Toys With a Purpose

I swear, when you have a kid, toys start magically multiplying. One Matchbox car turns into twenty, and you suddenly have enough Legos to build an ACTUAL fortress in your living room. Even with a second stash at our Robotics facility, the toys are taking over! I have even considered putting the "kibosh" on receiving toys and asking for a Savings Bond from friends and family instead.

Through my work at Daycare and as Lucas' Momma, I've seen the good, bad, and annoying. From battery operated and wooden to plastic and cardboard, I've cleaned and created with them all! Here are a few that I found noteworthy and even educational. Click the title or image to be redirected to the product on Amazon.

Shape-Sorter Clock

I'm all-about multi-purpose things. Not only does this clock teach telling time, but it also incorporates colors, numbers, shapes, and small-motor skills. At about 17 months, Lucas was identifying the shapes and colors, and by 19 months, he could do it on his own.

Wooden Shape Sorter

True, wooden toys are a bit more expensive than their plastic counterparts. But in my humble opinion, they're WAY better. I have washed and sanitized this product, and it's still like new, even after nearly a year of use.

Geometric Shape Stacker

The levels of entertainment and education for this toy are endless. Lucas loves sorting the blocks by shape, color, and size, and stacking them "silly" on the pegs. at 19 months, he can't really "do" the stacking himself, but we're working on it!

By now, I'm sure your'e thinking, "Gee, Brandi! What'd you do, just buy Melissa and Doug out?" And the answer to that is "no." There are many, many more items like this on my wish list, but we're on a budget, and I've had to carefully select my favorites.

Wire Puzzle Rack

Anyone who has ever owned a children's puzzle can tell you, they hide it in a closet because there's no good way to store it and so their kid doesn't chew on the pieces. Well, my puzzle-hiding friends, I have a solution for you: a wire puzzle rack! They come in different styles and sizes to suit your puzzle-organization needs, and are a great way to keep track of all of the pieces, too.

Wooden Puzzles

While cardboard puzzles are a lot less expensive, they're also often quite cheaply made. Wooden puzzles will last for generations, and can be sanitized very easily (yeah, I'd like to see you try to clean a cardboard puzzle! Do you KNOW how many germs are on those things?!).

Melissa and Doug's collection includes everything from chunky puzzles for little tots to ones with letters and mix-n-match pieces. I've seen these products last years in a classroom of two-dozen toddlers, and I know for certain that they're quality-made.

Abacus

Okay, I realize that an abacus isn't the most exciting toy for a little kid, but I swear, Lucas absolutely loves this thing! He loves identifying the colors, and we count the beads together. We've even used it to keep score of games or potty time. The extension activities will eventually include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and other math skills. 

I found this abacus, along with the Tying Shoe, Magnetic Alphabet and Shape-Sorter Clock as part of a package-deal at Sam's around Christmastime. $19.95 for all four!

Lacing Shoe

Fact: learning to tie your shoes is a skill that you must learn before graduating from Kindergarten in the State of Michigan. While I know that you can practice on any-old-shoe in your house, having this lacing shoe makes life much easier. The lace doesn't tangle easily, and makes knots simple to untie. This also allows your kid to learn to tie, whether they are right or left-hand dominant.

Magnetic Numbers and Letters

Absolutely the most quality-made set of numbers and letters that I've ever seen. The entire back is magnetic, so they actually stay "stuck" to whatever you stick them to! Sometimes we play with these on the fridge, others on our calendar. They come in wooden boxes with slide-on lids, so it's easy to put them away when you're done, too!

Magnetic Calendar

As part of our daily routine, Lucas and I do "calendar time" where we talk about the month, day, date, weather, and the activities we have planned. It hangs in Lucas' play area, where he can see it every day.

I like this calendar because it's easy to move the elements around, and the magnetic area at the bottom is very useful. We use the bottom for practicing letters (using the magnetic letters above), and store the extra calendar magnets on a separate board or in Ziploc bags. The only down-side is the size of the magnets, which are really small. If your child still puts things in their mouth, might want to keep this out-of reach for a while.