age appropriate toys

10 Best Toys For 4-Year-Olds

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best toys for 4 year olds

Four-year-olds are a self-assured lot. By age 4 most parents know what types of games and toys the child prefers. Each child has his own area of interest and prefers fine-tuning skills and knowledge in his area of interest. Popular topics of interest are dinosaur play, building toys, fascination with planets and solar system, toy houses, and dolls. Let us take a look at some of the best toys for 4-year-olds. Be it a selection for your child or as a gift for another these toys won’t disappoint.

Some of the toys from this list are featured in the list of toys for 3-year-olds too. They are open-ended toys that can be played with in many ways over the years.

best toys for 4 year olds

BEST TOYS FOR 4 YEAR OLDS

Magnetic tiles

As creativity expands so does creative play. You will observe a 4 year old setting up elaborate creative play set ups. His mind is looking to explore more deeply and use every toy on hand. Magnetic tiles lend to this creative process. The child can use his imagination and build different 3-D structures, then go on to use these structures in pretend play games.

Flying Start Magnetic Tiles

Lego sets

lego for children-toys for 4 year olds

Another toy that leads to hours of independent play is Lego. There are many to choose from and 4-year-olds love building and creating using Lego. You will be amazed at your child’s creativity. Building with lego blocks is also great for fine motor skills for preschoolers. Playing with blocks develops spatial skills that can help build stronger arithmetic abilities in schooling years.

Classic Lego Toy

Puzzles

Besides creativity, now is a good time to get your child observing patterns, solving puzzles, and using reasoning skills. All of these skills are used later on to read and solve problems. 

Expose the child to different types of puzzles that challenge the brain to sort, reason and solve.

Some of the different types puzzles we use at age 4 are :

Logical reasoning puzzle

Magnetic tangram

Jigsaw puzzles

Construction toys

Get children used to building and creating designs. These construction sets are great for fine motor skills, problem solving and spatial skills.

Wooden construction building sets

Construction builder set

Blackboard

Having an easel in the room motivates the child to pick up the chalk and draw or write. We love the Easel by Ikea Mala, its large in size and comes with a whiteboard at the back and a set of crayons and duster.

Abacus

The colorful beads of an Abacus make learning fun. Start with simple counting, addition, and subtraction and later use the abacus for multiplication and division operations.

Scooter

Age 4 is when preschoolers are honing in on those gross motor skills like balance. A scooter is a great introduction to this age group. Watch your 4-year olds zooming away on their scooters and trying new moves with confidence.

Wooden blocks, rainbow stackers and sticks 

Another set of open-ended toys is wooden rainbow stackers, blocks, and sticks. Children can use their imagination and come up with elaborate setups for pretend play.

Toys made of wood also last a very long time and can be used to hand down the generations in a family. We love these quality wooden toys for children by Leg&Go. They make the best active play and Montessori toys.

Sand toy set

DIY sand pit

Creating opportunities for the child to indulge in sensory play is important. Sensory toys like sand pits help the child motor skills, hand eye coordination and even promote social skills as children learn to play together. You can find many sand trays in the market or you can build one yourself at home.

We used an old IKEA cardboard box and some beach sand we bought from a gardening store. Add in some scoops, cups, moulds, shovels, or include some toys like dinosaurs, construction vehicles, farm animals for dramatic play.

Read here to learn more about the benefits of sensory play.

Vehicle play

Most 4 year olds have by now decided on what vehicle they like. Some children obsess over planes and others over construction vehicles. 

A battery operated train is sure to catch your child’s attention. 

Here are a few sturdy and cute toys for vehicle play, you can choose one that suits your child’s interest.

LILLABO IKEA 45 piece train set

Hape Toys firetruck

Skola Toys school bus

A combination of these toys are used by our 4 year old everyday. We love watching how he expresses his creativity through some and how he uses analytical thinking with others. Its wonderful watching little ones play.

I hope this list helps you as you decide on the best toy for your 4-year-old. Until next time, Ciao!

10 Best Non Toy Gifts For Toddlers

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best non toy gifts for toddlers

Throughout childhood years children get gifted many toys. While we may not think much when we buy a plastic toy for the next childs birthday party, its the parents of the child who need to deal with a huge load of toys after each birthday. Many of the toys are repeats of already owned toys or something the child is not really interested in. The result is a lot of waste.

Gifting a toy is not the only option when want to a gift a toddler.

Here are some non-toy gifts for toddlers that will not only stand out as unique but also be appreciated by the family receiving it.

non toy gifts for toddlers

10 NON-TOY GIFTS FOR TODDLERS

An Experience

Tickets to a play, puppet show, a reading of their favorite book, a special restaurant, tickets to a guided tour of the local zoo, museum, or national park. All of these make fun experience gifts for toddlers.

Activity Subscription Boxes

Subscription boxes are like a gift that keeps giving. Older toddlers love art and craft and these days there are many subscription box services of the same.

