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#21
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
Gia, I'm the mom of three, and I think you need to redefine what you
mean by "teach". My experience with kids toys is that the basics are best. By that I mean the tried and true. Blocks, books, stacking cups, dolls, toy kitchen stuff, play houses, toy cars, a wagon, balls, dress up - the stuff kids have been playing with for generations. Best investment you can make is those basic items - the electronic stuff has very limited play value. You want kids to engage in imaginative play, in testing out the world and their bodies. That's what they learn from. When each of our kids was that age, their most favourite books were word books, that were full of interesting pictures - when we read to them, we'd be having fun pointing things out (where's the ducky? Where's the red ball?) Here is a sample of one we had that was a huge hit for years with the kids http://www.amazon.com/First-Thousand.../dp/0794502822 (it also comes in a pile of other languages if you are a bilingual household or want to introduce another language - they even have a Hebrew version). Enduring hits in our house were plastic kitchen items (plates, pots, tea sets) and toy food, a toy grocery cart and cash register. Toy kitchen, toy washing machines (all made of tough plastic). These things provided YEARS of play - they played house, they played store, they played restaurant, they played picnic, they used them for everything you can think of. We have a Little Tykes plastic play house in the basement, and it gets used for all kinds of things as well. We have a neighbour with two small girls, and when the second was born I gave their two year old a plastic picnic set that included some play food, and the parents both sought us out later to thank us - they were blown away by how much their daughter LOVED pretending to serve tea, or make dinner. We have a huge supply of both foam and wooden blocks - the kids are now 8, 12 and 15 and they still play with them (mazes for the guinea pig, cities, etc. etc.) Or they just pile them all up into huge towers and knock them down. A rocking horse got used a lot as did the plastic wagon, ride-em toys. Dollhouses were beloved in various forms (including by the boys when they were smaller). Dolls, carriages, doll beds, much loved - my oldest son (the one who is now 15) had a doll he called Baby Susie he liked to push around in her carriage when he was your child's age. Plastic vehicles like Little Tykes fire engines etc. provided tons of fun. Think about learning in broader terms. M |
#22
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
"Gia" wrote in message ps.com... I am trying to find a good educational toy for a 2-year-old girl. Ideally, it would help with the numbers, letters, and shapes in a fun, interactive way. You've already got one. It's called your computer keyboard. #1 learnt all her letters (upper and lower case) by typing on it at 24 months into Word. Now buy her the pretend kitchen. Debbie (Having said what I wish, though, my child has recently become very interested in pretend-cooking, so the thought of a play kitchen crossed my mind. This is not as educational as I'd like it to be, but it's a possibility.) In any case, please suggest good toys that will entartain, but also teach a curious 25-month-old. Gia |
#23
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
In article . com,
"-L." wrote: I totally agree with everything you've posted. I don't know anyone who gives their child only "old fashioned" open-ended play toys.If they did, I'd feel sorry for their kid because he's missing out on some really fun toys. [...] Right now his favorite toys are his Hot Wheels and his guitar (a real guitar) but in the past it was his LeapFrog bus or his V-Tech barn which teaches colors, numbers, animals and their sounds. They all have value. I've just Googled LeapFrog bus. I can get a book that has all the good features of this bus without the loud annoying voices. Can't find much on the V-Tech barn. It's a talking shape sorter, right? Well, I'd prefer one that keeps its thoughts to itself. So no, IMO the electronics don't add value at all. We do have some Toys That Beep And Flash, but not many. Of the few we have, this is my favourite: http://www.babywizards.com/mumigoro1.html It plays a jazz tune in pleasant tones, and entertains DS2 when he is stuck in his cot while DH is ironing. In general, I prefer toys that aren't made of hard shiny plastic (coloured by experience of a Bad Daycare where every toy looked the same after a while). I like the fabric Lamaze toys, for example. And yep, we have wooden Thomas stuff. DH and I both have a Thing about Pretend Computers. DS1 and DS2 use our computers under supervision. And they do watch TV :-) Not sure whether you'd be sorry for our kids or not, but either way, we really don't need any more toys! -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled." Kerry Cue |
#24
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
"Chookie" wrote in message ... In article . com, "-L." wrote: I totally agree with everything you've posted. I don't know anyone who gives their child only "old fashioned" open-ended play toys.If they did, I'd feel sorry for their kid because he's missing out on some really fun toys. [...] Right now his favorite toys are his Hot Wheels and his guitar (a real guitar) but in the past it was his LeapFrog bus or his V-Tech barn which teaches colors, numbers, animals and their sounds. They all have value. I've just Googled LeapFrog bus. I can get a book that has all the good features of this bus without the loud annoying voices. You can say the same thing the other way around. I didn't find the sounds loud and annoying. DS didn't like books. If you suggest I force the books, I'd say that's a great way to make him hate books. He likes them now, when he's finally ready for them. Children should be allowed to learn the way they want. That is the way they learn best. If a child is into electronic learning toys, go for it. Not all children are into that. Forcing electronic learning toys is no better than forcing any other toys. Can't find much on the V-Tech barn. It's a talking shape sorter, right? Well, I'd prefer one that keeps its thoughts to itself. So no, IMO the electronics don't add value at all. She didn't say they add value. She said they have value. |
#25
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
"toypup" wrote in message ... Children should be allowed to learn the way they want. That is the way they learn best. I so agree with that. My daughter wasn't that great at reading, until her 2nd grade teacher introduced the kids to the "Just" books - "Just Kidding", "Just Disgusting" etc. She loved them so much she wanted her own, and we haven't looked back, she's now a really excellent reader. Jen |
#26
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
Chookie wrote: I've just Googled LeapFrog bus. I can get a book that has all the good features of this bus without the loud annoying voices. No you can't. http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-10170...toys-and-games It has little frogs that come out for independent play, tells letter names, sounds, and words that begin with that letter, sings the ABC song and teaches the sounds of three different instruments. J can play with it by himself, and it taught him sounds at age 18 mos. No book can do that through independant play. Furthermore, there isn't anything annoying about this particular toy. We do have toys that are annoying, but this isn't one of them. Can't find much on the V-Tech barn. It's a talking shape sorter, right? No. http://www.vtechkids.com/product_page.cfm?productId=98 Well, I'd prefer one that keeps its thoughts to itself. You're incredibly short sighted. So no, IMO the electronics don't add value at all. Once again, incredibly short sighted. We do have some Toys That Beep And Flash, but not many. Of the few we have, this is my favourite: http://www.babywizards.com/mumigoro1.html It plays a jazz tune in pleasant tones, and entertains DS2 when he is stuck in his cot while DH is ironing. In general, I prefer toys that aren't made of hard shiny plastic (coloured by experience of a Bad Daycare where every toy looked the same after a while). I like the fabric Lamaze toys, for example. And yep, we have wooden Thomas stuff. DH and I both have a Thing about Pretend Computers. DS1 and DS2 use our computers under supervision. And they do watch TV :-) shrug DS's laptop isn't supposed to be a substitute for his computer. It is something he plays with independently. Not sure whether you'd be sorry for our kids or not, but either way, we really don't need any more toys! Kids who don't get such advantages many times get left behind. Not all, some. -L. |
#27
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
toypup wrote: You can say the same thing the other way around. I didn't find the sounds loud and annoying. We have a cookie monster pull toy that drives me insane, but mainly because it goes off by itself in the middle of the night. We also have a V-tech vibrating giggle ball that is annoying, but J loved it when he was a crawler. DS didn't like books. If you suggest I force the books, I'd say that's a great way to make him hate books. He likes them now, when he's finally ready for them. Children should be allowed to learn the way they want. That is the way they learn best. If a child is into electronic learning toys, go for it. Not all children are into that. Forcing electronic learning toys is no better than forcing any other toys. Agreed. It's a matter of exposure. You expose them to different things and see what they have an affinity for. I would never have consciously bought hotwheels, but DS saw them, wanted them, loved them and so is hooked. We play all sorts of games with them from sorting them by color to balancing them on things and lining them up in different spacial configurations, and just playing with them like cars. I have purchased toys that he didn't really like at first but 6 or 9 months later, he thought they were great. I just try to buy things that I think have potential to help him grow in in some way, or that I think he will have fun with, or that he has a natural affinity for*. I'd hate to think of his life if all he was exposed to were his books. snip So no, IMO the electronics don't add value at all. She didn't say they add value. She said they have value. Correctomundo. -L. (* J saw a guitar on a DVD we have and all he could talk about was the "a-uitar" so we bought him a student guitar and he loves it. Had it been up to me, he probably wouldn't have had such an item until age 6 or 7, at least. But he wanted it loves it and is learning from it. I wouldn't feel any differently if it was an electronic toy or a wooden train or anything else. They all have the potential to teach and none is superior to others in terms of learning potential, AFAIC.) |
#28
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
Gia wrote: My husband was considering a toddler laptop, but I didn't see one that I liked yesterday at the store. Gia J's laptop is a Spiderman version - the only thing we don't like about it is the fact that the screen is so small. Other than that, it has many letter and word games to play and will grow with the child. J will be 3 in January and he likes to take it in the car with him. It's light enough that he can carry it by himself and he knows what buttons to push. It's also sturdy enough that he can bang on it without harm. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000FO1EZQ -L. |
#29
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
Gia wrote: Thank you for the suggestions! I might go with the play kitchen. They have a number of choices at the local Toys R Us. Somehow, I wanted to escape the stereotype of girls cooking, I guess. I wouldn't worry about that. My nephew had a toy dyson which he loved and my ds (who is nearly 17 mths) will mostly likely get a kitchen when he is two. I want him to learn about cooking so he can do it for us when he is older . To add to the educational debate - my sister and I were very envious of my cousins Speak and Spell when we were younger. On the other hand we created a very good Abba tribute band using a broom handle, large margarine tub, some drawn on card keyboards and hairbrush mike. Jeni |
#30
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Toys again: for 2-year-old
deja.blues wrote: It's curious to me that I have trouble remembering what my kids played with at age two. The only thing that they really enjoyed and played with for a long time, was a good value for the money, and I didn't end up donating or throwing away, was Duplo. All Hail Duplo! (and Lego) Well, I'll just list some of my 2 yo dd's current favorite toys - things that she either plays with for 20 minutes to an hour on a regular basis, or on and off almost every day: Playdoh with accessories paint w/ easel (in an area without nice flooring) Little People - the dollhouse is her favorite Baby dolls (with accessories) play kitchen (with food, pots, pans and dishes) Secondary toys: blocks - Megabloks or Duplo books toy train set cash register balls I'm probably missing some things, and of course, she also plays with her older brother's stuff, too. Irene |
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