best kids toys for two-year olds
posted may 2nd, 2009 by ava
| name | price | description | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Melissa & Doug See & Spell | $16 | this was given to ava as a second birthday present. both the giver and i assumed it would be a little old, and that eventually she would grow into it. to my surprise, a couple of weeks later, i found her playing all by herself, carefully sorting through the piles of letters and placing them in their slots. this toy has remained popular ever since. |
 | Melissa & Doug Beginner Pattern Blocks | $18 | i got this for ava shortly after her second birthday, and she really liked it, but it soon became not quite challenging enough. still, it's a great one to do with friends, as there are plenty of pieces to go around. |
 | Tangoes Jr | $25 | this nifty toy has just seven magnetic little pieces, but provides lots of fun. we bring this to restaurants alot, as it is so nicely contained. |
 | Cranium Cariboo | $20 | ava calls this the "treasure chest game" and it's a big favorite. this is the perfect first game for any child that has a beginning grasp on letters and numbers. the beginner version explores A-B-C and 1-2-3, while the advanced version includes all the letters and the numbers 1-20. more importantly, it's great for teaching the basic concept of taking turns. there are no loose pieces to accidentally knock off the game board, and every turn involves the very satisfying act of using a key to open a door and look for a treasure. |
 | Kumon Workbooks | $7 | these workbooks provide very structured activities for young children, that focus on building very specific skills. the coloring books start with having the child color in a small white circle in the middle of an otherwise yellow banana. the activites always seem oddly intuitive to ava - she seemed to know she was supposed to find her yellow marker and use that to complete the yellow banana. sort of braindead, but a great time filler for a rainy or foggy day. |
 | Alex Arts & Crafts - My Collage Farm | $8 | there are many alex arts & crafts kits out there - we've enjoyed the selection that we've tried so far. this kit is particularly nice - it provides a structured enough "base" that the animals the children create will actually be recognizable as the right animal, but besides that is pretty "free form". the minimum age is listed at 2, but i think that realistically it's closer to 3. |
 | Melissa & Doug Birthday Party | $14 | do ALL two-year olds go through the "happy birthday" obsession? certainly all the one's i know! |
 | Play-Doh 24 Pack of Colors | $16 | i wonder if play-doh will ever go out of fashion with two-year olds? best if combined with a few accessories. ava's favorites are : birthday candles, pebbles, beads and a butter knife. she loves to make cakes or cookies and then decorate them with various treasures. |
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