Example of activity gifts for 3 year olds

Firstcry Intellikit

Flintobox

Magic Crate

Books

One of my favorite non-toy gifts for 1-year-old is the Julia Donaldson Classics series. Toddlers will enjoy the sing-song rhyming storytelling of Julia Donaldson.

Other than this book collection you can also look for unique book titles that the child may not already own.

Some books that I enjoy gifting are,

When I grow up- Noella Menon

Knock Knock!- Kaori Takashaki

The Tiny Seed – Eric Carle

Peep Inside Animal Homes – Anna Milbourne

A Class

Find a local class that the child can participate in. Something that aligns with their interests. There are options like Baby Gym Classes and Baby Music Class. (1 year and up) or Toddler Drama Class, and Skating (perfect for 3-year-olds)

Musical Instruments

One of the best gifts to give a 2-3-year-old is some sort of age-appropriate musical instrument. Musical instruments like a Toddler Drum Set, Casio or harmonica are great first musical instruments for a child to own.

Money/Gift card Amazon or Target

A gift card to Amazon or Target is always a great non toy gift idea. Most parents already have a wishlist of their own and you can help them tick a few boxes off the list.

Piggybank

I remember the time I recieved a piggy bank as a child . I was so excited and got around to using it immediately. All the birthday money I received went into my piggy bank and at the end of the year, I could buy anything I want with that money. This practice taught me the value of money, saving and delayed gratification.

Binoculars/ Magnifying glass

Toddlers are just beginning to make sense of the world they are growing in. Gifts like binoculars and magnifying glass can be used for nature trails or on walks around the house to observe the life of different living creatures. They help create curiosity for nature.

These are unique gifts that are sure to receive a lot of appreciation from parents of the child. Perfect gift ideas for toddlers who have everything.

Customized Accessories

Nowadays there are many online stores that design customized accessories including bath towels, water bottles, and lunchboxes. These not only make a unique gift for toddlers but are also practical.

I love these customized kids blankets by Stork Wares. They are soft, made with minky fabric and come in so many cute designs. Any child would love to own a cute blanket with his name on it.

Handmade Gifts

There is something about receiving a handmade gift, it evokes a feeling of gratitude and love. Handmade gifts like hand-knit sweaters, mittens, handmade patchwork play mat are thoughtful and unique non toy gifts for toddlers.

For more on meaningful toys and gifts read the posts below,

How to select learning toys for children

Memorable birthday return gift ideas

What are some of the non toy gift ideas you tried? Do you have some unique ideas of your own? Leave me a comment below.

10 Most Age Appropriate Toys For 3-Year-Olds

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age appropriate toys for 3 year olds

There are two criteria for selecting toys for kids, safety and age appropriateness.  Many enthusiastic parents buy toys without giving any consideration to the age of the child. Before you buy the next trending toy, ask your self, does this toy match my child’s current skills?

Each child develops at his own pace and often buying toys meant for higher age groups only leaves the child overwhelmed and disinterested.

In order to encourage creativity in play you first need to buy materials (toys and games) that are suited your child’s current skill set.

I always look to my child when I need to buy him a toy. What is his current area of interest? What skills do I see him develop at the moment? Has he spotted something that he wants to try? Using his innate curiosity for things around him we slowly introduce him to new concepts and materials.

There is no rush for him to try everything within a specified time frame. There have been times I buy something I like and my son rejects the toy immediately.  Then after a while has passed I see him take a liking to the same toy he rejected earlier. This is because he was not ready to explore when he was first exposed to the toy.  There is no rush. More on child led learning here.

Here are a few toys and ideas I think 3-year-olds will enjoy. These are age-appropriate toys for 3-year-olds, some of them also make great 3-year-old birthday gift ideas.

best toys for 3 year olds amazon

Age Appropriate Toys For 3-year-olds

  1. Puzzles And Pattern Blocks

You can introduce puzzles at age 2 and by age 3 most kids can solve 9-10 piece puzzle sets. This is also a great time to use pattern blocks and allow the child to use his creativity and come up with his own designs.

A few puzzles and pattern blocks to try;

Creative Educational Aids (5 – 9 piece puzzles)

Shumee Animal Floor Puzzle

Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks

  1. Magnetic tiles

Magnetic tiles is one of the best birthday gift ideas for 3-year-olds. By now most 3-year-olds know how to build using building blocks and magentic tiles add another level of creativity to the mix. The colored tiles hold 3-year-olds attention for long periods of time. This is one toy our son can be seen playing with first thing in the morning.

  1. Coloring And Art

Toddlers love using crayons and paints and getting really messy with them. Copy coloring becomes a particularly interesting activity at this age as toddlers begin to figure out how to color within the lines.

Paint using materials from the kitchen like okra or potatoes. Paint on stones or eggshells. There are many ways to add variation in art and craft.

