A quick look at what is on our play shelves this fortnight to invite lots of play.
There are lots of brightly coloured rainbow toys this week, including items for building and using imagination. I try to choose things to go on the shelves that will suit the girls current interests and also toys that they can both use in different ways. My girls are aged 4 and 1 and this space is designed to work for both of them.
The baskets on the bottom shelf currently hold:
Train tracks, cars, fences,
Dolls and their accessories
Extra toddler toys
Extra wooden toys
On this little white rectangle shelf from Kmart we have:
Some of the Grapat Lola Set
I have just put out a few colours of our Lola set this week. The smallest pieces are kept in another room where Miss 1 cannot access them, as they are too small for her yet.
Both girls have been enjoying this set. Miss 4 used the Lola pieces as guards for her castle that she built this week.
Some Grapat Nins, Mates and Magos
I have included a few different types of figures this week. Both girls enjoy playing with these. The Mates and Nins are fantastic for Miss 1 to put in and out.
Bauspiel Window Blocks
I have included some of these blocks along the top. Miss 4 has been enjoying using them in castle building.
Grimms Pebbles
These pebbles can be used for small world play, stacking, imaginative play and lots more. We have all the sets, but just one set would be great. The green moss set or the blue set would be my choice if I only had one, because they are fantastic colours to use in small worlds. The smallest pebbles are not here, as they are too small for Miss 1.
On the other little Kmart shelf we have our Rainbow Nests from Freckled Frog.
We have some new flashcards from Two Little Ducklings. Miss 4 is really enjoying looking at them and playing with them. She was excited to get the space pack and has been learning lots about space.
The dinosaur pack has been used to play memory and snap, which Miss 4 has also enjoyed. She is really interested in dinosaurs at the moment, so these cards have been perfect for her. There were some dinosaur figurines on the shelf, but she took them to play before I had the chance to take a photo.
We keep our Grimms rainbow balls in a plastic egg holder (originally from the fridge) on the shelf. The orange ball is currently missing somewhere in our house.
On the top of this little shelf are a couple of animal figurines, some trees, a rainbow kaleidoscope from Oskars Wooden Ark and a colour mixing peacock from the Creative Toy Shop.
We also have our Grimms natural nesting bowls, which get used lots in sensory play and in imaginative play too.
On the middle shelves:
A basket of Grapat rings and coins.
Both girls enjoy playing with this. It is used in many different ways for play, from posting, to pretend money, pretend food in cooking, for stacking etc.
This shelf is low enough for Miss 1 to get these out herself to play.
I have also included our Grimms Pastel Russian Dolls. Miss 1 enjoys opening these and trying to put them back together.
A basket of building blocks (mostly the Grimms Forms & Colours Set) , Grimms semi circles, Grimms building boards, and the base of our Grimms rainbow hearts.
This basket can be brought down to the floor to play and holds extra pieces that aren't out on display at the moment, but are useful for building.
When Miss 4 is building, we can grab the basket down for extra blocks.
Connetix Magnetic Tiles Cars and Ball Run Pack.
This basket is aimed at Miss 4. She loves building with these tiles and has just started creating her own mini ball runs.
Miss 1 uses this supervised. She doesn't seem interested in grabbing it off the shelf to play. If she was, it would be put up higher because of the magnets (They are recommended for ages 3+).
Some of our other Connetix magnetic tiles are in the middle of the top shelf in a basket. They are currently being used as a castle, so not many are left in the basket.
Way to Play Roads, a bus and some Grimms cars
This has been used this week when Miss 4 and I built a large town that included the roads and cars.
Miss 1 enjoys putting the Nins or other figurines into the bus and driving them. She also enjoys using a car to push and make a 'brmmm' sound.
There are some extra Grimms cars and rainbow bridges on the top shelf that can be used with these ones too.
Our toys are chosen based on our children's interests and current stages of development. Open-ended toys are fantastic because they cater for a range of different ages at the same time.
* Please note - We have added to our open-ended toy collection over time. We buy open-ended toys for birthdays and Christmas, and some are given by extended family members on these occasions too. Please don't feel that you need to have lots of expensive toys to set up a play space. I know I have fallen into this trap, especially after looking at play spaces on social media. If you always bring it back to what will work for your child/ren, their interests and needs, and will they actually play with this toy, it can reduce the need to feel like you 'must have and need' all of it.
I have started creating a toy wishlist on the notes app on my phone of toys I think my children would enjoy, when looking at other play accounts/play spaces. This helps me to think more seriously about what to buy them and reduces impulse buys. It is also fantastic to refer to when choosing presents for birthdays and Christmas.
That was a quick look at what are on our play shelves this fortnight. We hope you found some inspiration for your own play space. Please feel free to ask any questions below.
Have fun playing!
Comments