M's Presents Are Here! (An Educational Shopping Guide)



Yay for presents!

 I've been working on M's Christmas list since she was about a week old. This comes from my addiction to online shopping and my love of Amazon wish lists. The list has changed many times. I've added, deleted, and added over again. Finally I felt I had my final draft and could go ahead and purchase. Just to let you in on how crazy I am. I have her first birthday, second Christmas, and second birthday lists started. I love to online shop.

I admit I went a little overboard on her. I hear all the time that she won't remember, and I get that. For me I feel like she needs these things. It comes from me being a teacher of the creative curriculum. Learning is play. That's the focal point. I believe that. They aren't just toys. They are tools for her to learn. I wouldn't go so crazy if it weren't that her last day of school is January 6th and she will be home with me. So I compiled a list of what M has under the tree this year. The captions are links if you find yourself needing this for you munchkin.

Alex Jr. Pop Beads

Pop beads are great for building fine motor skills. Older kids love making jewelry for you to wear. This really is a toy that will last awhile. Babies may need help at first, but once they get it you'll be wearing a pop bead necklace daily.



Melissa & Doug Fill and Spill Fish Bowl



This is a great toy for babies to fill and dump. This could fall under gross motor and fine motor skills. Fill the fish bowl with water for sensory play!



Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Boppin' Activity Bugs

 These toys are great for learning cause and effect. They also work on fine motor skills by manipulating the nobs to work. There is a pull, push, and twist nob.

Wonderworld Peek-A-Boo Ball

I love this ball! It's great for gross motor development. This toy is great for babies starting to work on crawling. Encourage them to crawl by chasing after this cute thing. You can also roll, toss, and kick for older babies and kids.


Plaskool Explore And Grow Tumble N' Twirl

 
A great toy for many reasons! Learn cause and effect when you push and watch the balls go around. Work of gross motor skills by pushing down on the button. This toy has a little extra too. You can slide the front window open to watch the balls shoot out. This encourages babies to crawl or walk to get to them. Continuing with the gross motor theme by having to load the balls back into the toy.

Sassy Letter Links


There are so many great uses for these. Work on fine motor by linking together. Go over letter shapes for literacy. You can also use these as stencils for older children, which would be literacy and fine motor. Babies love moving there body with these! They are also great for teething.

Lamaze Musical Inch Worm

I love this little guy. M loves stuffed animals so I thought she would enjoy this toy. It has textures and a tag. If you haven't noticed tags are the cats pajamas to babies. There are also different sounds like crinkle, squeak, and jingle. If you press down on the head it plays If You're Happy and You Know it. The link has some really cute owner images!

The Muppets Green Album

I love The Muppets! I hope at some point M does too. When I heard about the Green Album I knew she had to have it. It has classic Muppet songs covered by really good bands. When it comes to music I think everyone knows about the benefits.

Eebee's Adventure Playmat and Activity House

I am way too excited about this toy. You can see by the picture all that it can do. This really is a toy that will go a long way. Use the mat for tummy time while babies explore the activities. Make it a wall for you sitter or a tunnel for your crawler. You can also make it into a playhouse or a quiet reading area to relax.

Eebee DVDs

I got three Eebee DVDs in a pack. I love these because they are activities that you do along with your baby. It's not just a movie to watch. I can't wait to do these with M. They are 6+ months.

Eebee Doll

There is no real educational value to this toy. M loves stuffed animals and I figure when she is older she would love to have a doll from the movies and playhouse. It was a good deal so I thought what's one more thing.

I hope this may help some of the shopping woes this season. Toys are such a great way for little ones to learn and explore. Some may have no value, but many can do wonders!