Jess4879 Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 What are your kids favorite toys and games? Not necessarily "educational" just whatever they have fun with. I've got three kiddos (8,6,3) and straight across the board, the favorites are: dress ups, blocks, legos, and foam puzzle pieces. I'm looking for ideas to replace some of our "baby" toys that the kids have outgrown and I am at a loss. I tend to stray away from what I think of as "novelty" toys - things that bark, pee, talk, or in other ways mimic what their real-life counterparts do. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Big hits here have been: Keva planks Schliech animals and elves Legos of all sorts Playmobil of all sorts I'm always picking those toys up off the ground so I know they are well played with! Do you have any playsilks? I'm getting those for DD for Christmas because they come so highly recommended for kids that like dress up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Board games. Right now my kids are very excited about a new board game we bought. I actually had to cancel school today due to the excitement about it. (We school year round so this is possible) :) -- The board game is Descent the 2nd Edition Conversion kit. (We alreayd had the main game). Unless you are a gamer family I don't recommend this game. I'm just mentioning it by name since someone might ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeterbug Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Zoob might be a good fit for your older two, your 3yo might struggle with it but would probably still be drawn to it. Also some kind of marble maze? We love to build these in all sorts of different figurations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 My girls are big into Safari, Schleich, and Papo. They'll play for hours at a time with their assorted figurines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspasia Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 My kids are crazy about play food and the play kitchen. They also like puppets, which I made (and bought some) when dd was 2. In the beginning they were fun because I would play with her and she would basically eat/bite things with them, but now she is really beginning to do stories with them and stuff. I see them getting many more years of use around here. My kids also LOVE to draw and cut/glue, so I keep plenty of supplies around for that. They seriously get daily use, usually for at least an hour or two. Board games (Monopoly Jr, Connect Four, Battleship) Puzzles Card games (Go Fish, Old Maid, UNO, etc) Plastic animals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBanjoClown Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Legos, Legos, and more Legos..lol. My boys also LOVE plain white paper, crayons, and scissors. They make models of Star Wars characters and vehicles or characters/objects from SOTW1 and cut them out and play with them. One toy that I thought was a flop is starting to get more playtime, and that is Lincoln Logs. The boys haven't played with them much at all, but ds5 has been really enjoying them the last few days. They are also into action figures, even though they haven't seen the movies/shows most of them are from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 Lots of toys and games I have never heard of. I am getting a lengthy wish list here! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduemeche Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 A lot of our favorites have been mentioned, so I won't belabor that point. On top of these, we focus a lot on logic-based games for our older kids. We feel like we can get them introduced to the subject without a formal curriculum. Our favorites are Cat and Mouse, Zoo Logics, and Metaforms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Well when my dd was that age, her favorite things were fabric to sew things with and dress-up with, boxes to make houses/boats/circuses, and art supplies. My ds seems to be on that same track, as he loves all things real: nails, multi-tip screwdrivers, hammers, etc. You might just go to the Dollar Store and buy them real things they can use (dustpan, tools, rags, etc.). It's just harnessing whatever gets them to imagine and play. As far as regular toys, we like puzzles, duplos, board games, and Playmobil. Playmobil is a huge splurge, but it's wonderful, so intricate, with lots of room for creative play, conversation, social development, fine motor, etc. You know at Christmas Rainbow Resource will put out a Christmas catalog. Timberdoodle has great taste in toys. Basically you can't go wrong there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Games are popular here, but ds6's favorite thing? Cutting up boxes and turning them into whatever, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 Games are popular here, but ds6's favorite thing? Cutting up boxes and turning them into whatever, lol. :lol: Ah yes! Anything paper/cardboard is fair game in our house. We have pictures on yogurt boxes, beds for "stuffies" , Kleenex box slippers, you name it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TengoFive Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Schleich Animals and Papo knights. I started buying them for my then 3 year old boy. He's 12 now and they're still played with on a nearly daily basis. Even my 14 year old will go up there sometimes :-) They use their wooden blocks and build huge cities that the animals and knights populate and have elaborate story lines. The boys and girls both play with them, so their not gender specific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Magnatiles are great for all 3 kids to play with (mine are 8, 5, and 2). We have 2 sets of 100. We started with one years ago, and quickly added a 2nd. Honestly, we could use a 3rd! They are fun for the adults to use as well. Blokus is great if your family likes board games. Snap Circuits Lego K'nex My 8 yo wants Mindstorms for Christmas this year. We may pay for him to participate in a local class that uses Mindstorms, and see how that goes. It would be nice for him to have a foundation in using them before we buy. All 3 kids use bikes, scooters, etc. heavily. They like Nerf guns. It took me a long time to be okay with them using guns for play, but the whole neighborhood plays together and I've tried to make my peace with it. My 8 yo is outgrowing zoob but it was great while he was into it. All 3 like Playmobil. DS2 is 2.5 and just getting into playing now with DD. DD and DS1 used to play PM a lot together. 