Play-Doh

Play-Doh of ColorsIt might seem like a cliche toy but play dough gives hours of fun for imaginative little minds – once they learn that it doesn’t taste so great!

I have a large plastic mat for the floor and a bag filled with play-doh in various different colours, old small cookie cutters, solid plastic utensils, small jars (to use as rollers and storage) and some chocolate box inners (to substitute for muffin tins). You can play with your kids or let them create on their own. Boys and girls of all ages will be entertained together with play-doh and as long as you keep them on the plastic mat it isn’t too messy.

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I’ve tried making my own play dough but to be honest keeping it in the fridge was a hassle and it never lasted as well as the bought variety. Here’s a recipe though in case you are game…

 

 

Filed Under: Activities, Art, Games, Gifts, Toddlers

Guess Who

Guess WhoMy kids have loved playing Guess Who since there were able to string a sentence together. We play one person at a time asking all the questions but you can take turns asking questions to make it competitive too. There’s some strategy involved if they are up to that stage or the game can be played just by asking as many questions as they need to identify the correct person.

The basic rules of Guess Who are that one player takes a card with a face on it and the other has a board with a selection of upturned faces. The player with the board asks questions which can be answered with either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and the player with the board eliminates people (faces) depending on the answer. The end comes where there is only one person (face) left on the board – you then compare that with the card that was selected by the other player. I always have the face cards turned upside down before the each player makes a selection – otherwise my kids choose their favourite person every time – not much fun for the other player in that case (who is usually me).

I think this game is meant to be for 4 years and over but Maya’s been playing it since she was 2 so it really depends on the child’s stage of speech development and interest in games.

We have the original version but there are also travel and electronic options available these days too.

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Filed Under: Games, Gifts, Pre-schooler Learning

3 Bears Puzzle

This wooden 54pc bears puzzle was one of the first wooden puzzles Zoe ever attempted and she still enjoys playing with it now. There are 3 different types of bear (mother bear, father bear and baby bear) with 3 types of piece for each bear. The puzzle comes with a wooden box filled with different puzzle pieces so that they child can choose the clothes, shoes and facial expression for each bear – creating many different possible combinations.

Little girls love dressing up and playing at dressing-up dolls or toys. The bears puzzle appeals to them because it’s like playing dress-ups, whilst at the same time they are learning to fit puzzle pieces into the corrected shaped places. These days my girls like to create extended bear families on the floor as well so that they have all the pieces laid out.

The lid also keeps all the pieces in place to avoid losing too many over the years!

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Filed Under: Games, Gifts, Puzzles, Toddlers, Toys

The Flower Game

We were given the Flower Game game when Zoe was 3 and she still loves playing it 3 years on. You can play with 2-4 players and is one of our favourite games to play as a family. It’s a quality wooden game which looks as good now as it was when it was new. You do need to read the rules to be able to play the Flower Game but once you’ve got it this is great fun and easy for kids to remember.

There are 2 dice to throw – one for a colour and the other either a colour, type of move or caterpillar piece. The pieces are all magnetised and the stalks poke into a triangular garden. The steal is my girls’ favourite move because they feel so naughty doing it – you get to steal any piece you like from an opposing player. Players make up flowers with either   a single colour for it’s petals or one petal in each colour. There’s some strategy involved but younger players can easily keep up without that knowledge. You also make a caterpillar together when the dice falls on a caterpillar – when caterpillar is finished the game ends. Because the ending and dice throws are random there’s a good chance for any player of winning – thereby leveling the playing field between ages and stages of players. The player with the most completed flowers and additional pieces after that wins. The girls also like playing gardens with all the pieces after we’ve played a couple of rounds.

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Filed Under: Games, Gifts

Klutz Pop Bead Critters

Pop Bead Critters (Klutz Chicken Socks S.)I bought this for Zoe when she was 2 & 1/2 and just starting to be able to put things together with her little fingers. At first it was a bit frustrating for her but since figuring out how to pop the beads together into necklaces, bracelets and dogs and bugs she’s has hours and hours of fun. We now own 2 sets so that the girls can play together and make even longer creations. 4 years on and it’s still one of the most popular toys in the cupboard.

Klutz Pop Bead Critters are great for developing finger dexterity, design and categorising skills. It’s also a toy that can be played with on your own, with an adult or other children. Because the beads are reused each time you don’t end up with hundreds of necklaces and bracelets lying around the house that are never played with again. Taking them apart each time is a bit arduous but worth the effort to have a toy that is so well used.

We’ve never spent much time with the book but it has different scenes in it so that kids can create characters out to beads to put in there. These days I have the 2 sets of beads in a draw-string bag and take them on holidays as a small, easy to carry toy with hours of fun potential.

One piece of advice: remember to remove the colourful jewelery you get “given” by the kids before heading out into public or you get a few strange looks about your fashion sense.

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Filed Under: Activities, Gifts, Toys

Fairy Dress-up Reuasable Sticker Book

The Fairy Style Fashion Sticker Book: Bk. 4: Activity Book (Rainbow Magic)Fairy Style Fashion Sticker Book is possibly the best value for money gift I have ever given my girls. It’s so popular we now have 2 identical fairy sticker books so that the girls can both dress fairies at the same time. The stickers are completely reusable (the non-sticky variety) and with 100’s of different clothing and accessory stickers to choose from, plus 4 different fairies to dress there are hours and hours and hours of entertainment in one book.

This is great for helping with finger dexterity and concentration in younger girl whilst being equally entertaining for girls 4 years and over. You can play along with your kids or leave them to create their own fashions.

When we go on holidays I’ve been known to bring these books along as the only toy – they are light and compact, can be played with alone or with others and offer entertainment for hours. The perfect travel toy!!

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Filed Under: Activities, Books, Games, Gifts, Pre-schooler Learning, Sticker Books