Currently, this is one of the stages we are at – the “not a baby I am a big boy” and totally indepent stage. The good news is that I have survived this stage once, so I beleive I can do it again. What I love about this age, outside of the sassiness and need to do EVERYTHING ON THEIR OWN, is their imagination. It is crazy to me how at this age little kids imaginations just explode. They love pretend play, mimicing what they see others do, and creating things in their own little world.
Arts / Crafts
- Hape Anywhere Art Studio: Great for working on letters, numbers or letting their creative drawing flow.
- Hello Dough Kits: Canadian sensory play dough kit that has every theme you could imagine.
- Melissa & Doug Scissor Skils and Tape Book: For kids that love to cut paper and use scissors this set is great for helping them to develop their scissors skills.
- Modern Kids Activity Books: Fantastic activity books for little ones as they start learning their ABC’s, 123’s, grip method and more.
- Do A Dot Art: Easy and mess free art activity for a variety of ages.
Dress-Up
- Great Pretender: Quality pretend capes and costumes to allow your little one’s imagination to fly.
- Melissa & Doug Role Play Sets: A wide variety of dress-up costumes for your little ones to explore.
- Tender Leaf Toys Play Sets: Adorable and durbale play set to allows your little one to make coffee, tea, go grocery shoping and much more just like Mom & Dad.
- Plan Toys Vet Set: The perfect gift for the animal loving kid. (They also have a fantastic doctor/nurse set.)
Lacing Cards / Beads
All lacing toys are great for developing motor skills.
- Hape String Along Shapes Wooden Block Toddler Lacing Toy
- Plan Toy Lacing Beads
- Melissa & Doug Alphabet Lacing Cards
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Lacing Cards
Kitchen Play Sets
- Hape Kitchen and Food Sets
- Green Toys Food and Kitchen Sets (Check out thier Cook Bake Great Set!)
- Tender Leaf Kitchen and Food Sets
Games
- Spot It – 123: A great compact game for preschoolers to identify shapes and numbers that is fun for you and your little one.
- Tender Leaf Balancing Artic Circle Game: Practice your balancing skills with this beautiful frozen game! A balancing polar circle, with 2 penguins, a whale, a walrus, a polar bear, a seagull, an iceberg and a little friendly girl. (Description from tenderleaftoys.com)
- Coopertive Games by Peaceable Kingdom: This company makes incredible games for kids that promote cooperation and kindness. There is a variety of game options, so check out the Dadsuggests.com blog for reviews and a list of cooperative games. Here are a few of our favorites:
Preschoolers are a fun age of growing their imagination and learning indepence. My hope is that these suggestions help you find the perfect gift for the preschooler in your life.
