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Please supervise your infants and any child still mouthing toys while they engage with these materials.
1. Flashlights
Flashlights enable some very special light and shadow play. Unlike a lamp or overhead lighting, children can manipulate the trajectory of the light and experiment with shadow-making.
2. Pill Boxes
Pill boxes are the ideal toy for little toddler fingers that want to open and close EVERYTHING. This will build hand strength and dexterity as they practice their pincer grasp. As they get older, the boxes will act as perfect compartments for sorting and categorizing.
3. Hair Curlers
Hair curlers are squishy, colorful, and very intriguing to infants! Definitely supervise the use of these as your little ones will inevitably want to put them in their mouths, but they’re worth it! They’re sturdy but malleable, and can even become a part of your older children’s building projects.
4. Glitter Pool Noodles
Glitter pool noodles have reflective specs inside that really put on a show in direct sunlight. They’re plush and infant-friendly, and will encourage reaching.
5. Cellophane
Cellophane is our multi-talented supermaterial. Offer it to infants for a crinkly sensory experience, place it on a light table or window for a colorful spotlight, or make it available in the atelier for art projects.
6. Silicone Ice Tray
Silicone ice trays are basically off-brand Popits. Entertaining just because they are! They can also be used for pattern-making and sorting when older children begin learning about sequence.
7. Yoga Blocks
Yoga blocks can be used for toddler balancing practice and stacking activities. They’re light enough to hoist up onto a tall tower and won’t injure anyone when they decide to knock it over.
8. Bath Mats
Bath mats, typically translucent and textured, can make appearances as pathways on the floor, or suction cupped to the window. Both invite further exploration of the material, whether with little fingers or toddler toes!
9. Milk Crates
Milk crates, in a large enough quantity, are an irresistible building material for older children. It will take some strategic planning to ensure that they all fit together correctly, but once they’re stacked they can become a pretty expansive fort!
10. Keyboards
Keyboard = dream toy. Who didn’t want to pretend they were hard at work typing away when they were seven? We live on laptops now, but back then this could have been the key (pun intended!) to our pretend play. BONUS: It never hurts to get the alphabet in front of your pre-literate children as they practice letter recognition!
Thank you to Little Kingdoms for writing this blog post. Little Kingdoms is a Los Angeles-based playroom design company. Lily and Claire design engaging playrooms using their educators' perspective, so parents can have peace of mind knowing their children are flourishing right at home.
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