{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 26: Shape Roller Coasters

I actually had to look up what the "technical" name for this awesome toy was, which just so happens to be "shape roller coaster" (also seen as a "bead maze").  I lovingly refer to them as the "Waiting Room Shape Thingy", because you can find them in any waiting room that may have children in it.  Amazingly, they aren't just available for doctors' offices to purchase!

Skills:

• shapes
• colors
• fine motor

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 25: Bubbles

I know what you're thinking..."Bubbles?  Seriously?"  Yes, bubbles!  Bubbles can be used inside for just as much fun as outside in the spring and summer.  I used to wrangle the attention of 10 preschoolers with bubbles (once one saw them, they all came running!).  It's a simple activity that can be used during daily transition times, and it's great breath control practice for little ones.

"You get what you pay for."  This statement is true with bubbles.  If you've ever bought them from the dollar store, you will quickly realized you've bought watered down soap that barely produces 2 or 3 bubbles that pop one second after launch.  I've recently heard great things about Gymboree bubbles.  A mama told me that they last so long and will even sometimes bounce!  We are in love with Gazillion bubbles in our house, as they definitely live up to their name.  They are included here.

 

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 24: Puppets

Puppets are awesome (even for adults) good fun, and they are a simple, imagination inducing gift for toddlers and children.  Folkmanis puppets are my favorite because they are so detailed and often-times very realistic, and we are lucky to have many in our house because Barefoot Books sells them!  Greyson loves his Folkmanis bunny finger puppet he got for Easter.

There are lots of options when giving a puppet for a gift.  My favorite (of course) is pairing it with a book.  

Barefoot Books Puppets

Skills:

• fine motor
• gross motor
• pretend play

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{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 23: Sensory Bins

Most people don't think about sensory bins as gifts, but they are the perfect, personalized, homemade gift for toddlers.  They are inexpensive, and can provide hours and hours of fun for little ones!

Sensory bins can be made from almost anything safe for children to explore.  We have a few different kinds of bins right now, but the possibilities are numerous.  All you need is some kind of container with a lid to keep the items, and an imagination to decide what items to place in the bin!  Here are some ideas from our collection:

Simple Sensory Bin  #1

• beans
• plastic animals or bugs
• measuring spoons or cups

Simple Sensory Bin #2

• dry split peas
• toy vehicles
• measuring spoons or cups

Pom Pom Sensory Bin

• craft pom poms
• measuring spoons
• ice cube tray

The key to a really, really good sensory bin is to appeal to all of the senses (or as many as you can).  Smell seems to be a difficult one to appeal to, so think about adding a few drops of essential oils or some other scent that can spice up the sense-factor.  And remember, you can't always taste things in the sensory bin ;)

Go through any dollar store with an open mind, and you can create an amazing sensory bin for very little money!

Sensory Bin Ideas:

• beans
• rice
• dirt
• Easter grass
• sawdust
• sand
• rocks/stones
• pasta/noodles
• cotton balls
• feathers
• flour
• sugar
• koosh balls
• corn kernels
• cereal
• acorns
• nuts
• water beads
• epsom salts
• water/bubbles

{30 Days of Simple Toddler Toys} Day 22: Trains and Tracks

Trains seem to be a staple toy of a little boys life, but don't forget that little girls love things that go too!  When it comes to trains and train tracks, there are lots of options out there.  I tend to gravitate towards the wooden sets, mostly because they are sturdier and much nicer to deal with than the plastic variety, but they also seem to last forever.  My mother-in-law has a wooden train set that was my husbands (ahem...almost 28ish years ago) that is in near perfect condition still.  In fact, it's Greyson's favorite thing to play with when he goes to Mamaw and Papaw's house.

It's important to remember that when thinking about a train set, less can be much, much more.  I've seen many toddlers get completely overwhelmed by hundreds of pieces of track and never able to keep it together just perfectly.  Most of the time, they are perfectly content with a simple 8 piece track that they can easily get together and manage themselves.  It's nice to add track pieces as they get older, too.

Skills:  

• pretend play
• fine motor
• imagination

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