Our favourite open-ended toys for when you're on a budget. Prepare your children for hours of creative, independent play with these affordable materials!
Learn what play-based learning is, how it benefits young children and prepares them for school, and how it differs from the academic learning style.
Toddlers are very curious about everything around them and quickly jump from one thing to the next. They are not able to tune out what is going on around them especially when they are in an environment with a lot of stimuli. Toddlers have short attention spans and get distracted frequently so we are here to help you understand ways to increase toddler attention span. Why is increasing your toddler's attention span important? Attention span is the foundation of play-based learning and play-based learning is an incredibly important part of a toddler’s development. It is how they explore the world around them and develop emotional and social awareness. We want to give our little ones all the tools they need to learn and grow, and with play-based learning, these tools come in the form of toys. The average U.S. family has 71 toys in their home, and one in ten families have more than 200 toys. But, when it comes to toys, more is not always better. Research has shown that toddlers actually fare better in an environment with fewer toys. By limiting the number of toys your child has access to, they can actually learn more from the toys that they have. In a study between children with 4 toys in a play session and children with 16 toys in a play session, the children with fewer toys spent less time switching between toys and were able to engage in longer instances of play. Furthermore, research has also shown that toddlers have the ability to have a maximum attention span of five minutes per year of their age, meaning that a 3-year-old can focus on a task for up to 15 minutes at a time. On average attention span is 4 to 6 minutes for 2-year olds, 8 to 12 minutes for 4-year-olds, and 12 to 18 minutes for 6-year-olds. You may be thinking, “Yeah, that’s great, but what does this mean for me?” When we incorporate this research into how we care for our little ones, there are three main things we should try to avoid to increase toddler attention span: clutter, disorganization, and single-use tools. 1. DECLUTTER A cluttered space leads to a cluttered mind. By limiting the number of toys you own or have out in a particular play session, you can help your kiddo’s attention span. Making decisions is quite difficult for little brains, so by limiting their options, they are able to spend more time with their toy and their imagination. This fosters a better attention span and more time spent playing — and thus, learning. Play is the main event in any child’s day of learning, and their play space should reflect that. The fewer distractions present in the form of other toys or clutter, the better. By decluttering the play space, you are also allowing the play at hand to take center stage. Decluttering is a term that can be left up to your own interpretation. Some families may decide to ask grandparents not to give any more gifts (If this is the route you take, check out this blog post for some ideas). Other families may decide to donate the toys they have, and others yet may decide to rotate out what toys are available to their children. How you decide to declutter is not important — what you decide to keep is. 2. ORGANIZE PLAY SPACE to increase toddler attention span Keeping a home clean and clutter-free feels like an uphill battle some days. By decreasing the number of toys in your play space, you are able to keep things organized so much easier. Toys should have a designated area at kid-level. What that looks like may differ depending on what works for your family – bins, shelves, baskets, or even a designated corner. What is important is that the “home” for your toys is both physically and visibly accessible to your children. When the toys are accessible, your child can feel more confident in their choice of what they’re playing with and is more likely to get your 3-year-old focused on that instance of play. Cleaning up can be an overwhelming task to us as grown-ups, so you can only imagine how overwhelming it can be to someone who is still learning about the world. By reducing the number of toys they have to put away, you can help them build organizational skills and pride in their play space. 3. INVEST IN MULTIPURPOSE TOYS When I’m buying a new tool, whether it be for my kitchen or for around my house, I want it to have multiple purposes. I would rather have a multi-tool than have to find storage for eight different screwdrivers and pliers and the like. In this same vein, we should make sure the toys we give our children have multiple uses too. Toys are the tools of play, after all. This means that we need to be intentional about what toys make their way into our play spaces. Toys that serve only one purpose can be fun, but they can hinder creativity and detract from the play session. By having a single toy with multiple functions, like the Play & Learn Wooden Activity Cube or our 6-piece puzzle set, your kiddo can use their wooden activity cube for a long time without losing interest. By giving our kids timeless toys that function in multiple ways, we encourage them to learn different ways they can use the toy. By thinking creatively about the tools they’re using, we encourage them to also think creatively elsewhere in their lives. Decluttering, organizing the play space and investing in multipurpose toys are activities that will help your toddler improve their attention and concentration. A steady attention span is at the heart of play-based learning and learning through play is an essential part of your toddler’s development. Related Articles: How Babies Learn Through Play and the Benefits of Having Less Toys How Babies Interact with Activity Cubes - Play Ideas Will YOU or an Activity Cube make your Toddler Smart? Save your Sanity and Declutter the Play Room with these Organizing Tips
A simple explanation of how children learn through play during their first few years, including examples of play-based learning in action.
