to place the pattern block in the correct place on the board. There is so much you can do with pattern blocks: patterns (duh), colors, shapes…the possibilities are endless, really.
Downsides: These particular boards don’t have indentations for each piece, so they can slide around a lot. However, I did find that it made good fine motor skills practice for K as he tried to slide each piece in carefully. And it doesn’t come with a closed container for everything, as is how most of Melissa and Doug’s toys are. I just put everything in a large Ziploc.
Ages: 3+
Wheel of Fortune (Disney edition)
No, I am not kidding. This is and has been my son’s favorite show since he was one and a half.
Evidence:
My family had the original board game when I was a kid, and we loved playing it together, so when I was walking in the BX three years ago and saw the Disney version, I picked it up and wrapped it for Kayd. At first we couldn’t play the game with him the exact way it was meant to be played, but it was still meaningful. At first he’d just click the pieces up and down and spin the wheel (fine motor skills). Then he’d say the letters on the sheets, recognizing vowels/consonants. He loved lifting the little flap to see what letter was underneath. Then he began looking in the letter book to see how many letters were in each puzzle. Then we introduced the concept of money and how to count it up. Seriously, this game has been used SO much, the box is almost completely destroyed. It’s torn, tattered, and bent, but it’s worth it if you have a kid who loves letters and clicky things.
Downsides: (edited to say that sadly, it’s discontinued. But you can still buy it for a really high price! Sad face.)
Ages: 6+, but you know your kid better than I do.
I had some Magnetix back when I started teaching. The kids used them in their free time to create structures. I didn’t use them with Thing 1 because they were too small, but my father-in-law got him these ginormous ones for Christmas one year and they were perfect!
Downsides: Doesn’t come with a storing bag or anything.
Ages: 18 months+
Tub Tunes bath flutes
Okay, this is the COOLEST bath toy on the planet! The pack comes with waterproof music cards that have the music to well-known songs printed on both sides. Kids fill up the flutes with water to designated lines to form a specific note! It’s highly entertaining to watch them play as well, I guarantee it. My parents and I almost peed our pants watching K play one note at a time of Ode to Joy.
Downsides: None
Ages: 3+
Of course there is a plethora of ingenious toys out there for young children. Thing 1 has had a few science kits that were tons of fun. We’re wanting to get him a Hexbug robot this year and a pyramid excavation kit. I’m sure my list next year will look different now that he is older, but I thought I’d give parents of younger children some ideas that worked great for us!
Now, want to know the ultimate toy to get your young child? An iPad. In my second post coming in the next day or two I will explore some AH-MAZING apps for kids, great for at home or in the classroom. Seriously, good stuff coming…
2 Comments
We must think alike, we have recently gotten snap circuits (my husband wouldn't wait until Christmas to open it) Fridge phonics, and the tub flutes, all way cool. Also lego, which both of my boys love (age 2 and 4) I would add a downside to the tub flutes though, the sound of one with no water in it is so shrill it pierces to my soul! =P
Haha! True! Sometimes I do hide them….lol