Kids and screen time. At our house, the struggle is real. It’s amplified by the additional layer created by a developmental delay. It’s hard to find activities both my kids enjoy doing when you take technology out of the equation. We often have to look outside the aisles of the typical toy store for things that will keep both of them happy at the same time.
Luckily, there are shops like UncommonGoods.com. They are committed to sustainability – which means integrity in everything they do and treating each individual inside and outside the company with dignity and respect. That’s values we can get behind. This site sells oodles of options for toys for a pair of kids looking for something they can do together that bridges the age (and developmental) gap.
We tried three new wooden toys from their Unique Gifts for Kids Collection and all three are home runs. They are all suited for a large age range – amazing. None had small piece hazards – also amazing – and were different than anything we already had in the ‘toy graveyard’.
We’ve had these toys for a few weeks now and they’re still sitting front and centre.
This Rainbow Sound Blocks set is exceptionally cool. Each one is a rattle with different sized beads inside. You can shake them, stack them, sort them and place one in front of the other to see how colours are made. My daughter loved the shaking and peering into each one to see what was inside. My son liked the stacking and combining them to see different colours.
When we opened the box, The Magbot Magnetic Set got the full “Oh WOW” from my son. He has repeatedly built all the various combinations shown on the box and created his own things. Unlike some plastic building block sets, these are easy to take apart and rebuild as something else quickly and easily, so it got way more repeat use than one of our “build it and forget it sets.” The pieces are large and easy to handle so the little one could join in the fun. The magnets also give you cues. When they are placed together in the correct way, they kind of ‘snap’ together and when they are incorrectly placed, the magnets repel, which prompted my girl to try different ways until she felt the connection.
This last one on the list arrived right at the time when my son asked why his sister couldn’t do puzzles marked for kids younger than her. Perfect timing. I have to admit, this one is my favourite. These Safari Blocks have provided countless hours of entertainment and continue to deliver. There is a puzzle component, which is great for little Allie. And trying to stack these critters is plain old-fashioned fun. They are cute, easy to hold and a sustainable toy. Wins all around.
For your next birthday party or special surprise, stop by UncommonGoods (who are now shipping to Canada) to pick out other unique gifts for kids.
Melanie from mommydo.com writes about parenting, food, neat stuff and the unexpected beauty in life, all while juggling work, family life and spreading awareness and raising funds for Williams Syndrome.
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