Popular Toys for Young Girls

Etch-A-Sketch

An oldie but a goodie. Etch-a-sketch has saved me many a time on long car and plane journeys. They are also great if you are waiting for an appointment (or visiting people who don’t really want kids running around). I’ve have a couple – one for the car and another for at home.

Whether your daughter is just learning how to hold a pen, starting to scribble, learning to draw or starting to write an etch-a-sketch can keep them highly entertained whist helping them learn at the same time. Once a drawing is complete just turn the knobs and you can start all over again. There’s no mess and no fuss – the perfect toy!

My kids pass it between them in the back of the car to make up games they can share (or for Zoe to teach Maya her letters).

If you want to get involved, try out drawing things for young kids to help them learn the words for different animals or items. Fortunately kids don’t judge you for poor drawing skills and have excellent imaginations. Also write letters, words or sentences to help pre-schoolers and young readers practise their new knowledge. Or get the kids to write or draw things for you to figure out if you are diplomatic enough to bluff your way through a picture that you really can’t decipher at all.

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Filed Under: Games, Toys

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

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.

Find out more about/purchase Klutz Pop Bead Critters

 

Filed Under: Activities, Gifts, Toys