With children in the house, toys are something you can't get
away from. I know I have spent a small fortune on toys for my little one. Over the years, through my observations at
home and school, where I work as a teacher, I have found some really valuable toys
that can be used educationally and in ways that the child will be stimulated
well.
I have complied the best ones for pre-schoolers and listed
them below in no particular order. And the best thing is the toys can be used
with a variety of ages based on how you differentiate.
1. Lacing Beads
What is it?
Lacing bead toys have a selection of beads which children
thread through a string. We have a Melissa & Doug one.
Helps with:
- Fine motor skills
- Hand-eye coordination
- Sorting – lacing different colours, shapes etc
- Patterns – making repetitive patterns
- The Melissa & Doug one has number blocks so will help with number recognition too.
Melissa & Doug
lacing beads
Z, my 2 year old has still not used this toy to its full
potential as she needs support to lace the beads. She does however, choose
various beads to create patterns and has fun sorting the beads too. She loves
stacking them up which is enhancing her fine motor skills and hand-eye
coordination. I particularly love the number blocks, they have digits to
recognise but also counting the dots which Z loves to count and show off. She will
learn to see the connection with the dots and the number on the block and this
can be used in little activities, such as asking your child to lace 3 beads and
include the number 3 block.
It is a really well made toy with vibrant colours to excite
the children. The beads are easy to manipulate as they are a nice size for
small hands. We keep it on the toy table for Z to play with as she pleases, as
storing it away may be a nightmare as it doesn’t come with a lid.
2. Peg Puzzles
What is it?
Peg board puzzles consist of a board in which fit different
shaped pieces. There is a wide range available on the market and you can choose
based on your child’s interest.
Helps with:
- Fine motor skills
- Hand-eye coordination
- Memory skills
- Matching
Melissa & Doug alphabet peg puzzle
We choose this nicely made peg
puzzle for our little ones. The alphabet pieces fit into their space which has
a well-known picture on it. Z, can name all the pictures and with support can
complete the puzzle. She talks to herself a lot while she’s doing it and I can
see it is definitely working her memory skills. The pieces are easy to hold and
fit into their spots perfectly. The puzzle is in lower case letters and we use
sounds instead of names to read the letters. And during the day if were
learning new words I’ll try and refer back to the puzzle, for example ‘A bird
starts with a b , like ‘b’ in banana’
3.
Gears
toy
What is it?
A number of gears need to be fitted into each other correctly
to make them move.
Helps with:
- Fine motor skills
- Hand-eye coordination
- Problem solving
- Construction skills
- Colour recognition
Melissa & Doug rainbow caterpillar
Z was instantly drawn to this
colourful toy. She started playing with it at about 17 months and within 2
weeks was able to fit the correct colour gear on the board. Soon after she was
able to say the colour names and would match it correctly almost every time. Even
now, almost a year later, Z still loves this toy and plays with it endlessly. I
found that it’s really durable too, as in our household its really been tested.
4.
Shape
sorter
What is it?
Different shaped pieces need to
be put through their corresponding spaces
Helps with:
- Fine motor skills
- Hand-eye coordination
- Problem solving
- Construction skills
- Shape recognition
- Sorting
- Counting
Melissa & Doug shape sorting
cube
Aside from the fact that toy didn’t
look as pretty as I’d expected, it functions pretty well. Now at just over 2
years old, Z can sort all the shapes in the correct space. The shapes that come
with this toy are ones that she hasn’t come across but she relates them to the
2D ones she does know. B, my 7 year old, also uses it to learn the names of 3D
shapes. At first it can be used as a stacking toy. It comes with 12 shapes, 3
in each colour, so it is lovely for sorting and colour recognition too.
5.
Geometric
shape puzzle
What is it?
A variety of geometric shapes
which can be used to make different designs. Lots of these designs can be found
online too.
Helps with:
- Creativity
- Imagination
- Pattern making
- Concentration
- Matching
- Problem solving
Toys of Wood Oxford Pattern blocks and puzzle
This is a newish toy for us, but
one that is so loved and used already. Z started by using it to identify
colours and shapes and also count. Now with the help of B she attempts to make
the patterns which come on the sheet. When she plays on her own she likes to
make repetitive patterns.
Have you tried any of these toys? What do you think? Are there
any more you’d add to the list?