It's important to understand that some of the best toys for kids can span multiple age groups. This allows you to have less stuff and stay more organized.
Best Learning Toys for Kids: Indoor Version | learning through play, preschool, toddler, teaching toys, gift recommendations
Learn what play-based learning is, how it benefits young children and prepares them for school, and how it differs from the academic learning style.
Play Kitchens For Kids will always be my #1 recommended toy for speech and language development! But the learning doesn’t stop there. They are also fantastic for facilitating...
Teacher-approved picks for creative exploration and play.
Play contributes to the physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being of children. It is a holistic learning platform that helps kids understand their world.
Ditch the formal activities and follow a play-based learning approach. Research shows that this is in fact the best way for a child to learn.
Fine Motor Sensory Fun: Kids build hand strength, coordination, and other essential fine motor skills when they scoop and play with these sensory toys! Four Fun Ways to Scoop: Sized for little hands, these fine motor tools come with 4 ways to scoop—rotate & sift, funnel & stamp, twist & pour, or scoop! Sensory Bins and Beyond: Made from durable, wipe-clean plastic, these sensory scoops are ready for use in sensory bins, sand boxes, water tables, and more! Ages and Stages: Specially designed with little ones in mind, the Helping Hands Sensory Scoops help kids as young as 3 build essential sensory and fine motor skills! Give the Gift of Learning: Whether you’re shopping for holidays, birthdays, or just because, award-winning educational toys from Learning Resources help you discover new learning fun every time you give a gift!
Best toys for toddlers When selecting toys for the kids play space I try to be very intentional. I focus on choosing things that are high quality, made of natural and eco-friendly materials, open-ended and
Toys. Toys. Toys. Once you become a parent you find yourself surrounded by toys all varying in purpose, size, and material. You can’t help but to be absorbed in a world full of dolls, castles, and imagination, but has anyone ever taken the time to explain why toys are important for your child’s development? 1. Educational Toys are Tools for a Child's Development Despite what you may have been told, toys are not just for the entertainment of your child. Sure, toys are fun to buy and can be a great source of joy simply because of how they look; however, educational toys work on a variety of key skills that are critical for your child’s developmental goals. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), about 90% of preschool children’s play in the United States involves a toy of some sort. This is no accident. Toys are designed to help kids think critically, teach social interaction, promote creativity, and engage in problem solving. It seems almost too good to be true, but toys are indeed educational tools in addition to sources of entertainment. Keep reading to learn more about how toys work with your child, promoting child development in a variety of essential areas. 2. Educational Toys are Timeless When it comes to picking out toys, it’s always important to remember that less is more. It can be easy to be tempted to buy the latest trend or indulge in a sale; however, simple wooden toys are proven to foster more creativity and longer play duration. Explore our site and read “3 ways to Increase Toddler Attention” to learn more about ways to help your child focus. As a child, the world is already often overstimulating! Too many toys can do more harm than good for your child, emphasizing a minimal, easy to take in environment. When children are working on developing skills, how they interact is more important than the number of toys they have to interact with, meaning a simple, effective toy will be more beneficial than a multitude of toy options. There’s a reason certain toys, such as blocks, last for generations and continue to be used no matter what new toy invention is released. 3. Different Toys Provoke Different Reactions in Children It’s important to remember that every child is different! How one child reacts to a toy may have a completely different result with another. Pay attention to how your child reacts. Too many toys can be too much for the senses of a child; therefore, if a child does not appear interested, replace that toy or swap with a local neighbor or friend, providing a new option to try out without having to spend money on a brand new toy. Curious about more ways to save space? Read our article “Save your Sanity and Declutter the Play Room with these Organizing Tips”! 4. Toys Affect Child Development and Behavior in a Variety of Ways It has been proven that certain toys impact a child’s behavior in different ways. You may notice that your child is more social when playing with one toy over another just as a different toy may promote solo play through the application of fine motor skills- that’s okay and to be expected! 