ALT-5 Educational Gifts for Toddlers
As a teacher and mother of a toddler, I am constantly on the lookout for toys that teach as well as entertain. Here are 10 of my favorite educational gifts for toddlers!
1. Wooden blocks, preferably with a variety of shapes, triangles, semi-circles, rectangles, cylinders, and more so that the toddler begins to experiment with what shapes stack well and which do not. There are also great blocks that have water inserted between panels of plastic with wood frames. This feature adds another dimension to the learning!
2. Art easel. There are some great easels that have a chalkboard on one side, a whiteboard on the other, and a roll of paper that can be pulled down for additional creative projects! An easel can be used for many years - my kindergartner received the easel as a toddler but now practices his spelling words and draws "Pokemon" on the whiteboard!
3. Playdoh. Playdoh has expanded tremendously since we were kids! There are all sorts of fun and creative accessories that you can purchase to make Playdoh hit with your toddler. Manipulating the dough not only inspires creativity but also improves manual dexterity and coordination.
4. Train tracks. We have wooden train tracks and train as well as plastic rails with battery-operated trains. I prefer the former because the child becomes more of a participant rather than an observer in the movement of the train. However, both are educational in that the child can create endless combinations of tracks and come up with their own scenarios using the trains.
5. Sandbox/water table. Experimenting with filling and emptying various types of substances is highly educational for the toddler as they begin to learn about the properties of the world around them.
6. Legos. Legos are now available in toddler-friendly sizes and offer hours of fun, creative play. As the child gets older, the standard size Lego comes in all sorts of incredible sets. The assortment is endless.
7. Miniature play sets such as Little People, Dora, and Playmobil sets, dollhouses, wooden castles, etc. These fantastic sets have stood the test of time. My toddler and older child still use a Fisher Price airplane that my brother and I used as children. Creating your own stories, replicating the routines and activities that you see happening around you...these are ways to practice important skills in a nonthreatening way. Rather than having a doll that talks, walks, and does just about everything else automatically, kids can learn far more by creating their own dialogues and stories with the "people" in these play sets. I like wooden play sets by Melissa & Doug very much - we have their castle and it's stood the test of time! I also love Playmobil items - just the catalogue is incredible! I'd buy it all and play with it myself! We have the pirate ship with its island and have had a blast with it!
8. Books. Sounds obvious, but people just don't buy books like they used to. In this age of videos, DVD's, computer games for infants, and more, it is easy to forego the regular habit of enjoying books together. Nothing will prepare your toddler for literacy and later success in school better than reading on a daily basis with a loved one. I try to always include a book with every birthday gift that my kids give to friends or receive from us. There are great books that have pull tabs, textured pages, stickers, and much more. Check out sites like overstock.com for great deals on books!
9. Puzzles. Puzzles are fun and educational and strengthen many skills that toddlers are busy developing including hand-eye coordination, spacial reasoning, and logic. Puzzles are also a fun family activity that siblings can do together or parents can do with their little ones!
10.Sports equipment such as croquet, bocce, horseshoes, hula hoops, frisbees, kiddie gardening tools, dodge balls, and more. Teach your toddlers traditional games that so few learn these days! My two-year-old kills me in bocce ball all the time! Active play doesn't just create a strong body, it enhances well-being, promotes self-confidence, improves hand-eye coordination, reinforces cooperative play and teamwork, and much more. So give your little toddler the tools to have lots of outdoor fun with friends and family.
