Manipulatives for Little Fingers: Bears & Blocks

Recommended for: Age 2 & Up (18 months if closely supervised to prevent choking)
Cost: Bears-under $10; Blocks-around $20

These are two of my favorite toys to use with little ones. They offer so many options and really help children with fine motor skill development and cognitive development. I do not recommend these with children younger than 18 months and only at 18 months with very close supervision. The blocks are fairly large but the bears might present more of an issue so beware. I have found many different uses for these including sorting, stacking, colors, counting, patterning and language stimulation to name a few. This is an essential tool for any educator or parent to have as children love to build and knock down towers and to make a mess by dumping them on the floor (and then making mom clean them up).

Activities to Focus On:
In & Out: Empty the cup
Dump & Fill: Dump the blue cup
Counting: How many yellow blocks do we have?
Sorting: Give me the red blocks
Colors: Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple
Patterning: Red, Blue, Red...what comes next
Stacking: Build a tower for me...how high can you make it?

This is just a sample of the activities that these manipulatives offer to young children. Make up games or songs to help your child learn. I definitely think these toys are a great way to build your child's skill development.

Next time I'm going to review a great toy for our youngest learners. I'm such an advocate for this and hope to encourage each parent and teacher out there to push for all parents and caregivers to make this an essential part to their day.

Thanks! And until next time, Happy Playing!
~Amy

DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

Stacking Rings Toy

Recommended for: 6 Months & Up (per www.Fisher-Price.com website)
Cost: around $10

This is a great toy that has a multitude of uses and can be used for children up through age 4 or 5. I specifically chose this toy because I like that it uses primary colors and gives a lot of language opportunities for children to grow. Provided below is a list of activities that I would recommend to parents or therapists using this tool to help stimulate language or to build cognitive skills. I will also include simple vocabulary for parents to use when using this toy as a therapeutic tool.

Early Learning Activities (6 months-18 months):
On/Off Concept
Color Names: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue
Counting: 1-5

Activities for Children Over 18 Months:
On/Off: Take the orange ring off. Put green ring on.
Colors: Blue goes on first...which one is blue?
Size: Which color is the smallest?
Counting: Let's count the rings? How many do we have?
Following Directions: Can I have the yellow ring?
Open-ended questions: Which ring is different? Why is it different? (Red because it makes sounds); Why can't the red ring go on first? (too small, blue is biggest, etc.)

These are just a few examples of activities to use with a toy that seemingly has only 1 or 2 options. It's amazing how the simplest toy has so many uses and can encourage your child to talk more and make progress towards goals.

Stay tuned for our next review and please let me know what you think! Please also comment on our poll and let me know what you thought of the toy. I'm open to suggestions so if you have anything you want me to review, I'd be happy to include it here.

Thanks! And until next time, Happy Playing!
~Amy

DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.