MOSAIC Holiday Gift Guide Part I
A MOSAIC holiday gift guide just in time!!! We hear you!! All of us get pulled into the Amazon or Google toy search and frequently we buy on impulse or because the toy looks “good,” especially for ages 1-3. We tend to recommend that parents go back to simpler times and maximize development by setting up the following toys on the carpet/rug or bathtub and let the play take form.
Holiday Gift Guide for Ages 1-3
- Balls
- Musical instruments
- Race track/cars/trains/trucks
- Stuffed animal/baby doll
- Wood toys – pull aparts/shape sorting/banging toys
- Books – hard back/thick pages for turning (board books)
- Bath toys
- Bubble makers
At ages 3-5 years kids get more into the pretend play realm. Once again, keep it simple. Start using a toy organization system so the kiddos can pull out preferred toys and then put them away. Too many toys laying around is not particularly successful in getting kids to seek out their interests.
Gifts for Ages 3-5
- Cooking/baking/kitchens
- Tool shop
- Construction sets
- Cleaning house items
- Familiar character toys
- Dress up boxes
Really any grown-up or adult job or activity works for pretend play because they want to be like us!!
- Any interest – dinosaurs, animals, mermaids, dollhouse
- Lincoln logs/stacking games
- Puzzles
In general, 1-3 year old children are best at exploring and learning different ways to play with both familiar and new items. As they grow into 3-5 years of age they want to be completing something and specific interests and goals emerge as stories take shape in their imaginations. Above all, remember that the purpose of toys is to support growth and development including imagination, creativity, movement, and socialization. Therefore, if a toy is too busy, too fancy, too easy, too “educational” it is likely not a great fit for development. And don’t forget that you, the parent, are the most important part of play!!!
In addition, use our MOSAIC holiday gift guide and support two LOCAL toy shops this holiday season: