View Full Version : Toys: Current favourites
mumofone
04-08-2016, 08:40 AM
What toys are popular with your mindees in general now or activities?
Well, no mindees now, but my last four year old would have played with the trains/train track all day every day if I let him and my three year old boy would have played with the Batman cave and accessories.
My 7 year old is into make believe with all of her cuddly cats or making things with craft stuff.
I've just bought a fabulous CD for her - times tables rock tunes! Being rock tunes, it is less sickly than the usual number CDs and she has had it on constantly - result! She is choreographing a show for us all to watch later in the week. Obviously too old for EYFS mindees but brill for older ones. Out of curiosity, do you still have your erm, cheeky 6 year old mindee mumofone? How's she getting on?
mumofone
04-08-2016, 09:05 AM
Well, no mindees now, but my last four year old would have played with the trains/train track all day every day if I let him and my three year old boy would have played with the Batman cave and accessories. My 7 year old is into make believe with all of her cuddly cats or making things with craft stuff. I've just bought a fabulous CD for her - times tables rock tunes! Being rock tunes, it is less sickly than the usual number CDs and she has had it on constantly - result! She is choreographing a show for us all to watch later in the week. Obviously too old for EYFS mindees but brill for older ones. Out of curiosity, do you still have your erm, cheeky 6 year old mindee mumofone? How's she getting on?
Thanks maza, Haha they were with me just over a year, I've recently swapped from a mixture of after schoolers and babies to just babies (well eyfs) and it's Sooo much better - financially and generally. I'm still helping parents out with odd favours here and there but jeez were they seriously hard work!!
loocyloo
04-08-2016, 02:28 PM
With today's older mindees ... junk modelling! I save it up and then watch it going to someone else's home to be 'treasured' ! ;-)
My LOs all love 'tea parties' and 'nicnics' with all the tea sets/playfood/heuristic bits. Sometimes with added dressing up and babies in buggies.
Duplo is also a great favourite currently.
Biggest favourite outside (or in!) is water in any shape or form :-)
BallyH
04-08-2016, 09:05 PM
My preschools love playing 'puppies'. Lots of crawling about and stroking the puppies heads. Plus 'action figures' which is a big box of all supermen, batmen and power ranger and such like figures that I collected when my boys were little. Plus the teaset in the garden filled with very weak juice (only time they get it) to encourage them to drink during the hot weather plus practise independent skills.
FloraDora
04-08-2016, 09:41 PM
Not just one thing really - Indoors -2x3year old+1x 4 yearold or 1x 3& 1x4 - imaginative play, incorporating anything that is around and imagining it is something different, pretending and making up stories in role play, going on holiday is the favourite for both groups,the 3 year old is the link child. It involves packing a box/ bag/ basket depending on what they can find, and sitting on the stairs/ at the bottom of the hall/ on the sofa....then arriving...at 'Portugal/ Caesar park/ Cornwall/ France' and going to the beach/ bed/ eating meals.....usual role play around their own experiences...then depending on which 4 year old is there....fairies / dinosaurs / trolls / pirates come into the play. Sometimes they go to Iceland which involves putting on their coats and spare hats and gloves and sliding all over the kitchen floor until a monster chases them. If one 3 year old is allowed to lead they go to Bethlehem..on a plane..with babies tucked up their dress...then they look after baby Jesus and his friends...baby play focus with a twist..she was fascinated by the Mary Joseph story last December and still continues!
Anything small world..dinosaurs,fairies,Safari,farm,under the sea, gardens, playground, cold places etc....
Cars, small and playmobil larger.
Outdoors, gardening and as Loocyloo says water - watering plants then anything, water table/ painting with water/ water wall type play.....they also love water science play indoors - all ages.
Kitchen - out or in and food has been my biggest investment but is played with everyday too.
Craft boxes - for collage.
Home made playdoh.
blue bear
05-08-2016, 07:05 AM
Fire engines and anything related for one little boy. Mud, shaving foam, hose. Pipe.... Anything messy/sensory for the other two. Along with cars, story bags and Lego.
mumofone
05-08-2016, 08:15 AM
My son is currently obsessed with plugs! Any ideas of a toy that might satisfy his fascination with them?
Mumofone- could you make from a cardboard box some sort of role play item he might like but add a real plug and make holes in it so he he can plug it in?
Not sure how old he is? How about kidi k'nex? They are sort of plug like in the way they construct?
Or using some sort of sticks in gloop (cornflour and water mix) would give that sort of feel of pushing in and pulling out.
mumofone
05-08-2016, 03:07 PM
Mumofone- could you make from a cardboard box some sort of role play item he might like but add a real plug and make holes in it so he he can plug it in? Not sure how old he is? How about kidi k'nex? They are sort of plug like in the way they construct? Or using some sort of sticks in gloop (cornflour and water mix) would give that sort of feel of pushing in and pulling out.
Ooh what's kids k'nex?
It's the younger version of k'nex so pieces are larger- wasn't sure what age your son was but presuming under 5? Mine love it - it's quite expensive and I have 2 small sets I found in charity shops.
Sticklebricks?
Do you think it is just plugs or could it be part of a schema - posting, or connecting?
Does he try and actually fit the plug into the socket or just try and put his fingers in the socket?
blue bear
05-08-2016, 07:47 PM
K'NEX User Group - Kid K'NEX Classroom set (http://www.knexusergroup.org.uk/acatalog/info_K78690.html?region=uk&gclid=CNTt7qCFq84CFYIW0wodikUHcw)
FloraDora
05-08-2016, 09:18 PM
K'NEX User Group - Kid K'NEX Classroom set (http://www.knexusergroup.org.uk/acatalog/info_K78690.html?region=uk&gclid=CNTt7qCFq84CFYIW0wodikUHcw)
I have these too- very popular and easy to follow pictures that are the actual size of the pieces helps....plus the long parts lend themselves to so many other creations .....and roles.
mumofone
06-08-2016, 07:27 PM
Sticklebricks? Do you think it is just plugs or could it be part of a schema - posting, or connecting? Does he try and actually fit the plug into the socket or just try and put his fingers in the socket?
I just got some sticklebricks which he likes but I don't think it's technical enough for him. He likes Duplo technic which i have some of. Maybe I just need more of that. He likes actually plugging the plug in the socket. He plugged a phone charger in today then asked me for my phone (o don't understand so he took it out my pocket) and put the charger end in to my Phone. I thought that was quite clever?! He's 2.2...
mumofone
06-08-2016, 07:28 PM
It's the younger version of k'nex so pieces are larger- wasn't sure what age your son was but presuming under 5? Mine love it - it's quite expensive and I have 2 small sets I found in charity shops.
Yeh he's 2 sam, ok cool I need to look into this :-) x
Aw that's cute that he wanted to plug your phone in!