5. Toys Provide Equal Benefits for Both Boys and Girls Keep in mind that curiosity is more important to your child than playing with the “correct” toy for whether they are a boy or a girl. Research has shown that babies simply play with whatever they are given. Read “How Babies Play” here. Boys do not gravitate towards trucks and girls do not gravitate toward dolls. If a boy does choose a truck to play with, it is not because he is a boy, but rather something about the truck drew him in- it is purely a coincidence. Remember, as stated by the NAEYC, both boys and girls equally benefit from play materials. Therefore, challenge your pre-existing notions about gendered toys and pick what your child is most drawn to! In reality, your child wants to learn and discover using whatever he or she has available around them. Overall, toys should not be intimidating! Rather, they are meant to help you work with your child on important lifelong skills such as social interaction and problem solving. With toys, the more hands on the better! When your child is able to explore utilizing their senses they are simultaneously working on a variety of skills all within a simple act. Blocks can be used to work on your child’s creativity through construction while also learning about balance and problem solving. Specially shaped blocks go a step further, teaching your child that similar shapes fit together while others simply will not. This is just one example of many, displaying the power toys have on learning no matter how simple they appear. Focused on the play element of toys? Check out our article “How Babies Play.”
HUB OF ACTIVITY: This sort and discover activity play cube consists of five sides. Watch them enjoy the beaded adventure land, a shape sorter, a stand in a queue, a turnplate and tap to the bottom activity COUNTRYSIDE INSPIRED: This activity cube is an animal inspired play cube includes ten pieces featuring wooden balls, shapes, wooden pounder, and more ENCOURAGE MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT: This learning puzzle toy for toddlers assists in motor skills, logic skills and perseverance DURABILITY: Made of sturdy wood, child safe materials and water-based paint AWARD-WINNING: This development toy is an award-winning shape sorter, recommended for ages 12 months to 6 years Features different animal friends and multiples sides of play Busy kids will love the different activities that encourage imagination and storytelling Includes ten pieces featuring wooden balls, shapes, and more Hape finishes are all non-toxic, child safe, and of the highest quality Recommended for ages 12 months to 6 years
Little Scholars Playground is a children’s book publisher and early years hub. We create engaging, diverse children’s books and learning resources. With a focus on STEM related learning resources.
It's important to understand that some of the best toys for kids can span multiple age groups. This allows you to have less stuff and stay more organized.
Picture this: you’re sitting at a doctor's office, waiting for your appointment, and your kid goes to play with the toys in the corner. What toy are you imagining there? We bet you were thinking of a wooden activity center or wooden block activity cube! It is not a coincidence either- kids’ activity centers are often recommended and used by doctors. This is music to parents’ ears! So, doctors recommend activity cubes, but which activity cube is best? Keep reading to find out which activity cubes are the best and what you need to know before purchasing one. Before getting into how to choose one, we would just like to clarify that sometimes activity cubes go by different names but are all the same toy! They can be called wooden activity center, activity box, or even wooden bead activity center -- don’t let the variety of names confuse you, they all refer to the same type of play toy! Now that we have that confusion sorted, you’ll need to ask yourself six questions when picking out an activity cube-- the first of which being: 1. Do you need a small, large, or giant activity cube/center? Wooden Activity Center comes in all shapes and sizes, so which size is best for you? To figure this out, you might want to consider some of these factors first: How much space do I have to store it? How old is my child? How many different activities am I looking for? What type of activities am I looking for? When you’re wondering what type of activities you’re looking for, kids’ activity cubes tend to include very similar activities, just with different designs and sizes. For example, wooden activity centers can be recognized by their iconic bead maze on the top-- Is it even an activity center if it doesn’t include one?! Along with the wooden bead maze on the top, two other sides that are classically included are shape sorters and a bead sorter. The other two sides are up to the producer's creativity! These details and questions should help guide you in a good direction to determine your best size! Next, ask yourself... 