Best toys, according to me

Okay, so here's my post about best toys/books to buy for young kids. Maybe you don't need this unsolicited advice, but in case one of you is looking for suggestions, read on.

Obviously my pics are geared towards young boys, but many are appropriate for both boys and girls and various ages.

1. Gertie Balls

I mentioned these earlier on the blog but it's worth repeating. I love these balls because they are durable (although not against a Jack Russell's teeth I found out...) and easy to catch. They have a funny, sticky texture that makes them very grab-able. My favourite part is that they come flat, with a tube and plug for inflating them. They blow up in 5 seconds, but can be flattened for travel. And who, with young kids, doesn't need that?

2. Stacking cups

If there's one toy we have certainly got our money's worth out of, it's these cups. We have a set by Gowi, but any would have been great. I think toddlers like the control of a toy they can put together and take apart themselves. Both boys have adored this, as seen here. It's still in constant use.

Charley, May 2007




3. Play-doh:

Ug. As much as it pains me to say it, Play-Doh is awesome. They both love it. It's messy and leaves multi coloured crumbs everywhere, but it also keeps them busy. Plus, you can make your own easily in a pinch.



4. Books:

Without a doubt the best thing we have is a library card. We go at least once a week and have worked our way through this great list and more. There's no need for me to mention "Where the Wild Things Are" or "Goodnight Moon" because everyone knows them. Here are a few great books you may not know about:

*Jumpy Jack and Googily and Meet Wild Boars, by Meg Rosoff

If someone asked me one of those "who would you most like to sit down and have lunch with" questions, my answer would be Meg Rosoff. I'd pick her over Jesus, Bono and Oprah. Yep. She's my favourite writer. She writes insanely good YA books and then turns around and writes possibly my favourite picture books ever. Sigh. I luuuuurve her. In fact, I might want to be her...

* Each Peach Pear Plum and Peepo by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Gorgeous, lovely, charming and beautiful. I can read these from memory from frequent re-telling and so can Charley. One of Sam's first words was "peepo".



* Digger Man by Andrea Zimmerman

This book is perfect for a boy, especially if he has a younger brother. It is adorable.

*Freight Train by Donald Crews

A classic about a train. Simple and beautiful.

* Pigeon series, or Piggy series or Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

You just can't go wrong with Mo. He's amazing. He's a contemporary who has managed to crack the 'top ten picture books ever' lists, sometimes more than once.


I really could write the book part of list with 100 items, but that seems like enough.



5. Shape sorters


Sam has a toy like this one and he plays with it non-stop. They've been making them just like this for many generations, so how can you go wrong?

6. Ipod touch

So, officially this isn't a kid's toy, but I don't know what I would have done without it over the past year. It's basically an iPhone without the phone. You can use it for all sorts of things, (I use it as my computer when I'm away from home). It has internet, email, lists, calendars, weather, etc. My favourite part is that you can get kid shows on it and play them anytime. So, imagine you're stuck in the doctor's office waiting room with 30 minutes to go, toddler in tow. You pull out the ipod and start up a Diego episode. Presto! Magic.

I'm not a huge fan to t.v. for kids, but when on a plane, or on a long drive, or a long wait, out comes the ipod and I have no guilt. Only peace. (Plus, I just downloaded a game for it that's for 3-5 year olds, where they touch the screen to identify letters, colours, etc. Charley loves it).

7. Do I need to mention Thomas? I thought not.

___________

That's about all I can think of. I guess the thing I've found is that 99% of toys are fun for about 2 days and then they are pushed aside in favour of something new. That's why I shop thrift for almost all of the toys we acquire. Then I don't feel bad when they grow sick of them. It's so much easier to get rid of them when you know you only paid $2 (or less!) to start with.

So this year the boys are getting:

* Some new trains (no avoiding that.. I got them new on Ebay for 1/2 price though).

* Some Kid K'nex

*Some homemade toys based on their favourite characters from books (images to come)

*A few books

*Some bits and bobs, like new toothbrushes (did you know they are obsessed with dental hygiene??), etc.

They don't need any of it, that's for sure, but it will be fun to see Charley have his first really-understanding-it Christmas. And we'll be home. Imagine that!

Happy shopping, if that's possible at this time of year.