  1. Outdoor Toys

As 3-year-olds develop gross motor skills engage them in a variety of outdoor play and activities. Toys like a sandbox, trampoline, cricket bat and ball, football, and beach toys all engage little ones to get out there and catch some Vit D and exercise.

  1. Ride-on Toys

This age group also enjoys ride-on toys. They are figuring out balance and motion and ride-on toys are a lot of fun.

Example: Ride on tricycle, bicycle, scooters, and cars

  1. Vehicle Sets

Anything that moves and has wheels can catch the eye of little ones. Most 3-year-olds are beginning to name the different modes of transport and this is a great time to introduce them to pretend play with vehicles

Some of great vehicle toys,

Melissa & Doug Car Loader Truck

Hape Classic Train Toy

Hape Wooden Train Set

  1. Activity Subscription Services

Activity boxes are a great way to introduce little ones to different themes and learning concepts. There are many subscription services these days that provide interesting materials for art and craft activities. These are to be done with the help of a parent and can be used as a way to have conversations around the themes and gauge the child’s interest and likings.

Some of our favorite subscription activity boxes are,

Firstcry Intellikit

Flintobox

More educational toys for 3 year olds.

  1. Dress-up

Pretend play is a huge part of a young child’s games. If your child is enjoying a particular role play buy him that outfit for dress up. Dress up games are a great way to allow the child’s inner creativity to shine.

  1. Blocks

After using the mega blocks since age 1, it is now time for your child to graduate to building blocks that require advanced motor skills.

We really like these bristle blocks, our son finds the texture of the blocks interesting and they require the use of fine motor skills to be made into different structures.

  1. Pretend Playsets

And of course, I am going to end this list with pretend play. If you follow me on Instagram you know we are big on pretend play in our house. We use a Kitchen set, a teepee tent and lots of stuffed toys to build endless hours of fun.

You can catch my reviews on our Hape kitchen set and Cuddly Coo teepee tent here.

Use your child’s interest and find toys that cater to his creativity. There are so many pretend play toys out there from doll houses to doctor sets. Find a few that interest your child and use pretend play as a way to spend one on one time with your child.

I hope this list is handy to moms of three-year-olds. What toys does your child like to play with?

The What, Why and How Of Toy Rotation

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how to reduce toy clutter-toy rotation

Does all the toy clutter make you wonder how to organize toddler toys? Have you considered a toy rotation?

In this post, I will cover what is a toy rotation, how to maintain a successful toy rotation and why you should consider rotating toys.

HOW TO SET UP A TOY ROTATION

WHAT IS A TOY ROTATION?

Toy rotation is the system of rotating toys from an existing toy collection every week or few weeks so as to maintain the novelty of existing toys and encourage more creativity in play.

WHY MAINTAIN A TOY ROTATION?

1. Minimize the clutter of toys

Any toddler parent can attest to the toy jungle that is left behind every day as the toddler waddles through his toys.

The toddler picks up a toy, plays for 5 mins then moves on to the next. Before you know it your living area looks like it was hit by a typhoon!

And toy clutter isn’t just a problem in families with multiple kids and lots of toys.

Little kids have very short attention spans and need to use their hands constantly. This automatically leads to a messy play area full of toys.

Toy rotation can be a start to using a few select toys daily in various ways so as to minimize the clutter.

2. Creativity

When you minimize the number of toys, the child now has to learn how to use whatever he has in the most creative ways.

One big benefit we experienced with toy rotation is newfound creativity. Our son comes up with new ways to play with the same toys each day and gets good use of his toys.

3. Learn the value of things

When implemented at an early age, children learn the value of things.

A toy rotation has given us the opportunity to talk about caring for our things and why we repair and reuse what we can rather than throw away and discard.

You will notice how the child learns to care for his toys and books.

4. Great for small spaces

If you live in a small space you may not have a room in the house that’s dedicated as a playroom. You may have a small nook in the house or the living room itself may double up as a play area for the children.

A toy rotation system can save space and help organize the toys better.

Okay, so how do you go about starting a toy rotation? read on

TOY ROTATION TIPS

1. How to maintain a toy rotation?

This is what we do in our home. Every 1-2 week we rotate toys. We choose 5 toys at a time. I choose the toys such that we can cover educational skills, motor skills, pretend play aspects each week.

For example, each toy rotation will include  1. Musical Toy/Pretend play toy

1-2 Educational toys

1-2 Fine motor skill development toys

Here are some of the educational toys we love for toddlers and preschoolers.

2. What about the non-negotiable toys?

There are some toys that are a “must play with everyday” type of toys. Over a period of time, I realized these are my son’s non-negotiables. This was actually the reason why our first attempt at toy rotation was a fail because there are some toys he just wanted around him all the time.

Once I realized my mistake I made these toys a central feature of the play area. Now he is comfortable rotating the other toys.

Non-negotiable toys in our home are building blocks, our Hape play kitchen and his car collection. We recently setup dedicated toy storage just for these in his play area so that these toys are permanently kept outside for him to access.