2. Would you like a wooden or plastic activity center? This question comes down to personal preference, but if you’re looking for our recommendation, we are team ‘Wooden Toys’ all the way! We can’t get enough of them! Wooden activity centers (and wooden toys in general) are so much more durable than plastic, thus extending it’s play life. In addition to being more durable, they also visually fit better into our homes-- their natural materials are more pleasing to the eye and blend better with our homes. Did we mention they are also better for the environment?! As for plastic activity cubes, they do the job, we suppose! While plastic lasts forever in landfills, it doesn’t hold up as well during play time. Plastic toys have been known to crack and break during play, creating dangerously sharp edges for your kids. Another factor about plastic activity cubes to consider is that they are typically battery operated to generate lights and sounds. If you prefer a quieter, more minimalistic toy, this might be challenging for you to enjoy. Check out our blog post on wood vs. plastic to learn more! Note to gift givers: Are you conflicted on which to choose? Just know that gifting a wooden toy is considered a better option because they are more durable, sustainable, open-ended, and quiet. They are especially great for those minimalistic households and parents who believe the ‘Less Toys is More’ philosophy! Again we find ourselves asking about the age of your child-- this time we are considering their stage of life! 3. Is it for a baby, toddler, or older kids? Wooden activity centers are fun for kids of all ages! However, they do offer different features based on age, so make sure you’re selecting the best one for you! To break it down, baby activity cubes are typically more simplistic and are designed for beginning to develop fine motor skills. For example, they focus on activities like grasping, moving, and manipulating objects. In contrast, activity cubes designed for older kids target skills such as sorting, teaching colors, number recognition, counting, and simple story telling. (Who knew it could teach so much?!) When purchasing your activity cube, it is best to buy one that will grow with your child but also can help fit their current needs. If you buy one for your baby and decide to purchase a more advanced one when they get older, hold on to the first one-- you might want it for your babies in the future. If you’re all done having kids, consider donating it to a friend! When it comes to the number of pieces and activities offered, a good rule of thumb is that the more expensive a wooden activity cube is, the more activities it will offer. This does not stand true for all circumstances though so make sure you do your research! Hence, another question you may want to ask yourself is… 4. Do they come in one piece or 2 pieces? Did you know that small and medium size activity cubes don’t come in one piece? It is because they do not offer the mechanism that keeps the top and the bottom of the toy together. One cool thing about this though, is that while one kiddo is playing with the top of the activity cube, another kid can simultaneously play with the bottom! If you’re looking for a wooden block activity center that is attached, you may need to invest a bit more money into it. They typically range between $50-$120. 5. Safety First! All parents want their kiddo to be safe, especially when there are potential choking hazards around! To ensure your child’s safety, ALWAYS check for an age grade! They can be found on the outside of the box and typically looks like this: Baby play cubes are typically labeled 6month + or 12 months +. If the play cube is larger and includes more activities with small parts, they will typically be labeled 3 years+. WARNING: If you order a toy online and it arrives without an age grade, DO NOT give it to your child! It means that the toy manufacturer did not complete a full safety testing and is violating US Toy Safety laws. Lastly, you will want to consider... 6. Storage & Portability How much room do you have available in your play space/storage? Do you plan on bringing it places with you often? Small and medium size activity cubes store really well in most settings, whether it be displaying on your little one’s play shelf or packing it up in the car for a trip to grandma’s! Most smaller activity cubes can transform shape as well by being able to flip the top into the bottom for more compact storage abilities. For large and giant size activity cubes, storage is a little bit more tricky! They tend to be heavy in weight and bulky. However, if you are not planning on moving it around very much and would like to have it as a staple, stationary piece in your playroom, this size might be perfect for you! Conclusion There are many things to take into consideration when choosing a wooden activity center. Hopefully we have helped you get a better idea of what you are looking for! Wooden activity cubes are a great choice to enhance your baby or toddler's development and will last them for years to come. You can learn more about play ideas with toddler activity cube here!
There is an endless amount of activities that can be done with open-ended toys! That’s what we all want, right? Who wants to buy an expensive toy for a child that they will only play with once? Open-ended toys grow with kids as they age. They allow your kiddo to use their creativity and imagination...
Promote positive sportsmanship and find out how to transform common childhood games into social-emotional learning experiences with our free tips and resources!
