Starting CM - what toys/activities

[gemma659353]

I'm starting as a CM what sort of toys/activities would you recommend?

[FussyElmo]

Depends on the age of the children you have.

Blocks/lego
Happyland
Dolls pushchairs
Cars
Balls
Ride on toys
Box of materials for junk materials
Jigsaws/puzzles
Board games
Books

The list goes on and on.

Remember you don't have to buy everything at once

[tulip0803]

I buy lots from charity shops and ebay - Even free on Freecycle and from some parents

Favourites here are:-

Wooden train set, tent/wigwam, dolls buggies, books, treasure basket, jigsaws, dolls house, castle, arts and crafts stuff, ponies, cars, dinosaurs, story sacks, indoor kitchen, dressing up, balls, outdoor kitchen, sticks with ribbons on hem.


Don't forget you can make a den from sheets & blankets. Glue can be made from water & flour, Messy play can be made from cornflour & water (gloop), Rice and food colouring (rainbow rice), water play, bubbles. I use a tray and washing up bowl for messy play. You can dig in soil. You can paint with mud

The story sacks and treasure basket I have I have put together over time.

Don't go out and spend tons on new stuff buy cheap 2nd hand quality items and add to them as you get children and get to know them. I know I have children starting in October and their favourite story is Dear Zoo so I am putting a sack together for it.

[The Juggler]

def. a couple of smallworld sets

a kitchen/babies/buggies/food etc

sandpit and/or watertray

easel for outdoor chalkign and water paints

blocks

box of books

crayons/paints/glue/sticking bits and LOTS of scrap paper


good luck!

[mrs robbie williams]

you will find you build a stock pretty quickly - once you find out the childrens interests you (well if you're anything like me) then buy resources, bought another pram yesterday from madcafe as i have a nrly 3 yr old who LOVES dolls and prams, but also have a nrly 2 yr old who also does and was fed up with them fighting over the same pram lol, id say on a daily basis mine play with - dolls, dolls clothes, cars, lorries, trucks, building blocks, books, peppa pig laptop, ride ons, rocking horse, farm, animals. We are out in the mornings at group, then lunch so they have a couple of hours inbetween this and nap time, then school run, so you will find although you may have a mindee 8 hrs a day, you wont need to provide resources for that whole 8 hrs as you will be out and about - hope that makes sense xx

[munch149]

A few multicultural bits - doll of different ethnicitys, books and puzzles that don't all portray white people.

Construction of some sort (duplo, blocks, sticklebricks)

Vehicles

Arts and crafts stuff

Baskets for treasure baskets - you can use things already in your home to fill them. I have done coloured ones, texture ones, natural materials, shiny materials, smells. The list goes on.

Role play things - this you will build as you go along and I have also used some things already round the home and children quite often prefer the real thing rather than a toy. I have doctors/ shops/post office ( made a postbox out of a cardboard box)/ home (bought the small cereal variety packs and kept the boxes plus boxes from other things to act as play food/ hairdressers (this is just brushes combs, empty,clean shampoo bottles and a few clips and hair bands) this is a favourite

[serin]

Ofsted always ask for the multicultural dolls. Lego is popular with all kids. I find parents pass toys down that they don't need anymore so the pile soon builds up! I was speaking to a parent the other week about buying my son a scooter and she gave me her daughters one for free. Brand new never used (daughter was never interested in it).

I try to create a topic monthly so I would buy the toys like this:

Shapes
numbers/abc
colour
construction
art and craft
animals
books
trannsport