Your child too may have some toys he loves and needs to have around every day; it’s okay to exclude these toys from the rotation.

Remember, every child is different, that means that this may/may not be an issue at all for your child, but with a little trial and error and you will figure out what system works for your family.

It is also a great idea to keep a tiny basket with toys or books in different nooks of the house. I usually choose spots where I spend a lot of time in the house with our son.

There is one box of toys and books close to my workstation. This box gets refreshed every 3-6 weeks. Depending on the size of your house you can decide which spots to add extra toy boxes to.

3. Toy storage and organization

I personally feel storage bins are a great option over toy cupboards because you can move the toys around the house.

We have a storage unit from Ikea for the non- negotiable toys I mentioned above and  I place the 5 toys of the week on the top shelf of the unit.

The rest of the toys go into storage boxes that are tucked away in cupboards.

Best toy storage boxes: These are amazing storage boxes for smaller spaces. We have used similar styles in the past to store toys.

3 Sprouts Cube Storage Box

Shumee Canvas Toy Storage Box

E-ware 4 Drawer Rack

Our current toy storage system includes

Ikea FLISAT Toy Storage

Ikea TROFAST Storage 

When the child grows out of the existing toys you can donate, resell or put the toys away in the storage for future children. This way the toys that are in rotation are the ones that are apt for the current developmental age.

4. At what age can a toy rotation be started?

Honestly, it depends on the size of the current toy stash. Our son had a very minimal toy stash until he was about 2 years old. All his toys fit in one box so I didn’t feel the need to start rotating the toys. Also, when he was a baby he didn’t need many toys to stay engaged. He played with spoons and plates from the kitchen on most days.

Once he entered the twos we slowly started adding new toys to meet certain developmental needs and his new interests. And as time went on we accumulated a lot of toys as gifts from family and friends.

Thats when I knew I couldn’t deal with the toy clutter anymore; our son was not even playing with most of the toys in his play area.

A toy rotation system made the toys more visible to him and he now has an organized space to play in.

5. How to handle birthdays with new toys coming in?

When you get too many toys for birthdays, store them away and introduce a new toy on occasions when you want to mix it up within your current toy rotation.

If you feel your child already has too many toys, talk to your guests about a no gift option.

I know sending out a wishlist of toys to the guest list is still a controversial topic. Many people consider it rude or entitled while others think it’s a great idea.

Personally, I’d rather buy from a registry than gift something I am not sure if the person appreciates. There is no need to think of what to buy, no repeat presents, plus you save money knowing well that your gift will get used.

But ultimately the decision to run a gift registry or not depends on the type of family relationships you have.

I would never make such requests if I were not sure how the other person would feel about it. I’d rather say no gifts.

toy rotation

Here are some more toy-related posts for you;

10 Wooden Toy Brands For Kids

How To Select Learning Toys For Kids

Small Homeschool Room Design and Organization Ideas

To sum it up,

A toy rotation is a great way to get more value from existing toys.

Do you run a toy rotation system in your home? Do leave us with your toy rotation tips in the comments below.

11 Must Have Toys For Fine Motor Skills Development

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Read time: 6 minutes
toys for fine motor skills development

One of the key skills your preschooler needs as he starts school is fine motor skills.  In this post, I list toys for fine motor skills development. Hopefully, you find this list useful. Here goes,

WHAT ARE FINE MOTOR SKILLS?

Fine motor skills are needed for smaller muscle movements in wrists, fingers, and hands.

Simple everyday tasks like buttoning a shirt, tieing a lace, putting on a belt, writing, all require fine motor skills

FINE MOTOR SKILLS FOR PRESCHOOLERS – WHY ARE FINE MOTOR SKILLS IMPORTANT?

Many school-related activities like writing, drawing, and craft etc. require a preschooler to use his fine motor skills.

The toys in this list can help them exercise those muscles and become adept at these tasks.

TOYS FOR FINE MOTOR SKILLS

Such hand-eye coordination toys for toddlers make great gift ideas. So much better than noisy electronic toys that don’t offer any challenge.

Not to mention these toys for fine motor skills are engaging and fun to play with and your toddler won’t even miss his electronic toys.

You don’t need to buy each of these toys to develop fine motor skills, even a few in your toy collection will go a long way in helping your child.

These days the market is flooded with toys to develop fine motor skills and none of these options are difficult to find.

MUST HAVE TOYS FOR FINE MOTOR SKILLS

  1. Stickers

We started using stickers around 14-15 months of age. A great way to practice pincer grasp and learn hand-eye coordination. Initially, I bought individual 3 D sticker sheets, since these are thicker in breadth and easier for younger toddlers to get a good grip.

Once they become adept at using these, move on to using the Melissa and Dough reusable sticker pads. The sticker pad comes with 4 different scenes and offers a variety of stickers for the toddler to use in different combinations. It’s reusable making it an eco-friendly and cost-effective option.

