I really like seeing what other toddlers are into. I’d much prefer a word-of-mouth review from a Mom of a toddler than my own endless Amazon-surfing (and subsequent money-wasting) for the next great thing. If you’re like me then maybe you’ll like this review. These are the things that Parker is into these days, on heavy rotation, and they’re toys I can feel good about too. He definitely watches Thomas the Tank Engine on Netflix too, and we always do a family movie night, but I try to keep his screen time to a minimum. I struggle with the balance of playing with him and letting him play on his own (especially harder since he can plead (and does plead), “Mama! Play!” these days) and would appreciate any feedback you guys have on your own experiences there and also what toys/activities your kids love. Especially if you have an almost three year old boy!
1. Melissa & Doug Farm Cube Puzzle
: This is cool because it’s six different puzzles and each one has a specific colored border. It’s a little on the tough side (for, mmm, all of us? Seriously, Steve and I laugh as we do it like, “Okay this is not THAT easy!”) but Parker helps by finding the right border color and we work in from there. It easily gives us 30 minutes of play. Assisted play, yes, but luckily I like puzzles too.
: This is cool because it’s six different puzzles and each one has a specific colored border. It’s a little on the tough side (for, mmm, all of us? Seriously, Steve and I laugh as we do it like, “Okay this is not THAT easy!”) but Parker helps by finding the right border color and we work in from there. It easily gives us 30 minutes of play. Assisted play, yes, but luckily I like puzzles too.
2. Melissa & Doug Alphabet Teaching Puzzle Cards
: This one helps with letters (no duh!) and sounds and Parker can nearly do it by himself. I still help by placing the card with the image on it out in alphabetical order and he finds the matching letters. He really likes this one.
3. Schleich Knights
: Only just realized, having searched for what these are on Amazon, what a gold mine Parker inherited from having older brothers. These knight figures are expensive! I don’t think we’ve purchased a one since he’s been born, but they’ve been gifted, and bought for Hunt boys, starting with Nathaniel straight on through the years. Parker loves these. He sets up elaborate scenes all over the desk, the piano, the floor, and I will hear him totally role-playing with them. I love that. Steve is so much better than I am at using his imagination and making up these whole scenes with Parker wherein they’re catching knights and putting them in jail, so on and so forth.
4. Pre-School Color Memory Game
: This is one of my favorites. There are more cards than shown here and he’s actually surprisingly good at finding matches. We declare what color each one is as we turn them over and try to play by the rules (the person who finds the match gets to go again, so on and so forth. “Mama found the match! Mama goes again. Mama found another match! Mama goes again!” Haha – just kidding, promise.).
I forget how close in age our boys are! Isn't almost 3 the best age in the universe?!?! Our favorite toys right now are anything suuuuper hands on (chalk, paint, markers, glue, etc.) and anything that helps Nol turn into somebody new (ropes, swords, guns, etc.). The crafty stuff we do together, but the guns and swords he can handle on his own. Like you say, the balance between playing together and solo is such a tricky one! AAAAANNNDD he just grabbed my arm and asked me to go outside. 🙂 Best age ever, I say! You're recs are awesome! Melissa and Doug for the win! Thanks for sharing!
almost 3 is the sweetest. yesterday he put his hand under my chin and tenderly came in for a kiss on the lips. !!!!! he's not a huge crafter yet, except for play dough! but hoping he gets into that by next winter…
Love your recs, that cube puzzle and those Alphabet cards are awesome…haven't seen those before, think they need to come to my house and also would be great for bday gifts! I can't help in the toddler boy department but if you want to know of all thing princesses I am sure my 4 year old would be able to tell you everything you need to know!!! 🙂
If he loves the knights and horses then he would love the Imaginext things. It's made by fisher price and is at all major department stores. They have castles, pirate ships, knights, trolls, dinosaurs, dragons and so many other things. It also has a super hero collection. I have two boys 4 and 6 and they love it, it makes it easier for presents as well since you can just keep adding.
We have the first one and my son is only 17 months so it isn't happening for him. But, my husband and I like to time each other and see who can do it faster, of which I am the reigning champion. He says I practice all day.
ha! watch it go missing, and he'll have taken it to work to practice while you're not looking 🙂
love this!! thank you so much!
Melissa and Doug puzzles are the best. Both my boys like the wooden ones, and my daughter is just now starting to get into taking the pieces out. We started buying wooden trucks for the boys since they play quite rough with everything. I have found some great ones off etsy. Kind of had sticker shock at first, but they last!!
I love this post! Thank you!
just ordered that melissa & doug puzzle for my nephew (the vehicle one…as he is obsessed with all things trucks and cars). thanks for the rec! oh goodness, combing through the amazon reviews can give you a headache. i remember doing that when i was registering for my baby shower. word-of-mouth is so much better. i'm with you on that!
Love the recommendations!
My just-turned-three-year-old was way into these reusable stickers: http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Vehicles-Habitats-Reusable/dp/B00DEFBTGC/ref=pd_sim_t_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=07EW1HJEJC8PBYWDS690
I kid you not, he played with them daily for almost 5 months, and now he asks to play with them about once a week (we did have to buy a replacement set around 4 months, but I was impressed that they lasted that long!). I like that it's something he can play with independently (although to be honest, I really like playing with them, too!) and that he uses his imagination while playing with them. It also kind of adapts with him as his interests change – when he first got it, he loved Finding Nemo so the ocean scene was his favorite. Then trains, then the farm, and now the construction site.
The current toy he plays with on a daily basis now (sometimes up to two hours on and off throughout the day!) is this sand from Brookstone: http://www.brookstone.com/kinetic-sand-by-brookstone
I dump it into a aluminum 9×13 pan, and he goes to town with his tractors, bulldozers, and dump trucks. Really easy cleanup, and another great one for the imagination.
Great picks. My son is going on 5 now, but at that age (and still now)… Magna-tiles. They are the best. He builds houses and garages for his matchbox cars, castles for his knights, etc. They're not cheap, but they're great and will keep them engaged for a long time. Legos also go without saying. And every boy should have a nice big dump truck that they can push around the house and carry things in the back.