Awesome Toys!

I have wanted to share with you guys a few of my favorite toys that I use with my children for developmental play therapy. So here it goes!!

Fisher-Price's Laugh & Learn Learning Piggy Bank
This toy is a must-have for toddlers and young children. This toy encourages counting, color identification, and speech sounds, including animal sounds. The pig even plays music. I absolutely love this toy!

 

Rain Stick and musical instruments
While all music is great, I have discovered that ALL children, no matter their age, love rain sticks. The sound is very calming and children enjoy watching the colors of the beads fall down the stick.

Aquadoodle
There is nothing simpler than water play. Add in a couple of tools, such as water pen, paintbrushes, q-tips, and a circular tube (ex. bamboo) and you are ready for fun! This toy encourages children to use their speech, develops prewriting skills, and encourages imaginative play. Store-bought toys, such as a Thomas train that follows a water path, are also great to add to the Aquadoodle play.

Melissa & Doug Pound and Roll Tower
This wooden toy is great for developing fine motor skills. We can talk about the colors of the balls and count them. Older children can also match the colored balls to their coordinating side. While some children enjoy just pushing the balls through with their hand, many of them want to hammer them through (this is the louder option!) Either way, children love this toy!

Melissa & Doug Find and Seek Puzzles & Sound Puzzles
I have tons of these puzzles, especially the sound ones. I love the find and seek puzzles, children open the doors to find different objects, in this picture, there are animals in the barn. Animals, vehicles, and shapes can be taught using these puzzles.

Garanimals Ramp Racer
This may be my most favorite toy. This toy has been known to invite the shiest children to play. They love watching the cars race down the track, especially when we add multiple cars to the ramp at one time. I encourage the children to tell the cars, "go," "go car," or "go red car," etc.

When I visit the families, many of the parents and grandparents ask about where I get my toys and how they can find them. While I get 95% of my toys from consignment shops and yard sales, through a little bit of internet research, they typically can find out where to buy their desired toy.

 

I am ALWAYS looking for awesome toys to share with my kids so if you have some favorites, please share!!


Katie Zink
Infant-Toddler Family Specialist/P