What's Your Child's Favorite Toy?

My 2 1/2 year old grandaughter loves her kitchen. The secret to get her to play with it was to put it in the kitchen or living area where we are. It made a huge difference. My daughter also asked if I would only get her accessories to it that aren't too realistic so that she could use her imagination more. She is constantly cooking something for us!

Hi,
I'd put some of the toys away, if you haven't already, and rotate them periodically so that she's now swamped with so much at once. It also helps when everything gets a chance to be "new." My daughter was bombarded with gifts when we brought her home from China (she was adopted at 2), and this really helped with having too much.
And here's something for you: Her favorite toy - one I cannot get rid of - is a large cardboard box. I kid you not. My father cut a big "front door" into the box and she plays house, sits inside with her blocks and just generally has a great time. When her best buddy comes over, they are a scream with this thing. So, proof positive that simple is usually best. You might try it!
Take care,
J.

I have the same problem with my children having too much. With my kids they seem overwhelmed by too many choices of things to do and end up playing with nothing as a result. A few years ago I divided all of their toys into 3 large totes. I leave one tote out in the playroom for them to play with. After a couple of weeks I'll put that tote away and bring out a different one. With fewer to choose from at any given time they seem to do a better job actually choosing something and playing with it for a decent length of time. Also, when a new box comes out they are excited to see which one it is. Sometimes there are toys that they have forgotten all about and it's like getting new toys again. Of course if they had a favorite doll or game or something that they used everyday that would stay out in their room permanently but most of the toys would go untouched for a while anyway, so they might as well be put away.

To answer your question, at 2 1/2 my daughter was just starting to get into pretend play. Dress up, playing house with her dolls, playing restaurant or store, etc.

Good luck,
K.

I am totaly with Karen on this...I did the same thing, My gilrs had TONS of toys, so I got small moving boxes from u-haul and "packed away all the toys. I "unpacked" 1 box, and when they got bored with it I'd pack up those toys and get a "new" box of toys and just basically "recycled" them....put them on a rotation schedule. :-0 hope this helps

Mega Blocks (also called Duplo Blocks I believe), Little People playsets, matchbox cars, My Little Ponies, dress up clothes, play kitchen set, books, etc. Of course, all of these are things I play with my girls to help develop their imaginations. Also outdoor playthings like chalk, bubbles, trucks, shovels and buckets, etc. She is just the right age for a tricycle, too!

I noticed that 2 1/2 was a difficult age for toys because my daughter was in-between phases. 18-24 month toys are too simplistic and Barbies, princess dress-up or other 3-5 year old toys demand a little too much imaginary creativity. Plus, at this age, children rarely have the ability to focus on a toy longer than 20 minutes.

However, the next stage that you want to encourage in terms of her developmental milestone is imaginary play... Toys that foster the ability for her imagine herself in different roles will develop her own creativity. This can be a lifelong skill in terms of writing and problem solving. When my daughter was 2 1/2, I introduced toys that would help foster imaginary play. However, the child psychologist also say that letting the child learn to play with baby toys in a different way (as in, giving access to 18-24 month toys and letting them imagine different uses for them) is equally enriching.

We had luck with:
- play kitchen and velco, plastic, wood food;
- babydolls, stroller, bottles, etc.
- large cardboard building blocks

Dancing tutus, princess dress-up, mermaid barbies in the bathtub, dollhouse... My daughter got into that closer to age 3.

Take her shopping and let her pick one out. When she can't decide between a couple, lay them out on the floor and let her look at them at the same time and let her pick one. But, only one since she has too many. She needs to learn restraint. You should probably give away some as well. It can be stressful on you to take her shopping, but once you teach your child the limits and the basics, it can be fun.

C., does she tend to play with the new toys she gets for a couple of days and then looses interest? If so, instead of buying a new toy, invest in one of those huge plastic bins on wheels. Store it in your garage or her closet and fill it up with toys. Then two or 3 weeks later, pull a few out and put a few that have been out, back in the bin. Basically, rotate the toys. I do this with my kids and the toys are like new again. It's probably not that she needs a favorite toy, it's just that 2 year old's have short attn spans and get bored quickly. Let her play with pots, pans and spoons, let her stack your tuperware. Get creative. Let her scrub your floor (give her a spray bottle with water and an old rag). My daughter just turned two and thinks she is so big when she cleans! We have more than enough toys; sometimes all it take is me sitting down on the floor and pulling something out of the toy box. They may have not touched the toy in a month but all of a sudden it's interesting to them again (at least for a few minutes). haha! Save your money, she doesn't need anything new. She probably just needs to be reminded of what is available to her. :)

Well...my guy really enjoys his little Corduroy Teddy Bear, but he also loves to sweep with a wisk broom, and we just pulled out the girls' old toy ironing board and he and the 4 year old fought over that for a while and then took laundry from the clean pile and ironed.

But the thing he loves to do most of all is take off his shoes and squish in the mud. Play with sticks and rocks. A little rain jacket (so glad we have rain right now!) and boots with an umbrella may be fun, but my guy doesn't care. He spent a half hour in the drizzle with me rearranging a rock in small puddles of water and loves to see what acorns do in water. He'd spend all day at the sink playing with water, bubbles and such.

We've got way too many toys laying around...and they'd rather be doing other things after awhile.

Toys that foster her imagination and creativity are always wonderful. Blocks are great and I model how to play imaginary things with my grandchildren that are this age. If it is cool to me, they feel it must be wonderful too. Any building type stuff that allows them to fashion something themselves keeps them busy for hours and we can pretend the blocks are anything else from pretend drive up snacks to make-believe cameras that we all pose for and on and on. We wrap plain old boxes (shoe boxes and other boxes in that size or smaller) with scrap wrapping paper and let them build towers. They like wrapping them and stacking them and especially knocking them over.

