Toddler and Preschool Gift Ideas
I am a huge fan of simple toys. Kids really do not need all the bells and whistles! Parent's often ask me what toys they should buy their children to help with their speech and language skills, and usually I do not suggest specific toys because you can work on speech and language skills with a toilet paper roll or a stick from your yard. However, Christmas is fast approaching and I thought I would share some of my favorite children's toys along with a few ways I use these toys in therapy. It may not seem mind-blowing, because like I said, I like simple toys, but here goes nothing!
Mr. Potato Head:
This is the one I have!
This guy is my unofficial mascot. I have song I sing to go along with him, and it is rather infamous. I learned it from my internship supervisor in graduate school. I start off with just the potato, no parts. The lyrics go:
"Here we go walking, walking, walking. Here we go walking...UH OH! We forgot his SHOES!"
I continue to sing the song for each body part/clothing item. Depending on a child's level I use this to target different things. This is great to work on foundational communication skills like turn taking and joint attention or higher level skills like colors, size, and using sentences to request. Maybe some day I will make a video with this song...maybe.
Sticker Books:
Melissa and Doug Sticker Books
I love using these books to teach vocabulary, because they have so many different scenes. Children can request specific stickers, sort by categories, talk about location (on, above, beside). You can even use this to practice giving and follow directions by taking turns saying where to put the stickers. I have seen children who NEVER sit still play with these for 30 minutes straight and cry when it's time to clean up. I'm telling you, skip the unicorn that poops $50 slime and give your child a $5 sticker book.
Blocks:
B Blocks
These blocks are super fun, because they squeak. I love using them for working with young children who are not interacting well, because a quick squeak by your face brings their attention back instantly! I usually keep these blocks in a box that is hard to open to practice requesting. It is a good time to work on the signs "more" and "open". For children who are just learning to talk I build the blocks up while saying "up up up" and and then "down!" while knocking them over. For older children, they are useful to practice learning the colors, animals, or numbers on the blocks. To practice location words, try incorporating some other toys like a car that can drive over/under a a bridge built with the blocks.
Bubbles:
Giant Bubble Wands
If I could choose just one item to bring with me for a whole day of therapy it would be bubbles. The first consonant sounds children develop are p, b, m, t, d, n. Children's first words are most likely to contain these sounds, and with bubbles the possibilities are endless: pop, bubble, more, touch, down, oh on....That is just a start! For older toddlers, try working on size (big/little bubbles) or quantity (count the bubbles or practice concepts like many/few). I have even used these to practice location words by blowing them under the table, on the door, over your head, etc.
Books:
Am I really a speech language pathologist if I don't include books? I am going to link to some of my favorite books that (sometimes) work for even kids who don't like books!
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
This book is great for practicing "where" questions, colors, descriptive concepts, etc. It is a riveting mystery that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Where IS that green sheep?
Poke A Dot books
I actually don't have any of these, but they are all the rage in early intervention right now. They have little dots that make a popping sound on each page. They are a good thing to try for children who are not interested in books because they are very interactive.
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Flap books are another great choice for kids who are not as interested in books because they are more interactive. They are also great for answering questions like "where was that monkey hiding?" or "who do you think is in the box?"
Splat the Cat books
These are cute books for children who are a little older. Ask questions while reading to work on comprehension. Try including some predictive questions like "what do you think will happen next?" to work on inferencing and critical thinking skills. Books are also a great way for kids to learn how to process their emotions and learn how to perceive emotions in other people. Really spend some time talking about how the characters may feel and why they are acting in certain ways.
Wordless Picture Books
I LOVE this book. I actually don't have it, but I used to borrow it from one of my co-workers (thanks, Elizabeth). It is a great book to work on creativity and narrative storytelling with older children. If your child is working on any grammatical concepts like verb tense, try having them tell it in different tenses.
So there you have it.. I hope this list has given you some good ideas that don't cost an arm and a leg. Merry Christmas from Play to Learn!
Mr. Potato Head:
This is the one I have!
This guy is my unofficial mascot. I have song I sing to go along with him, and it is rather infamous. I learned it from my internship supervisor in graduate school. I start off with just the potato, no parts. The lyrics go:
"Here we go walking, walking, walking. Here we go walking...UH OH! We forgot his SHOES!"
I continue to sing the song for each body part/clothing item. Depending on a child's level I use this to target different things. This is great to work on foundational communication skills like turn taking and joint attention or higher level skills like colors, size, and using sentences to request. Maybe some day I will make a video with this song...maybe.
Sticker Books:
Melissa and Doug Sticker Books
I love using these books to teach vocabulary, because they have so many different scenes. Children can request specific stickers, sort by categories, talk about location (on, above, beside). You can even use this to practice giving and follow directions by taking turns saying where to put the stickers. I have seen children who NEVER sit still play with these for 30 minutes straight and cry when it's time to clean up. I'm telling you, skip the unicorn that poops $50 slime and give your child a $5 sticker book.
Blocks:
B Blocks
These blocks are super fun, because they squeak. I love using them for working with young children who are not interacting well, because a quick squeak by your face brings their attention back instantly! I usually keep these blocks in a box that is hard to open to practice requesting. It is a good time to work on the signs "more" and "open". For children who are just learning to talk I build the blocks up while saying "up up up" and and then "down!" while knocking them over. For older children, they are useful to practice learning the colors, animals, or numbers on the blocks. To practice location words, try incorporating some other toys like a car that can drive over/under a a bridge built with the blocks.
Bubbles:
Giant Bubble Wands
If I could choose just one item to bring with me for a whole day of therapy it would be bubbles. The first consonant sounds children develop are p, b, m, t, d, n. Children's first words are most likely to contain these sounds, and with bubbles the possibilities are endless: pop, bubble, more, touch, down, oh on....That is just a start! For older toddlers, try working on size (big/little bubbles) or quantity (count the bubbles or practice concepts like many/few). I have even used these to practice location words by blowing them under the table, on the door, over your head, etc.
Books:
Am I really a speech language pathologist if I don't include books? I am going to link to some of my favorite books that (sometimes) work for even kids who don't like books!
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
This book is great for practicing "where" questions, colors, descriptive concepts, etc. It is a riveting mystery that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Where IS that green sheep?
Poke A Dot books
I actually don't have any of these, but they are all the rage in early intervention right now. They have little dots that make a popping sound on each page. They are a good thing to try for children who are not interested in books because they are very interactive.
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Flap books are another great choice for kids who are not as interested in books because they are more interactive. They are also great for answering questions like "where was that monkey hiding?" or "who do you think is in the box?"
Splat the Cat books
These are cute books for children who are a little older. Ask questions while reading to work on comprehension. Try including some predictive questions like "what do you think will happen next?" to work on inferencing and critical thinking skills. Books are also a great way for kids to learn how to process their emotions and learn how to perceive emotions in other people. Really spend some time talking about how the characters may feel and why they are acting in certain ways.
Wordless Picture Books
I LOVE this book. I actually don't have it, but I used to borrow it from one of my co-workers (thanks, Elizabeth). It is a great book to work on creativity and narrative storytelling with older children. If your child is working on any grammatical concepts like verb tense, try having them tell it in different tenses.
So there you have it.. I hope this list has given you some good ideas that don't cost an arm and a leg. Merry Christmas from Play to Learn!
What a great Christmas list! I love that none of your recommendations are TV or movie character related. Not that those are bad, but I love a good old fashioned toy for learning without complicating it with a TV show. Great job Courtney!
ReplyDeleteMem Fox books are the best! And bubbles are extra fun outdoors in the evening when the sun is setting! Lots of fun suggestions here!
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