I also like that the 4 scenes showcase different animal habitats – aquatic, farm, jungle and prehistoric. This encourages creativity and learning in a fun way.

  1. Fruit cutting tray

A great toy not just for fine motor skills but also for pretend play. My son has spent many hours with his pretend vegetables and knife set.

  1. Cooking set

Again, not only do toddlers love the pretend play aspect but they are also developing those fine motor skills as they go along pretending to cook.

A cooking set is an age-appropriate toy for 2-year-olds beginning to learn about the nuances of the world they live in. There is so much to learn through such toys, fine motors skills aside.

  1. Toolbox

A toolbox contains tiny pieces that need to be rotated using fingers, pushed and pulled, hammered in and basically be tinkered with. Each of these actions requires the use of muscles in the fingers and wrist.

Also, the toolbox is another open-ended toy that toddlers can use in many ways making it a must-have in any toddlers toy collection.

toys for fine motor skills

  1. Latches Board

Opening and closing latches and doors, this latches board toy is an engaging and challenging toy for toddlers. Many brands introduce different concepts like farm animal sounds, shapes, or colors alongside to make the board more interesting and educational for toddlers.

  1. Lego

Another open-ended toy that requires hand manipulation and hand-eye coordination. The endless possibilities of play with Legos make it an absolute essential in your child’s toy collection.

  1. Sewing toy

Putting the sewing tool through the tiny holes and making patterns helps with hand-eye coordination and develops those small muscles in the wrist and fingers. A sewing tool is an age-appropriate toy for 2- 3-year-olds.

  1. Wooden lacing shoes

This lacing toy enhances the child’s hand-eye coordination, and focus, ultimately teaching key life skills like self-reliance. A lacing toy helps the child practice lacing his shoes, a fun way to teach through play.

  1. Busy books

Busy books combine different themes appropriate to the age of the child. Containing pages on different concepts. Some busy books focus on life skills, some on shapes and colors. Each page contains an activity that needs the use of the pincer grasp, wrist muscles along with logical reasoning and basic concept understanding.

  1. Peg and Knob Puzzle

Peg puzzles are great for toddlers hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Also trying these simple puzzles gets their mind trained to focus for short periods of time. These are a few types of peg puzzles and knob puzzles to try;

a. Skillofun Peg A Puzzle – Engine

b. Skillofun Geo Sorting Board

c. Hape Wooden Toddler Knob Puzzle

d. Skillofun Wooden Identification Tray Vegetables with Knobs

  1. Play-doh

I love the use of play-doh for fine motor skills development. Simple activities like pinching the dough into pieces, making round balls out of the dough and trying to make different shapes all require the use of the finger and wrist muscles. The endless opportunities to play with Play-doh is just another reason why this classic toy is found in every preschool class.

Here are some previous posts on toys that you may also find interesting:

Toys for the first year

Toys for 1 year olds

Toys for 2 year olds

Best educational toys for toddlers and preschoolers.

Toys for fine motor skills development

FINE MOTOR SKILLS ACTIVITIES TO TRY AT HOME

There are a number of fine motor activities you can do at home and not necessarily rely on toys as the only option. A few examples of fine motor activities at home would be;

  1. Peeling garlic or peeling hard-boiled eggs.
  2. Chopping soft vegetables like boiled potatoes.
  3. DIY cardboard board with zippers and laces.
  4. Buy tongs from a local store and build activities that require the use of tongs. For eg. Sorting different colored pom-poms into containers using tongs.

Instead of buying a large number of toys, buying a minimal set of toys that cater to a variety of skill sets is best in the long run. Open-ended toys like a toolbox, legos, and play-doh meet these criteria offering endless hours of play over the early years.

I hope you found this post useful. Which toys does your child enjoy playing with?

5 Age Appropriate Toys For 2 Year Olds

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Read time: 4 minutes
age appropriate toys for 2 year olds

When my son’s 2ndbirthday started drawing closer I began my search for new toys to gift him. I realized that we had every kind of toy in each category and he still enjoyed playing with his toys. I was lost for ideas and ended up researching age appropriate toys for 2 year olds and found new suggestions to meet the gap in our current toy collection. Each of these toys focuses on his current developmental needs.

By 2 years of age, most toddlers have a varied vocabulary and advanced motor skills. They are rapidly learning from their environment so pretend play and mimicking adults take center stage as forms of play.

At the same time Toys for 1 year olds like Balls, Vehicles, kitchen and coloring sets will continue to be a favorite with this age group.

These days the market is flooded with toys for kids and it can be overwhelming for parents to decide on which toys to buy. But a look at the current toys your child enjoys coupled with new skills he exhibits should help you decide on what toys to buy.

