ISO Suggestions for Toys, Games and Activities for Pre-Schoolers

[Kay Henderson]

Living in a resort area, we entertain quite a bit, for house parties as well as meals. I would like to increase our collection of activities available for ourselves and our guests. From my teaching days, I feel comfortable gathering games, etc. for school age children, adolescents and adults. (I am particularly enjoying the current board game thread). Not having raised children, however, I am less confident about toys, games and activities that pre-schoolers would enjoy. Suggestions?

Thanks!

Kay

[leightx]

Mine are well past the preschool years, but I've kept most of their Little People and Duplos (legos for little kids) for when we have younger visitors. The Little People farm is most everyone's favorite.

[cangoss]

At our summer house, there are a few toys that have been there forever and still get used quite a bit.
- a basic Brio train set (a knock-off would be fine too). Even kids who are a bit older seem to like playing with it for old times sake.
- a set of wooden blocks
- a couple of those wooden puzzles with the peg handles on the pieces

Also, there is a shelf full of books that my MIL got at a garage sale one year.

[barbse]

My 2 1/2 yr old grandson was just visiting & he liked to "cook" using wooden blocks, wooden spoons & an assortment of baskets. He also liked anything that he could take apart & put together, sorting toys, stacking & unstacking paper cups, etc. We also played "Hide the ugly doll" where we took turns hiding & finding a monster-looking stuffed toy. For outside toys he had some trucks, balls & a golf club set that he didn't have the coordination to really use. But it was all fun!

[Kay Henderson]

- a set of wooden blocks

This makes me think about the crate of blocks we have often borrowed from the family cabin. FIL cut, sanded and finished them from wood scraps for DH almost sixty years ago! The kids (all the way up to at least 12) love them.

This reminds me that I'd like to get a new Monopoly game, as our current one, from my childhood, is quite shabby. DH disagrees and thinks it is neat for me to explain to our young guests (since I am the Monopoly fan who plays with them) that it has been passed down in my famiily.

Kay

[gertdog]

My own DS isn't a preschooler yet, but I worked with that age group in a museum setting a few years ago.

A tub of Duplos or something to build with is a great idea.

Next time you clean out a closet, set aside fun hats, purses, shawls, and safe costume jewelry for a dress-up box.

Games at that age- a deck of Old Maid cards, a memory/matching/lotto-type game (there are Goodnight Moon and I Spy versions), Cranium Cariboo. There is a game called Rocking Moon that was a huge hit with the preschool set at the museum. The object is to balance colored wood cylinders on a moon shape w/o tipping the moon over. It can be played alone or with others.

If you have outdoor space, an inexpensive pop-up crawl-through tunnel or tent would be fun and easy to store when not in use.

A bin of basic art supplies (they make "washable" versions of crayons, markers and paints, and in my experience they really do wash out for the most part). Toss in some safety scissors, construction paper, glue sticks, stickers, and some old catalogs or magazines for cutting up and making into collages. Our museum had a "reinvention station" where all kinds of discarded household items were offered up as art supplies and preschoolers spent ages there.

[Kristilyn1]

Can I just say how glad I am that people are suggesting "real" toys! I go to the store to buy toys for my youngest nephews and I'm disgusted by the number of "educational" toys--all they seem to do is cram the alphabet down kids throats and make noises and light up. Keep it simple! That's what kids like, not to mention it's nice to use the old noggin.

I'd like to also add playdough if you have a good place for kids to use it and don't mind that it's a little messy and a favorite at our school are any sort of shape blocks (not neccesarily stacking ones, ones more for making patterns, etc.)

Kristi