Toddler Tuesday: Toys, Toys, Toys

Lately it seems toddler toys have been on my mind! It's funny how toys that we brought back out for Owen suddenly sparked Matthew's interest. And, I have heard over and over "Box up half of your kids toys and put them in storage and then rotate them in and out of the toy collection. They will think it's brand new all over again." Mid-winter it finally hit, there was TOO MUCH STUFF. Too much that flashed and made obnoxious noises. Too much that simply required the wee ones to just push a button. Too much that they were just ignoring all together.

I found a large clear plastic bin and started boxing up toys. In went: the barn that Matthew was constantly pulling apart in to pieces and then crying about once he had demolished it {there is so much frustration in the life of a two-year-old, why add to it?! Maybe when he is five he will appreciate the barn}; the light up and make too much noise Camaro {a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do, he hasn't missed it yet}; you get the drift.

This all got me to thinking about the childrens' toys that I like the best. What are the toys that I think have really taught Matthew more than to push a button to make a light flash? One in particular is my favorite {I bought it from Discovery Toys through Kari}. Without further ramblings, I introduce you to:

The Discovery Toys Giant Pegboard. {Photo via discoverytoys.com}

This pegboard has been so instrumental in teaching Matthew about numbers, colors and fine motor skills. Many times I just set up the board and then sit across the room from it and ask Matthew to bring me a red triangle, blue circle or a green hexagon, etc.  It is so fun to praise him when he gets it right. Now I ask Matthew to tell me the shapes as I point to them. He just loves to sort the shapes and stack them all together. Just the other day I walked in to the room and he had attempted one very tall tower with all of the pieces.

Another activity that I have tried with this pegboard was to take a shoe string and teach Matthew how to string the pieces together. He did not enjoy that activity and was very upset. I think we'll wait a while on that one!

If you had to pick one toddler toy, which would be your favorite? My first runner-up to the peg board is play-dough!