Top five ?

**Jods** · 07-06-2011, 02:21 PM

I am starting to look at what resources I need/want for CM at home, I work in a pre-school (which I gave all my old toys to doh!!) and I know what works there toys/resouces wise (ones like not liked), but am interested in what you feel are the best or worse so..........................

please

what would be your best top 5?

and what would be your worst top 5?

xxxx

**gigglinggoblin** · 07-06-2011, 02:38 PM

stuff that we use the most:

garage & cars

painting / drawing stuff

building blocks

play food & kitchen

bob the builder toys

train track

I have all boys!

**suzyblue** · 07-06-2011, 02:54 PM

My top five would be....

Loads of duplo
Loads of wooden train track and trains
Loads of card and garage
Cooking and kitchen
Cozy coupe cars (ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN ONE!)

**Kes** · 07-06-2011, 02:58 PM

1. Cars, cars and more cars
2. Toy kitchen
3. Doll Pushchairs
4. Dinosaurs
5. Swing.

**Kes** · 07-06-2011, 03:05 PM

Forgot to do worse 5.

1. Stickle bricks
2. Wooden farm set. The kids can't put them together and when I build it they just destroy it again.
3. glitter. Kids love it but you just can't clean it up.
4. scooter. Kids love it but they seem to only ride it for 2 mins then get bored and I end up carrying it on school run.

Can't think of a 5th right now.

**gigglinggoblin** · 07-06-2011, 03:16 PM

I would also say that good quality second hand toys are much better than cheap new ones. You will probably pay less for the quality ones and they will last longer. The garage we have cost £2 and looks like something we had in the 80s. The new one I bought a few years ago for £15 broke long ago!

**blue bear** · 07-06-2011, 03:33 PM

5 best

Art area
Dolls
Book corner
Kitchen
Slide/ sea saw

As per my 4 and 7 year old

**miffy** · 07-06-2011, 04:46 PM

Kitchen and play food

Dressing up clothes

Dolls/cots/buggies

Paint and craft stuff

Play tents

Miffy xx

**loocyloo** · 07-06-2011, 06:01 PM

think everyone has covered top 5! (or 10

)

worse 5 for me would be loads of board games! we only tend to play snakes & ladders, some orchard toys games and then the MB games like guess who, frustration, connect 4 etc that have been around for ages. but i have lots more games that get played once in a bluemoon

another toy that rarely gets played with is the playmobil, mainly because of all the little pieces! i do get it out for the older ones, but recently the children were more interested in lego!

can't think of anything else!

**Milli147** · 07-06-2011, 06:27 PM

I think biggest waste of money toys are the specific educational toys like counting cookies and compare bears. Expensive, and nothing you can't make or get for free with a little imagination (fir cones spring to mind) My mindees do like both the aforementioned but not for the purposes I bought them for!

**sarah707** · 07-06-2011, 07:45 PM

Our current favourites include...

Lego

Train tracks

Cars and more cars

Building blocks -small inside and big outside

Musical instruments

Paper and crayons / pencils / felt tips etc

The older children also enjoy making tea parties, dancing to different types of music and reading books.

Waste of money include...

Stickle bricks

books to go with toys - they just get thrown aside

I have 6 boys under 6 and 2 older girls

**auntym** · 07-06-2011, 08:06 PM

Cars and garage are top for boys and girls. Lego of sorts. Kitchen play stuff. Play dough and arty stuff. Trains and tracks . The worst I find are glitter top 3 lol. Books with toys as mentioned. Barbies they always end up naked and a, mess

**auntym** · 07-06-2011, 08:08 PM

Oh I have two boys and a girl under 4

**SandCastles** · 07-06-2011, 08:20 PM

My top 5 are

Trains and track (wooden ones)
Cars (chunky for lo and hot wheels for older children) and garage /ramps
Barbie with all her accessories & Baby Born with all her accessories
Aquadraw
Mega bloks - I have lots of different sets for boys and girls

Worse 5 are

StickleBricks
Jigsaws (multi puzzles in a box)
Glitter
Build your own models with plastic nuts and bolts
Shake a maker plaster of paris models to paint.

**The Juggler** · 07-06-2011, 10:04 PM

toy kitchen/home corner (buggies, dolls etc)

sandpit

selection of construction

selection of smallworld sets

paint/playdoh glue for rotation

**mumto3** · 07-06-2011, 10:50 PM

This is interesting reading, as i have 3 of my own children of a range of ages i have all the top toys that were mentioned which makes me feel hopeful about the toys i could provide straight away

For babies i love treasure baskets and home made sensory bottles

I love story sacks

Theres a website but cant remember the name of it where u can buy recycled items and odds and ends like bottle tops, buttons, different shaped tubes, washing machine pipes, washers, nuts and bolts, everything. It was great esp the large stuff for the garden, kids love it

I also like lightboxes, expensive but worth it

**BlondeMoment** · 07-06-2011, 11:36 PM

Well I couldn't agree more with everyone's top 5.

Worst 5 would have to be:

Puppets - I spent loads on some ethnically diverse ones and the kids just don't play with them. They weren't even interested when they were brand new.

Hamma beads - they just go everywhere and babies can swallow them

Swords / light sabers / weapons of any kind - Just a nightmare

Teddies - One or two may be so they can attend a pic nic or be fed after play cooking but they're not really played with - more of a bedtime thing so no good for amusing kids during the day

err... can't think of a 5th. husband just came home drunk and has passed out hiccupping on the sofa LOL (we both on a week off)

**AliceK** · 08-06-2011, 10:01 AM

Why does everyone think stickle bricks are a waste of time?
We only have a very limited number of them (the rest have been lost over the years) and my own 2 children and the older mindees just love them. I have been trying to search for some more to buy and can't seem to find them anymore.

Agree with everyone's top 5 though

xxx

**mumto3** · 08-06-2011, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by AliceK

Why does everyone think stickle bricks are a waste of time?
We only have a very limited number of them (the rest have been lost over the years) and my own 2 children and the older mindees just love them. I have been trying to search for some more to buy and can't seem to find them anymore.

Agree with everyone's top 5 though

xxx

Ebay sell lots of stickle bricks