5.5 yo DD likes dolls (AG in particular). Art supplies are a hit with all 3. DD is very into art, drawing, etc. right now and I've been increasing our selection of art supplies further to encourage her. We already have a nice selection, but new materials get everyone excited. I picked up a goldbox deal recently on Pentel markers for her. DS2 likes to do Montessori activities now, likes the aforementioned PM, magnatiles, blocks, trains, and sometimes the play kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) DS is 13 but he still plays with the same types of things that he played with 5 yrs. ago - Legos, blocks and cars. He has a closet full of stuff that is organized in labeled bins but these are the things that he consistently uses. He builds elaborate buildings, stadiums, churches, amphitheaters and such and makes stop-motion movies with them. When he was your children's ages he played with the same type of stuff but was also heavily into Thomas the Tank Engine. We've very much outgrown that though. :D DS was the only grandchild on both sides up until 2 yrs. ago so we've seen nearly every toy and game imaginable. These are the ones that he has used consistently over and over and over. Outdoors we're pretty simple too: a variety of balls, basketball hoop, a baseball mound and a scooter. He has a bike but hates it. He's had many other outdoor toys over the years but never bothered much with most of them. Edited September 1, 2012 by contessa20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Some fun things here (my kids are 9, 5, and 2) are Legos, regular primary building blocks, nesting boxes and ring sorters. My daughter loves anything that is a container type toy or a box. Stuffed animals--whole worlds are created with their stuffed guys! My boys like the Perplexus ball. My dd likes dolls and the toy kitchen. Lacing boards, puzzles, board games by Cranium--Caraboo and Lagoon. Qwirkle, Blokus, Dino Math Tracks, dominoes, FindIt tubes, Conectogon pieces. Thomas and cars get heavy play, especially the track system. Art supplies. Melissa and Doug style toys---bear puzzles and wooden pizza set and wooden cars and train get heavy play. They like the Safari Ltd type plastic toys--pirates or dinosaurs. A disc to spin and balance on. Sandbox in the backyard. Some tree stumps to climb on. Dress up materials. Pirate hooks and swords and magic wands. Fairy and butterfly wings. Math manipulatives of every sort are endless fun too. Not just for school. Playdoh with plenty of tools. Lincoln Logs. Pop up indoor tent with a tunnel to crawl through. Moon Shoes and Bilibos are fun. Silly putty and Nick slime. They also like the occasional cardboard box turned into a house until it gets destroyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Legos, Legos, Legos, and did I mention Legos? LOL! I second the recommendation for size-appropriate real stuff, like real tools and real sewing (and knitting, crocheting, weaving, etc.) equipment. We got DD a real loom (not a potholder loom) a couple of years ago, and she loves it. She has a play kitchen set, but when she started to outgrow that a little, we got her real, small-sized cast iron pans; she can use them for pretend play or on the real stove. The boys have real hammers and screwdrivers and love using those. Clay, felt, paper, paint, colored pencils, etc. are all in huge demand here too. My kids love things they can use to act out and pretend things. Costumes, for sure, as well as toy weapons (wooden swords, wooden rifles, and the never-ending lightsabers), playsilks too, but any sort of figure -- dolls, action figures, little guys that come with vehicles, army men. . . DH raided his parents' attic a few months ago and came home with a bunch of his old toys; the army men and other figures have been very popular with the boys. Board games -- chess is a favorite, but so are Stratego, Labyrinth, Battleship, Uno, Memory, poker, trivia games, Outburst. . . We were given a nice keyboard last year, and the children have loved that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 What are your kids favorite toys and games? Not necessarily "educational" just whatever they have fun with. I've got three kiddos (8,6,3) and straight across the board, the favorites are: dress ups, blocks, legos, and foam puzzle pieces. I'm looking for ideas to replace some of our "baby" toys that the kids have outgrown and I am at a loss. I tend to stray away from what I think of as "novelty" toys - things that bark, pee, talk, or in other ways mimic what their real-life counterparts do. :001_smile: My kids are the exact same ages. :) Both the boys like video games (which are limited), power rangers (sigh... :lol: ), swords, nerf guns, and dinosaurs. Oh, and they love to ride their bikes. They like legos, too, but they aren't the lego loving kids that some are. :) They honestly spend most of their time with the foam weapons or the bikes. :D Pink has very few toys in the traditional sense. I actually got rid of an entire toy box full :leaving: because she never played with them. She likes stuffed animals and baby dolls. I don't buy the ones that do weird things like eat, poo, or make noises - just a standard little baby doll, but a cute one (I think hers is Little Mommy or something? It's the newborn that doesn't do anything). She also loves horses so she has a couple of those. She loves to draw and she plays with a lot of our old Saxon math manipulatives that are now useless to the rest of us. :D Oh, and she serves me tea. