Tag Archives: blocks

All Yours, Baby-Toys for Toddlers

When it comes to play, toddlers are a pretty accommodating group, capable of having fun with almost anything, almost anywhere. (As a toddler, Armin’s oldest daughter’s favorite toy was a 29-cent dish scrubber). But finding toddler toys and games that will keep adults engaged too is harder. Here are four toys that you and your little one will definitely be able to enjoy together.

kids picnic tableKids’ Picnic Table (American Plastic Toys)
The name of the company—American Plastic Toys—says it all: Everything they manufacture is made of plastic and it’s all built in America. The only things they left out are that, while their toys aren’t fancy, they’re sturdy, safety tested, fun to play with, and surprisingly affordable. (The “Unpretentious, Sturdy, Safe, Fun, Affordable American Plastic Toys company” seems a little cumbersome). Their new picnic table is no exception. Adult assembly is required, but it takes only a few minutes and you won’t need screws or tools. Once it’s built, it becomes the perfect table for messy activities. Cover it with sand, spill a glass of grape juice, or knock over a cup of finger paint? Did the kids turn it on its side to use it as a fort? No problem. Just hose is off, let it dry, and you’re good to go. Ages 2 and up. At major retailers or http://americanplastictoys.com/

sand and water playsetKids’ Sand and Water Play Set (American Plastic Toys)
The Sand and Water Play Set has two sections; a canal for water use, and a sand pit. There’s also a working crane for moving cargo from one area to the other. We especially liked the snap-on wave maker that kids can use to create a current to move boats up the canal. The Set also comes with cargo units, trucks, barges, and speedboats. It’s aimed at kids as young as 18 months, but you’ll love playing with it too. $14.99 at Target and other retailers.

fluffy friendsTots Fluffy Friends (Alex Toys)
Let’s face it, crafts can be messy—especially when they’re being done by a toddler. Tots Fluffy Friends changes all that. It’s a great way to give your little ones a chance to show off their creativity without you having to worry about glue, scissors, cleaning up, or finding glitter in your hair two weeks later.  The kit comes with four crack-and-peel collage boards (shaped like a duck, cat, bear, and bunny), four packages of colorful, shredded paper, and 40 stickers. Once you’ve peeled the board, your toddler can make his or her own one-of-a-kind creation using bits (or handfuls) of the shredded paper and the stickers. Ages 18 months and up. $17.99 at major retailers or www.alextoys.com

flip flop blocksFlip Flop ABC Blocks (Mirari/Patch Products)
As kids, most of us had ABC blocks, but you’ve never seen any like these. On one side of these clear plastic cubes is a bold, colorful letter. Turn it around and dancing on a string inside is an adorable animal or object that starts with the same letter (unicorn for U, star for S. grapes for G, and so on). There’s also a magnetic “magic wand” that your toddler can use to control the figures. These blocks are incredibly engaging (for adults and kids) and they’re great for building fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and of course, letter recognition (who knew that learning the alphabet could induce so many giggles?) They also introduce the concept of case and effect. Our only complaint is that not all of the letters have a corresponding figure (the ones that don’t feature a dancing letter instead). For ages 12 months and up. $49.99. At your favorite retailer or http://www.patchproducts.com/

 

Building Blocks of Success

There’s a reason blocks have been a part of just about every child’s toy box for hundreds of years: Building things with blocks (and in my house, knocking them down) is just plain fun. But fun is just the beginning. Blocks teach children about colors, shapes, proportions, patterns, spatial relationships, physics, experimentation, and design. They also build hand-eye coordination and stimulate creative thinking—and they have the remarkable ability to adapt to your child’s physical and intellectual age—the older the child, the more complex her block play will be. Best of all, playing with blocks is a great opportunity for parents and kids to hang out together, learn from each other, and strengthen their relationship. Here are some of our favorites.

Nanoblocks
nanoblocksParents and kids can spend time together building a variety of animals and architectural sites from around the world. Since many of the nanoblock sets represent well-know buildings, dads who enjoy architecture will enjoy the process and teaching kids about the original buildings. The one caveat is that these blocks truly are “nano” in size compared to the common Lego-style blocks. Nanoblocks require good eyesight and nimble fingers to control, but they’re great for building attention span, focus, and fine motor skills. We also like the “nano-sized” price point that makes these easily a tenth the cost of the architecture collection of the major competitor. Ages 6+,www.mynannoblock.com

Building Blocks Technics
We love Haba’s wooden toys, and this set of blocks and wheels is no exception. What makes this kit extra special, though, is that it introduces young builders to the concept of adding motion to their block creations. More and more research points to the value of using basic toys to stimulate a child’s imagination. And for dad and mom, playing imagination games is a great way to connect with the kids on their level. Ages 3+, www.habausa.com

Makedo Freeplay Kit
makedoWhat a cool concept. The Makedo (pronounced Make Doo—as in, “we’ll have to make do with what we have around the house”), is a container filled with reusable connectors that can help dads and kids turn even the most useless pile of recycling into a great project. Got a few scraps of fabric, an old oatmeal can, an empty tissue box, and a few toilet paper tubes? You can build a robot. Or a plane. Or anything else you can think of. As overused as the expression is, this truly is one of those cases where the only limit is your (and your children’s—assuming you’ll let them play too) imagination. Ages 4+,www.makedo.com.au

Lite Brix Building System: Extreme City Lights.
litebrix from lite brixWhen you take the Lite Brix out of the box, they look kind of boring. Almost all the bricks (which, in shape, look a lot like Lego) are the same color—kind of a translucent white. But once you and your child have built the first skyscraper and turn on the battery-powered LEDs, wow! And when you finally get all three up and running, wowie wow! The buildings seem almost alive. Detailed directions make it pretty easy for parents and kids to assemble cooperatively—better yet, let your child read the instructions and show how well you can follow orders. The three buildings that are part of this kit can be rebuilt into a single structure, and can be combined with other Lite Brix kits. But don’t feel limited by the instructions. Lite Brix also combine with Lego, so you can build even bigger and even more amazing structures. Ages 6+, http://www.cra-z-art.com/