We live in a time when there are entire stores devoted to developmental toys for our toddlers. You can easily spend several hundred dollars on picking up books, videos, developmental toys and interactive games that are produced for children. What kind of parents are we if we do not provide our babies with absolutely everything that has been developed to promote our toddler’s well being?
Let’s be honest, though – spending all that money may be great, but you can provide your toddler with a number of developmental tools right there in your own home. Looking to stimulate your toddler’s developing mind without over stimulating your wallet? Here are some suggestions to help you find good developmental items right in your own house:
- Mixing Bowls – Stainless steel bowls are great toys for your toddler. They are shiny and reflective, they are great for banging and they can make a lot of noise when they rattle them around on the floor – add a wooden spoon into the mix and they have a makeshift set of drums and stacking toys
- Sheets of Paper – A single sheet of paper can be a lot of fun for the toddler – they can flap it around, tear it up and for older toddlers, they can color it with a pen or crayons – these are great ways for them to develop their dexterity
- Got an Old Computer Keyboard? Set it down on the floor and let them bang on the keys so they can make clacking sounds – be sure that the loose cable is either detached or taped down on the back of the keyboard
- Piano keyboards – You can get a relatively cheap one for under 10 dollars or if you already have one, let them play on your piano at home – they will enjoy hitting the keys and listening to the music – practice regularly and you may discover that your little one has an ear for music
- Balls – these are the quintessential toddler toys because they roll, they bounce and they are fun – balls come in a variety of sizes from rubber balls, golf balls, basket balls and even balance balls. My nephew loves my child’s balance ball that we have for my five year old, he loves to push it along the floor and roll it along – you can also play catch with them
- Empty Plastic Bottles – We recycle and both my husband and I drink a lot of bottled water when we are away from home – the empty plastic bottles are fun to manipulate with their little hands. They can roll them around, knock them down and with a few empty bottles and a ball, they can play silly six pens
What are some of your favorite household developmental toys you have for your toddler?
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