Top 10 Toys
Ok, there really are only a few toys out there that your kid will really flip over for the looooong haul. Everything else will be dead and ignored in two months. Here are the best of the best at my house.
1. Hasbro Playskool Busy Ball Popper – He loved it and it was her toy! They put the balls in it, like you are suppoed to do, and then eventually my little creative fella got out the bubbles and turned this thing into a bubble blower to amuse his baby (toddler) sister. Going strong for over a year now on this one. Replaced batteries maybe 4 times so far.
2. Bristle Blocks – The kids loved it so much that I went and bought more. Great for building things with flat surfaces like cars, beds, stables, houses, etc.. Make sure that you get a set with tires because you can make infinite combinations of cars with it. Get them here
3. Vacuum cleaner – Kids love a pretend vac. There’s been one in my house for 5 years now. Too bad it doesn’t really pick up. Oh well, I got them a dustbuster stick vac that does. 
They still like to play with the pretend vac. Go figure.
4. Personal Computer – He loves it, she loves it, and I love it. My son started on the computer when he was about 3 years old. I never thought he’d be able to even do anything with it. Within two days, he could already click the mouse! Kids learn quick! Make the leap and buy one. If you don’t have a computer (how are you reading this?), get one. They are gonna need it anyway. Preschool teaches computer skills. Kindergarten teaches computer skills, etc., etc., etc.. There are a lots of free online games so you don’t have to buy software, but you could buy some pretty great computer games if you were so inclined.
5. Shoestrings, clear tape, and masking tape - My son uses them for anything and everything. He tapes things together. He swings spiderman through homemade buildings. We’ve made lace-up animals and shapes from cut out cereal boxes. You name it. Give the gift of creativity and get your kid some strings and tape.
6. Washable Paint – We’ve gotten paint on our kitchen floor more times than I’d like to count. Save yourself some anxiety and get the washable kind and a wet paper towel (or diaper wipes) makes quick work of the clean up. Don’t cheap out and go small. Get the big 16 ounce bottles. You’re gonna need them.
Note: If you want your kids to finger paint, make sure to get finger paint paper made just for that purpose. It has a slick surface and does not absorb the paint as readily.
7. Playhouse (for outside) – Get it free from a friend , buy one from Sam’s or Costco, get one out of the newspaper, or look for one on freecycle.org - just get one. We have planted flowers on the side of ours. The other side has a growing collection of rocks that have been found at various places all over the city and then snuck their way to our house. We killed the grass under the playhouse and put wood mulch inside for the floor so it wouldn’t get weedy. When the playhouse finally has to go, we can remove the mulch and plant grass there again.
8. Playhut collapsible houses – This set is awesome. Tents, forts, houses, castles, pirate ships – we’ve converted our set into every imaginable creative adventure. Cover them with a thin blanket and have dark adventures! Definitely worth the investment. They fold down totally flat. We tuck ours between the couch and the wall for storage. Could easily go under a bed in a bedroom. I don’t know how we would have survived childhood boredom without them.
9. Q-Ba-Maze – All I can say is – wow. If your kid is mechanically inclined (or even mechanically challenged), then they need this toy. Invented by an architect, it is a marble run on steroids and definately one of the coolest toys around. You place these cubes any way you want and create a marble run that doubles as a sculpture of sorts. (Now, if they would only add some spinner cubes to add some visual movement!) It really is a toy to make your kid think. Be prepared to help them but be warned, you’ll catch yourself playing with this one. Get them at their website or look for them on Ebay.
Note: This toy contains small balls and is not suitable if you still have a little one in your house that puts things in their mouth.
If your child is really into movement and mechanical things, you may also want to google the term “kinetic sculpture”. You may be lucky enough to find an exhibit or installation of this kind of work that is close enough to you that you could visit.
10. Huge stacks of paper. Make it easy for them to get to and put their crayons or washable markers in a clear pencil box close by. As soon as I moved these items to a kid friendly location (and off of the top of the fridge) the creativity index in our house went up by at least 200%. Now, I accept almost any and all offers from friends for junk paper (manilla folders, page seperators, rolls of paper, etc..). Even my 3 year old gets in on the act. She knows where all of the supplies are and can draw at a moment’s notice. Nice.
This list may very well grow to more than 10 items over time. I’m already considering the addition of topsy-turvy dolls because they are just so unusual and cool, all at the same time.