The Benefits of Play-Based Learning We know your child’s development is a main focus of parenting. You buy the parenting books or try to find a schedule for your child, but what worked for your first child or your friend’s child doesn’t seem to work for the little one in front of you. You need to remember that no matter the child, development looks different. There is no “normal.” However, there is one guaranteed universal reality-- play helps every child learn. No matter where your child is in their development, the benefits of learning through play cannot be denied. Curious to learn more? Keep reading to find out the many benefits of play based learning! Benefits of learning through manipulative play Many people may not realize, but play comes in a variety of forms! The first type of play we’ll be discussing is manipulative play. Essentially, manipulative play is a fancy way of titling play where your child works with the toys around them, turning knobs, moving pieces, and/or adjusting certain parts all in order to make them fit. Manipulative play requires your child to manipulate the toys around them to accomplish a goal, working on a variety of important skills! The ToyVentive wooden activity cube is a great toy for manipulative play! Cognitively, your child works on their fine motor skills, the skills that require attention to detail and being able to work on tasks where you must focus in order to achieve the end goal. Other forms of manipulative play that are less detailed, such as pushing and pulling, help improve gross-motor skills! Improved problem solving, an important life long skill, is another benefit of utilizing manipulative play. Your child is faced with a goal that requires them to figure out how they must reach it through their physical environment. Additionally, your child works on their hand eye coordination as well as they will be using both their hands and eyes while working on their manipulative play! If you need some examples of manipulative play, here are some suggestions for you to try out! Work on puzzles! Puzzles require your child to find the proper pieces to fit in an exact spot, causing them to try out a variety of options that may or may not work. For more suggestions check out our blog post on play ideas with toddler peg puzzles! Play with a ball! A ball allows you to work on manipulative play through a variety of options! Kicking the ball, throwing the ball, and even dribbling the ball are all great ways to work on manipulative play with your child. Make jewelry! Placing beads or other materials onto a string is an awesome way to utilize manipulative play and end up with a fun product that your child can be proud of! The threading of the string through the bead highly develops your child’s fine motor skills. Benefits of learning through physical play Physical play occurs everyday and it may be what you are most familiar with! Whether your child is two or five, physical play tends to be a part of everyday life. However, there are varying levels of accessibility depending on your child’s age and abilities. Physical play does not have to be only what one typically thinks of, such as walking, as it is also activities your child performs through their feet, hands, and face. Not only is physical play good for your child’s health, but there are also a variety of benefits internally. Physical play, like manipulative play, works on hand eye coordination, fine motor skills, problem solving, and gross motor skills. Additionally, physical play works on your child’s balance, walking, running, and other physical skills that your child will use for the rest of their life. As we mentioned, physical play has different levels of ability. If your child has yet to reach a certain milestone, it is okay. If your child with a disability struggles with certain physical play, find a form of play that they love. All play is important, but not all play works for every child. Do your best to learn what activities your child loves and works best for them. Benefits of learning through role play Role play allows your child to develop important skills. Role play is a common form of play, especially during play time in school. Your child may excitedly tell you how they pretended to be a teacher or doctor while playing with friends. When this happens, you can ask them how exactly they performed this role. How did you act differently than your normal self? Did you think about your own doctor when playing this role? Did you enjoy playing this role? Would you want to become this role in real life? Learn more about how to encourage pretend play! Through role play, your child starts to gain a grasp on the social world around them. They begin to understand that certain people have certain jobs with different responsibilities such as a doctor helps heal them and that a mom or dad helps take care of their child. They begin to understand what it means to be professional versus how one acts around one’s family. Additionally, role play is a great way to teach your child important lessons through hypothetical situations. When discussing hypothetical situations, you help work on your child’s emotional development in addition to their own sense of empathy, both key skills in growing up and establishing relationships. At times, it can be hard for children to think about the feelings of those around them instead of their own. Using role play, your child is able to put themselves in the shoes of someone else, thinking about how they would feel if they were in a situation they may have yet to experience in real life. Additionally, your child works on their own abstract thought, a way of thinking that requires your child to understand concepts without a physical object in front of them. They begin to picture scenarios without needing a physical representation. Through role play, your child is put into a fictional situation where they