{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 20: Nesting Blocks

Nesting blocks are one of Greyson's go-to favorite toys.  It's such a perfectly simple toy that so much can be done with them (much more than just stacking and nesting!).  We have a Melissa and Doug set (shown below) with the alphabet on them.  Greyson will stack the blocks, and then we sing our alphabet song while pointing to the letters (forward and backward just for fun).  We'll also use the nesting blocks as a mountain for our Army men to climb, as well as hiding spots when the Army men climb in the boxes.  Nesting blocks are one of those versatile toys that's just begging for an imagination to turn it into all it can be.

Is anyone else as excited as me that there are Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss sets of nesting blocks?

Skills:

• problem solving
• sequencing

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 19: Musical Instruments

Have you ever met a toddler who doesn't love music?  Music is not only fun for them, it also stimulates a lot of learning.  Greyson dances to any musical beat that he hears, and has really begun to love singing and playing his own music.  I much prefer instruments that only make noise when he causes it to make noise, not one that requires batteries and plays on it's own when it's touched.

Skills:

• cause and effect
• music
• fine and gross motor

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 18: Alphabet Letters

The more exposure to alphabet letters children get, the better!  There's so much to do with alphabet letters, you cannot go wrong with them.  We have felt letters for our flannel board, letters on blocks, magnet letters, bath letters and more.  Keep in mind when shopping, it's nice to have both uppercase and lowercase letters in your collection.

Skills:

• early literacy
• fine motor
• letter identification

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 17: Sorting Board

Sorting boards are next to impossible to find in stores (at least around here), which confuses me because they are a great learning toy.  Sorting is an essential math skill, and this simple toy can help children develop it.

Skills:

• math skills
• fine motor
• concept skills (shapes, colors, etc)

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 16: Peg Boards

Many people have never even heard of peg boards, but almost everyone has seen this fun little game:

While it's not quite the same, you can imagine how much fun a kid would have with their own version of this game that we all can't get enough of.  This is an open-ended toy that can be used for so many things, all at the discretion of the child's imagination!

Skills:

• fine motor
• math skills (counting, patterns, sorting, adding/subtracting)
• colors, shapes
• creativity

{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 15: Bathtub Art Supplies

There's lots and lots of learning that can take place in the bathtub, which is why I've included bathtub art supplies on our list.

This is another gift that can be homemade for a more personal touch.  I will caution you, however, that we've tried a few bathtub crayon recipes without luck.  The colors just don't write vibrantly on the tub like we'd hoped, so make sure to test them before giving.  We love using our Easy Bath Tub Paint, but for a different texture paint with more vibrant colors, it's nice to use good old store-bought sometimes!

Skills:

• fine motor
• creativity
• sensory
• color and color mixing
• concept skills

 

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 14: Art Supplies

You cannot go wrong when giving a toddler art supplies, due to the fact that the supplies are used up in no time.  Greyson goes through construction paper so quickly, and crayons get broken (don't throw them away!) or lost almost as soon as you open a fresh container it seems.

There are some art supplies that can be homemade for more personalized gifts.  While I have not tried out any homemade paint recipes just yet, it's certainly worth a look if you'd like to go that route.  Those broken crayons that seem to pile up?  Pop them into a cute silicone ice cube tray, melt them down, let it cool, pop them out, and you have brand-new and fun-shaped crayons!

Making Crayons Tutorial at Skip to My Lou

Skills:

• fine motor
• creativity
• early writing skills
• sensory
• concept skills

Art Supplies:  

• crayons, markers, colored pencils
• paint (washable, finger)
• paintbrushes
• paper (construction, card stock, lined)
• dot painters
• scissors (child safe)
• stickers
• stamps/stamp pads
• coloring books
• popsicle sticks
• pipe cleaners
• glue
• pom-poms
• glitter
• art smock

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