{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 1: Gear Boards

Gear boards are a great toy for children to explore lots of different concepts.

Skills:

• cause and effect
• fine motor
• problem solving

There are many, many different kinds of gear boards for children.  The one I've featured above is the one that we purchased for one of G's Christmas gifts, as it is more appropriate for a toddler.  With this particular gear board, we can explore the additional concepts of color, simple mechanics, patterns, and more.  It comes with color-coded design cards and you can also use the white magnetic board for more open-ended play. 

"And She Loved a Little Boy" is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.