must make choices using their own thoughts and beliefs. Benefits of learning through creative play The benefits of creative play cannot be stressed enough. Especially as a child, creativity is one of your only outlets to express your emotions. As a parent, creative play is a great way to understand how your child thinks and how they are feeling, as they may not have the words to express themselves blatantly. Creative expression helps you as a parent learn so much about your child such as if they are happy, what they enjoy, and what they are trying to say. Emotionally, your child is able to express themselves through art and toys that differ from their typically intended use. They are able to be creative without limits! Suddenly a simple puzzle piece of a lion has a name and story that your child actively plays out. The colors they choose to draw with may be more than meets the eye. Ask your child, “Why did you choose this color?”, “Are you sad today like your drawing?”, “Is there a reason you chose to draw rain drops instead of sunshine?”. Not only is your child able to openly express themselves, but you are able to get a glimpse into their internal thinking. In addition to emotion, creative play allows your child the opportunity to try new things without fear of doing something wrong or failing. When playing with your child, make sure to emphasize that there is no wrong way to be creative. Without this fear of embarrassment or failure, your child is able to openly express themselves and work on social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development! They may try out new words they’ve only ever heard before. They may try to formulate sentences. They may climb a tree that has scared them in the past. That’s the best part of creative play! You can act, draw, and play however you wish all while improving your self esteem! Want to learn more about the benefits of and how to promote creative play? Check out our guide to preschool creative play for more info, tips and ideas! In conclusion Overall, learning through play is so important. As you read, you saw that these different types of play often overlap! What is considered manipulative play may also be a form of physical and creative play! That’s one of the benefits of play in general-- your child is gaining so much through what we, as adults, see as a simple task. Play allows your child to work on a variety of developmental skills in a way that they both enjoy and benefit from. It can be difficult to try to teach your child certain skills, especially when they are too young for you to communicate verbally. Therefore, play allows you to bond with your child while working on important skills you want them to learn. The benefits of play based learning are endless. Together, you work on emotional, physical, social, and cognitive development without your child even realizing! The Benefits of Play-Based Learning
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Toy Train Sets For Kids are wonderful for open ended learning and learning through play. Here are 3 skills your child can learn naturally just by playing!
Toys that double as fun and educational are the best kind of toys! Although all of my guides are filled with these type of toys, I made sure to include a gift guide specifically for our favorite learning toys for kids ages 2-6 years old. We absolutely love these toys! Learning is, and should be,
You came here for an answer to your question "what is guided play?" but you will leave with a lot more than just a simple answer. But to quickly and concisely answer the question, guided play is when parents, caregivers and/or educators get involved in their child's play to teach them new skills in an
Mechanic toys for kids are a great way to work on STEM skills as well as language development and learning. Continue reading to learn how these toys...
There are so many types of blocks available but these are the 10 Best Wooden Block sets for kids! Open ended learning toys such as blocks provide....
How much play potential do your toys have? How can you get more fun from less stuff? Read on to find out.
We see a lot of questions about the Grapat pieces and Loose Parts Play. When can kids start playing with them? What sets should I get first? How many do they need? How do kids play with them? Photo via @jesspartyof4 When can kids start playing with them? First things first - Safety! - the Grapat loose parts are rated f
The importance of puzzles for toddler development and how you can use toddler wood puzzles to reach important milestones. Here at ToyVentive we are all about less is more. We want you to make the most of the toys that you have, especially with the toys we offer! When it comes to puzzles, you may think you know exactly how to play with them. You put the puzzle piece in the slot it’s perfectly fit for and that’s that! Well, there’s more than meets the eye with your everyday puzzle. Puzzles are a great tool in working on your toddler’s development. Keep reading to learn about all the various ways you can play with your puzzle beyond the typical expectation! Benefits of puzzles for toddler development Before we get into the fun of playing with puzzles, we want you to know just how beneficial puzzles are for toddler development! Puzzles provide a task for your toddler to focus their attention on, working on strengthening their concentration! While their concentration is strengthening, they also work on their fine motor skills through using their little fingers to grab specific pieces and placing them in their designated spot! Your toddler will start to understand how little pieces can make up a whole image, allowing them to further their problem solving skills when the piece they hold does not fit the slot they are trying to make work! Toddler wood puzzles are great when working on your toddler’s development. You are working on a wide range of skills