 

age appropriate toys

AGE APPROPRIATE TOYS FOR 2 YEAR OLDS

  1. Puzzles

At age 2 toddlers are beginning to get familiar with matching objects and recognizing patterns. Introducing a variety of toddler-friendly puzzles is a great way to help with memory building and developing motor skills. Knob puzzles help develop fine motor skills in 2 year olds. Other than knob puzzles look for puzzles that allow for some sort of grading, sequencing or pattern recognition. All these types of puzzles aid early math skills.

Recommendations

Skillofun Wooden Identification Tray Fruits

Melissa And Doug Sea Life Jigsaw Puzzle

 

  1. Cleaning Set

Pretend play plays a huge role in toddler development. While a play kitchen set teaches them about food, cooking, social etiquette around the table. A cleaning set shows them how to care for their environment by cleaning up after they are done playing. Introducing such toys is a way to instill a sense of responsibility towards household chores.

Recommendations

Brainsmith Spic And Span Set

 

  1. Busy Books

2 to 2 and a half years of age is a good time to introduce busy books. These books contain pages of activities a toddler can complete on his own. They need guidance at first, but once familiar with the activities on each page they continue playing on their own. Busy books encourage independent play and teach a variety of concepts depending on the topic of the book.

Recommendations

Cubs And Calves Unicorn Quiet Book

Cubs And Calves Oh Boy Quiet Book

 

  1. Play-Doh

Play-doh encourages creativity, imagination, and conversation through pretend play. Making different shapes, pretend kitchen utensils or animals improves hand-eye coordination and motor skills.  Age 2 is the best time to introduce play-doh because children are no longer mouthing toys and understand instruction on how to use it. Caution: Always use play-doh under adult supervision.

Recommendations

Play-doh Classic Fun Factory Set

Eco Kids Natural Plant Dye Modelling Dough

 

  1. Musical Toys

2 year olds have a greater appreciation for music. You will find your toddler swinging to his favorite songs and walking around the house singing nursery rhymes.  Musical toys are therefore one of the most age appropriate toys for 2 year olds. Some musical toys that aren’t as irritating to the adult ears are listed below;

Recommendations

VTech KidiBeats Drum Set

Hape Wooden Little Drummer

 

age appropriate toys for 2 year olds

Previous book and toy recommendations

Toys for the first year

Toys for 1 year olds

Books for the first year

Books for 1 year olds

 

I hope you found this list useful and find new toy ideas to gift your 2 year olds. Leave me a comment below on what toys your 2 year olds like playing with? For more fun recommendations and reviews follow me on Instagram where I share our experiences with different toys, activities and other baby products.

Feature image by, Moose Photos via Pexels.com

This blogpost contains affiliate links. These links provide me with a small percentage commission but don’t cost you anything extra.

10 Memorable Birthday Return Gift Ideas For Kids

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Read time: 5 minutes
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Are you planning your child’s upcoming birthday party? You probably are racking your brains for some birthday return gift ideas that are memorable and unique. Birthday’s are all about creating memories and as the host of a party, you want your guests to leave you with some great memories of a fun party. Birthday return gifts are an extension to the party as a way to send off your friends with a memento of a lovely time spent together.

This post is sponsored by Skola Toys. But all views and opinions expressed are my own.

With so many kids products and toys these days the market is crowded with cheap and generic return gifts for birthday parties. But if you want to leave your guests with an impactful memory you have to end the night with a well thought of gift. Here are a few birthday return gift ideas that will wow your guests.

birthday return gift ideas for kids - best return gifts

Memorable Birthday Return Gift Ideas For Kids

1. Books: It is easy to find age appropriate books for kids attending your party. There is so much variety to choose from, activity books, educational books, and storybooks. Parents will also be pleased to receive a birthday return gift that encourages reading.

Some of my favorite books to give as return favors are:

Brown bear, Brown bear, What do you see? by Eric Carle – Perfect for 1st birthday return gifts.

Sticker books like this animal sticker book. You can choose sticker books based on the birthday theme.

2. Crayons and coloring materials: Promoting art and messy play is an integral part of early childhood development. Also, every child will be happy to receive coloring books, crayons, and other such paraphernalia.  

You can even make art-themed goodie bags for the kids to take home. Decorate the goodie bags with stickers to add a fun twist to the gift packing.

[Get a special 10% discount on organic crayons in fun shapes by Dabble Play Art using code DM09 at checkout]

3. Customized stationery and school supplies: These days there are many services that offer customized school supplies like pencil cases, lunch boxes, water bottles, crayon boxes, bags, etc.

Kids love receiving such return gifts with a personal touch. They will be raving about these for days after the party.

4. Piggy bank: What better way to teach children about saving money than a cute piggy bank. This toy acts as an introduction to the concept of personal finances.

It’s a great way to get children thinking about how money is used and spent and once again parents will also be happy to receive a birthday return gift that teaches their kids something meaningful.

5. Bubble-making toy: If you have an outdoor-themed party a bubble-making machine is a great giveaway idea. The kids can start using it at the party itself and before you know it you have kids chasing bubbles around the park!