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Our favorite, hands-down, is Playmobil. We have a few large pieces, but mostly they play with the people and accessories. Also: bikes, scooters, sports equipment, Cars cars, Schleich animals, art supplies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnL Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 You know at Christmas Rainbow Resource will put out a Christmas catalog. Timberdoodle has great taste in toys. Basically you can't go wrong there. Ditto! I was fortunate enough to be able to "splurge" a little and get some school toys,. YAY! I don't care how old you are, school is much funner with toys. I looked at everythng Timberdoodle had listed in the standard curriculum for my kids' ages and found some great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 My children really enjoy: Perplexus maze ball Castle Logix Day and Night Muggins Math and Knock out Wedgits Sum Swamp Lincoln Logs Playmobil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 :bigear: Using this thread to plan Christmas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 :bigear: Using this thread to plan Christmas... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 I am getting so many great ideas!! Thanks everyone! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 :bigear: Using this thread to plan Christmas... Is it too early for a "What are your kids getting for Christmas" thread? I'm ready to go if it's not too early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Legos American Girl dolls/accessories Calico Critters Littlest Pet Shop Hexbugs for games, though your two youngest are too young at this point: Settlers of Catan Ticket to Ride Pandemic Bohnanza Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 What are your kids favorite toys and games? Not necessarily "educational" just whatever they have fun with. I've got three kiddos (8,6,3) and straight across the board, the favorites are: dress ups, blocks, legos, and foam puzzle pieces. I'm looking for ideas to replace some of our "baby" toys that the kids have outgrown and I am at a loss. I tend to stray away from what I think of as "novelty" toys - things that bark, pee, talk, or in other ways mimic what their real-life counterparts do. :001_smile: My son STILL loves his Magnetix and builds complicated things now and then. I think they are hard to find today. They were taken off the market for awhile because they had small pieces that were considered a choking hazard (duh. You should have seen our dangerous toys from childhood). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 My son STILL loves his Magnetix and builds complicated things now and then. I think they are hard to find today. They were taken off the market for awhile because they had small pieces that were considered a choking hazard (duh. You should have seen our dangerous toys from childhood). When I googled "Magnetix" the first thing to come up was a dating site. I guess that's a bad sign? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmaNadine Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 LegosAmerican Girl dolls/accessories Calico Critters Littlest Pet Shop Hexbugs for games, though your two youngest are too young at this point: Settlers of Catan Ticket to Ride Pandemic Bohnanza There is a Catan Jr. that a six year old would be able to play. In fact, it's on my possible list of games to get for my son for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Is it too early for a "What are your kids getting for Christmas" thread? I'm ready to go if it's not too early. My Sil already has her wish list distributed to the grandparents, so I guess it's not too early! I need to get my act together. It seems so far away, but I know it will be here in the blink of an eye... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Zoobs and Engino products, some k/nex, beyblades, hot wheels, and those stuffed birds which give recorded calls when squeezed. He just lovey-dovies those. We played Zeus on the Loose for hours. We also play Speed (the math facts game). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots of boys Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 My boys love Lego, any dress up stuff, and lots of games. Right now their favourite game is Rat-a -tat-cat but they also love, SET, scrabble, monopoly, speed, yahzee etc. Really any board game is a hit in our house. I am hoping to pick up Catan jr. for our boys and I have Dino math tracks hidden away in the closet for Christmas already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 My boys love Lego, any dress up stuff, and lots of games. Right now their favourite game is Rat-a -tat-cat but they also love, SET, scrabble, monopoly, speed, yahzee etc. Really any board game is a hit in our house. I am hoping to pick up Catan jr. for our boys and I have Dino math tracks hidden away in the closet for Christmas already. We have two cupboards full of board games and the girls favorites right now are Candyland and a princess game that they get to wear crowns for. :lol: I am looking forward to when they branch out to some others...DH is just excited for the crown one to disappear. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) Around 3 (for my kid who was mature at that age and had advanced fine motor skills, my current kid might have to wait until he's older), or 4, my kids favorite toy was this: http://www.amazon.com/Haba-2310-Tack-Geometric-Large/dp/B0002HYEUS Also, tree blocks, good quality wooden blocks (we like Haba), Lauri stacking pegs and other Lauri toys, lacing cards, wooden lacing beads, lincoln logs (we bought handmade Amish ones from eBay), dress-up trunk, good art supplies, Playmobil, and Lego. They also loved this game around 4 and 5: http://www.amazon.com/Cooperative-Harvest-Crops-Before-Winter/dp/B00000IUF7 Other popular preschool games were the Haba Goodnight game, the Eric Carle games, and the Uncle Wiggily game. I love to look through teacher supply stores, like Discount School Supply and Lakeshore Learning, they often have fun and different toys. My toddler wanted me to click on the cars, he kept pointing and yelling "Car!" :auto::auto::auto: Edited September 4, 2012 by Annie Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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