in one simple activity! Check out our blog posts on wooden number puzzles your toddler will love or play ideas with shape puzzles to learn more! Peg puzzles for toddler development are the best! Peg puzzles for toddler development are an amazing option when choosing what type of puzzle you want to play with! Peg puzzles have simple and easy pieces that help your child focus without being overwhelmed. All of the suggestions you are about to read are 100% possible when playing with a peg puzzle! How to play with puzzles for toddler development Now that we’ve established the “why” behind the importance of puzzles for toddler development, let’s dig into how to play with the puzzles you have! 1. Try question and answer Your puzzle, whether it’s our wooden puzzles or your own, will have pieces that you can use to help your toddler learn! Try asking questions about the individual piece before placing it in it’s spot. For example, try asking... What does this piece look like? Do you like what’s on this puzzle piece? Have you seen what’s on this puzzle piece in real life? If the puzzle piece is of an animal, ask what sound do they make? Or where do they usually live? 2. Expand on your child’s answers In addition to asking questions, you can also work on feelings during this form of play! After they answer, expand on how they’re feeling! Try asking… How does this color make you feel? Does this animal make you happy? Does it make you scared? Then, expand on their answer by asking… How does it feel when you’re happy? How does it feel when you’re afraid? Through this play, you have a way of connecting with your child and working on their own emotional expression all while completing a puzzle! 3. Organize your parts by size If you have a stacking puzzle, have your child sort the pieces from either smallest to biggest or biggest to smallest. This will help them to learn patterns and be able to compare objects! Even if your puzzle isn’t stacking, you can still have your child make comparisons by asking about the pieces you do have! For example, ask them if the cow puzzle piece is bigger than the chicken puzzle piece! Is the yellow circle smaller than the blue triangle? You can work on a variety of skills such as organization, comparing similarities and differences, and recognizing that not all objects are the same! 4. Practice counting Count the pieces! For an extra challenge, have your child work on groupings. Ask your child to make a group of three or four, then have them count how many groups they have! You can ask a variety of counting questions from there! 5. Practice letters through alphabet puzzles for toddlers There are many ways to play with alphabet puzzles! If your puzzle has individual pieces of each letter, use those to help your child learn their ABCs! Alphabet puzzles for toddlers are an excellent choice when working on your child’s development! Have them arrange them in order before placing on the puzzle or even ask them to think of a word that starts with a specific letter. For example, “Can you think of a word that starts with an ‘A’? What sounds do the letter ‘A’ make?”. Your child will work on letter recognition and the basics of understanding order all while playing with your alphabet puzzle! If your puzzle does not have specific pieces meant for the alphabet, ask them to think about the words that are on the board! Ask questions such as, “What does the image on this piece start with?” or “This piece is blue. What does blue start with?”. 6. Learn about colors! Going off of practicing the alphabet, now try teaching the colors. In any puzzle, colors will be there. Ask your child what colors they see, what color is their favorite, and what colors aren’t on the puzzle! 7. Get creative with the pieces Puzzle pieces can be used to create stories and characters, strengthening your child’s imagination and creating an entirely new form of play all with the same puzzle. Suddenly the elephant puzzle piece is named Cindy and has a dream to one day be an opera singer! As an adult, if this type of play feels uncomfortable, check out our article on how to become more playful as an adult and why it’s important! Now you may not have character pieces, but you might have various shapes! Use those shapes to build a village. Work on balance and create a larger structure from the small individual pieces. Feeling extra creative? Have the characters from your story live in the village you build! Another fun option to get creative with your puzzle is to make an art project! Trace your puzzle pieces on paper, cut those shapes out, and decorate them however you want! Conclusion We hope after reading this, you understand how puzzles help child development and are able to apply our play ideas to your puzzles for toddler development. Toddler wood puzzles are not only for play, but they also are for reaching important milestones! You may think having fewer toys limits how much your child can do, but that’s not the case at all! One toy, such as a puzzle, has an infinite of possibilities with a little creativity and a bit of strategy. 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Take off on an imaginative journey with Grapat's Brots, the perfect wooden peg dolls to help children create their own little world! Offering endless possibilities for storytelling, small world play and learning, these 18 vibrant and versatile pieces let kids explore their own creativity while having lots of fun. So jump into a colorful fantasy adventure with Grapat Brots today! Set contains a total of 18 pieces in 6 colours (with 3 colour shades in each) The Grapat Brots measure 7cms in height Coloured with water-based stains Certified and tested to toy safety standards Designed and made in Spain As this product is handmade, colours and wood grain may vary slightly. Recommended for children aged 10 months+
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