Adding bubbles to the mix is a fun party for any age. To present the gift put the bubble makers in a tiny gift bag with chocolates. This makes for a simple but enjoyable return gift for kids of all ages.

6. Puzzles: Puzzles are a unique return gift idea. This toy is especially apt if you have toddlers at the party. It’s an educational and engaging birthday return gift for little kids.

7. Plant seeds: Another unique return gift idea is gifting plant seeds. This return gift instills the love of nature. I still have warm memories from my own childhood of planting saplings that grew into trees.

Gifting plant seeds are such a beautiful way to introduce children to nature and get them involved in nurturing a bond with trees.

8. Cute kids mugs: With so many varieties in the market you can go crazy with this idea. Make it customized mugs for a personal touch or add in more bits and bobs inside the mug as a surprise for the kids.

Fill the mug with crayons, pencils, bows, hairbands, and stickers. The options are endless. Since children like mimicking adults, I am sure they would love their own mugs just like mommy and daddy.

9. Birthday goodie bags: If you have a bigger budget use all the ideas I mentioned above and make a huge birthday goodie bag for the kids. Who doesn’t like receiving a bag full of surprises? You can customize the bags according to your party theme or just add an array of different little return gifts for each kid.

Some unique birthday return gifts you can add to a goodie bag are :

Marble Painting Kit

Sequin Art Kit

Rock Painting Kit

Scratch Art Kits

10. Return gift website: Don’t have time to come up with ideas or go shopping for gifts? A great option is to buy from websites that sell return gifts.

Skola Toys has a return gift section on their website with a collection of age-appropriate toys for little ones. They even offer various discounts on bulk orders, which makes it an even more suitable choice when you throw a big party.

Next time you are racking your brains trying to come up with memorable birthday return gift ideas you have a one-stop-shop destination to reduce all that stress.

What do you give as return gifts for kids’ birthday parties? Did you like these birthday return gift ideas? If you use these or have some fun ideas of your own do leave me a comment below.

Planning a birthday party on a budget? don’t miss these practical tips.

For ideas on how to throw an ocean-themed birthday party and a construction-themed birthday party check these posts.

Until next time!

Learning With Age Appropriate Toys: A Skola Toys Review

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Read time: 5 minutes
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Finding the most age appropriate toys for little ones is what every parent wants. We want our children to learn through play since it is the most effective way to help a child understand concepts. If you are wondering how to select such age appropriate toys for your children you can check my last blog post on the same.

This post is sponsored by Skola Toys. But all views and opinions expressed are my own.

Skola Toys is one such wooden learning toys company that is known to make developmentally appropriate toys. They have developed toys that take the child through learning journeys designed as play. The different learning journeys explored by Skola Toys are Dexterity, Environment, Language, Numbers, Our World, and Cognition.

Review Skola Toys Pull Along Bus

I am always looking for age appropriate toys for my little one so I was quite excited to receive the Skola Toys Pull Along Shape Bus to review. This toy belongs to the learning journey through Motion. And is best suited for a 2-year-old.
age appropriate toys-skola toys review

Packaging

The first thing I noticed was the box the toy was sent in. It had lovely doodle design all over. The box itself is so decorative and fun, I imagine buying a Skola toy and gifting a child the same without any gift wrapping needed, just this lovely box. You also get a complimentary set of crayons with your toy along with an instruction manual on how to use the toy in different ways. All these simple touches add to the customer experience when receiving the product.

What I like about the Skola Toys Pull Along Bus

  1. The pull along toy is a bright orange colored bus that is made of lightweight wood. The fact that the wood is light in weight is important because my son finds it easier to maneuver the bus. The color orange is also quite attractive to a toddler.
  2. Skola toys are made of wood, sourced from renewable sources, making them natural and environment-friendly. The toys are compliant with international safety standards and paints used, conform to European EN-71 Part-3 guidelines for toys. If you want to know why it is important to consider these things when buying wooden toys you can read my post on toys for toddlers, where I speak about safe wooden materials for toys.
  3. The bus has rounded edges and no sharp parts that can scratch my son.
  4. The child learns about motion by applying external stimuli to set a toy in motion. This age group of children is just learning how they can cause an effect on things. By gripping on to the toy and pulling it along they learn about their role in setting a bus into motion. Pulling a toy and walking is challenging, but this type of challenge brings excitement to the child.
  5. This bus also doubles up as a shape sorter. The bright red colored shapes caught my son’s eyes immediately.

What can be changed

I am happy that we have companies like Skola Toys that are striving to provide quality learning toys for kids. On receiving this product I can see the thought that has gone into designing such a toy.

The only thing I would change about this toy will be the length of the thread. The thread is long for a 2-year-old to be able to maneuver around. I tied up a portion of the thread just to make the length more manageable for my son.

Everything else, from the wood to the paint and build quality of the toy was on the mark for me.
age appropriate toys-skola toys

Ways to play with the pull along bus

The same toy can be used in four different ways to encourage the child’s creativity and imagination.

