{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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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 13: Lacing Beads

Little ones love working with their hands.  Lacing beads are a versatile toy that can be used to learn many different skills.  There are lots of different options out there, below are just a few that I find fabulous!

Skills:

• fine motor
• patterns
• math skills
• colors, shapes

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 12: Lacing Cards

Lacing cards give toddlers great fine motor practice for early shoe-tying skills.  They are a simple and quiet way to keep kiddos entertained, and are super cute and colorful!  These are on G's Christmas list.

There are lots of different options for lacing cards.  You can even make your own for a more personalized gift.  Just take some cardboard, trace the shapes that you'd like, cut them out, and add a pattern of holes with a hole puncher.  You can paint or color the shapes however you'd like, buy some cheap shoe-strings or yarn, and voila!  Homemade lacing cards :)  Hmmm....maybe a tutorial post is in order...

If you're not into making your own, here are a few super cute choices.  I'm feeling a very strong pull towards the Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss cards, they're just too perfect for words.

Skills:

• fine motor
• life skills
• concept skills

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