Zero to Three is a great resource: http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer Their website has tips on young children and play, with tons of clear research-based advice on what children this age need and enjoy most. They're great at understanding that each child is different, and have good guidance on helping your child enjoy and benefit from play that's interesting and just right for him or her. Check out the parent section of their website for some ideas.

Both of my girls only really played with bath toys.

My children love to play with miniature versions of real household items I use. Oven mitt, apron, whisk & mixing bowl. Give her several shot glasses and put some water in a creamer so she can practice pouring. Giving them real things made of porcelain or glass was so much more attractive to them than plastic "toy" stuff. Also give her a spray bottle of water and a small squeegie and rag to wash mirrors and windows. She'll love it.

What was YOUR favorite toy at 2 1/2? You probably are buying her too much. At that age, my daughter's favorites were the ones that made lots of noise! But then she also liked the boxes they came in too. What she really probably wants is lots of attention & time from YOU. Read to her, play with thing with her. Right now, you have that luxury; because you don't have another child who is going to demand part of your attention.
One of the problems of today's kids is that we depend on THINGS - toys are just things. What kids really need is us.
Just make sure that what you pick out is bright, colorful, and educational and then spend time with your daughter using them.

Less is more when it comes to toys for your child. See the blog below on toy suggestions, categorized by age of child.

http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2009/09/28/...

anything outside...swings, slides, sandbox, FREE fun and great for active bodies

Just wanted to share that my son is also easily bored by some toys. He loves it the day you buy it, won't put it down and even usually sleeps with it. The next day he doesn't seem to really care about it at all. This use to upset me a lot. But as he gets older (he is 4 now) he is starting to go back and rediscover what he has. He still likes to get new things but more and more he revisits old toys to play with. It is almost as if now that he is older he can actually play with them the way they are intended or find new ways of playing with them that he didn't think of before. Maybe your daughter just needs more time to discover what it is she is supposed to do with the toys she has.

One more thing... my son also is a little judgmental when toys don't do what he thinks they should. (lights that don't light up, doors that don't open) It is making him a little more selective when choosing a new toy which I find fascinating to watch.

I've noticed myself and amongst my friends that too many toys seems to overwhelm the kids. The kids seem calmer and are able to actually enjoy their toys when they have less. I can't remember my daughter's favorite toys at 2 1/2. She has always been really into crafts - coloring, stickers, etc. - and puzzles. She just turned 3 and was given a Playmobil dollhouse for her birthday. That has quickly become her favorite toy for the time being!

I also have an only child. She loved her play kitchen that has a kitchen on one side and a grill on the other from Little tikes. Also puzzles and her Little People playsets -house and barn. I put away anything she did not play with into clear storage boxes and put them high up on the shelves. Six months might go by and she will ask for something she used to play with. Toy rotation is great - it's like they get new toys all the time! I agree that they will play with things more if there are less things available - they get overwhelmed. After seeing how a preschool classroom is organized, focus on dress up center, puzzle center, pretend kitchen center, educational manipulatives like lacing or beading. I know it's hard, but put away as much as you can store or give it away if she is not interested in it. My daughter only played with dolls if other children came over for a play date and wanted to play with dolls, so I put them away and bring them out when she has a play date. Surprisingly, now she is five and wants to play with dolls more often, but didn't for the past 3 years! Oh, and don't fall into the trap of buying her the same toy she played with at someone else's house for hours - once you buy it, it will never get played with again. (I did that a few times before I realized that I was wasting my money). Good luck!

our son 20 months is the same. he just seems to get board with his toys. we started hiding some away in boxes and kept them in his closet. we rotate toys around so its like new toys. his favorite toy ever is his curious george small stuffed animal. he first eyed it at his cousins house and tried to take hers. your daughter might not be into toys but more things like tents and dress up at this age. our son also loves to go into his room shut the door and play by himself.

Hi C.. I also have a 2 1/2 yr old girl. She LOVES her Little People doll house & Pet Shops. I don't let her have the little parts in the Pet Shops, but she will play for hours with the little animals & the houses they have. She also likes her puzzles, coloring & books, but the Little People & Pet Shops are her favorites. For outside, she LOVES her sandbox & swingset. She also likes her tee ball set,golf clubs & her basketball! She loves to dribble the ball & make hoops! LOL I do put up alot of her toys & rotate them. Good luck!

Be sure to give her things that require creativity as opposed to toys that will entertain her. When she has to assemble, build, create, color, etc. it will be more fun.

When our son was that age I bought him an Easter bunny for Easter, he would drag it around everywhere, its not one of those small ones that come inside the Easter baskets- its somewhat big. ( but very light )

Now he's about to turn 7 and 'Buddy' ( bunny's name )is still around. He dosen't drag him around like he did back then of course, but he still has him on his bed and not tossed in the back of the closet somewhere. :))

Hi C.,
I have a 27 month old little boy - but he LOVES his geo trax train and airplane...He also loves anything to do with balls, golf, football, etc. We let him watch Disney channel and he LOVES Mickey Mouse and Cars movie....? Not sure if you want girly specific stuff but thats our two cents. :)

Hello,

My daughter loved a fabric lunch box with fabric foods in it. The foods would rattle, crinkle or squeak. It had a velcro closure. She would sit on the kitchen floor and empty then load her lunch box for an hour. She also loved a car that you would pull back and let it go. She is now in the first grade. Thanks for the memory recall. Have a great day.

The play kitchen and food! Anything that encourages pretend play is great.