Activity 1: Triggering Movement

Show the child how to hold the thread and pull the toy. Children start to try different variations of force to trigger the pull and put the shapes inside the box then removing them outside again to see how this changes things. All these variations teach them about cause and effect along with encouraging them to play more creatively.

Activity 2: Pull Along

The activity of pulling the toy and walking requires a lot of balance and skill. When the child looks back to see the bus follow, it excites them. They try harder eventually learning to pull along without toppling the bus over.

Activity 3: 2D-3D Connection

Trying to put the correct shapes in requires a lot of hand-eye coordination. An analysis and clear understanding of 2D and 3D association of shapes are needed.

Activity 4: Name Game

You can ask the child to name the different shapes as they get familiar with them.

Such type of open-ended toys allows the child to explore the toy in an in-depth manner making use of their own mental resources in order to work with the toy.

Price

₹945

Available at

Skola Toys website and Amazon

How do you select age appropriate toys for your little ones? Which toy is their favorite? Let me know in the comments below.

This post is sponsored by Skola Toys. But all views and opinions expressed are my own. I only review products that I would buy for my own family or have used in the past and loved.

This blogpost contains affiliate links. These links provide me with a small percentage commission but don’t cost you anything extra.

How To Select Learning Toys For Children

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Read time: 4 minutes
learning toys - open-ended toys- building blocks

I often get asked on how to engage a toddler with educational and learning toys. While every parent wishes their toddler learn and develop through play. The key lies in introducing activities that are age appropriate and match the developmental milestones. A good learning toy can help foster the child’s imagination and creativity.

This post is sponsored by Skola Toys. But all views and opinions expressed are my own.

So how do we as parents choose the correct educational toys for our children? A few key criteria in toy selection can go a long way in enriching our children cognitively and simultaneously build a collection of toys that lasts a long time.

Selection Criteria For Learning Toys

Safety First

That shiny train set staring back at you from the toy store window may look like the best gift for your child, but you need to check a few things before you go ahead and buy it.

Always look for the age group indicated on the toy. This is a safeguard against buying toys meant for older children that contain small parts that pose a choking risk to your young child.

  • Check that a toy has smooth edges and is devoid of pointed parts.
  • It should be made with sturdy materials that can sustain extensive rough use.
  • The size, shape, and weight should also be manageable for your child.
  • Paints used in the toy are lead-free and use natural pigments.

Age Appropriate

Each stage of development goes hand in hand with a certain set of skills. As children grow they become adept at performing certain tasks. The toys you choose should also match the difficulty level according to the age of the child.

If a toy is too complex the child can get frustrated with it and may not be able to enjoy the toy. The recommended age group specified on the toy should help you in making this decision.

How to select age appropriate toys? Ask yourself these questions when you are shopping for toys the next time

  • Does the toy allow age appropriate problem-solving?
  • Is it challenging the child in an incremental manner as he grows, allowing the child to use the same toy in different ways?

A simple example can be stacking toys that vary according to age and skill level of the child. These toys challenge the child’s age appropriate skill level and their simple design foster creativity to use the toy in different ways. Look at the below example of a stacking toy designed for age and skill level of the child.

Durability

It’s a simple fact that wooden toys outlast plastic toys. There is a reason why they are called generational toys. They serve as toys when we are kids and take us down the memory lane, as we grow older. It’s important to check that the wooden toys are made out of hardwood and use safe natural paints.

Simple & Open-Ended

Toddlers are great at repurposing household articles; a rectangular cardboard box can serve as a bus one day and a house the next.

Open ended toys are often simple and don’t overwhelm the senses, on the contrary they challenge children to use their creativity. Great examples of open ended toys are building blocks and stacking/nesting rings. These toys allow the toddler to take charge of how to play with them. They grow with the child and provide limitless opportunities for play.

Battery operated toys often overwhelm a child’s senses. This is especially true if a single toy contains varied colors, shapes, textures, flashing lights and loud music. The child may not be able to focus on any one learning concept.

However a simply designed wooden shape sorter, for example, allows the child an opportunity to focus on shape sorting and from there to move onto other concepts.
select- learning toys-children
In my quest to find such educational toys I came across Skola Toys. They design wooden educational toys that are researched to target developmental milestones. Skola Toys aims to break down key developmental skills and learning concepts as per the age of the child. This helps cement learning the concept through play. They call this the Learning Journeys.

They cover learning journeys like Dexterity, Environment, Numbers, Language and Cognition through their wooden toys.

These type of learning toys are more enjoyable to the child and help in the better understanding of concepts. You can check all their learning toys here.

What criteria do you use to select toys for your little ones? Leave me a comment below.

Posts on toy gift guides:

  1. The only toys you need for baby (0 – 12 months old)
  2. The only toys you need for your toddler (1 – 2 years old)

This is a sponsored post. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.