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Category Archives: ImagineToys.com Product

Oh, The Things You Can Do with a Cardboard Box!

Posted by melissa.t on November 3, 2011 None comments

What to do on an inside snowy day?

Play with cardboard boxes!

You can make . . .

an oven (this oven is baking cupcakes from Melissa & Doug.)

a stove

a refrigerator (stocked with play food)

an airplane

a car (via Simply Modern Mom)

a mailbox (via ikatbag)

A marble run (via TinkerLab)

And, you can play all day long with any one of these fun cardboard box ideas.

For reading fun, I think you’ll LOVE these books about cardboard boxes, too.

Christina Katerina and the Box

Not a Box

So, the next time you find yourself inside with nothing to do, grab a cardboard box and let your imagination decide what to play!

Sneak In Learning with Fun Games

Posted by melissa.t on October 27, 2011 1 comments

The Sneaky Chef and Jessica Seinfeld (Deceptively Delicious) sneak vegetables into kids’ food.

So can’t we sneak learning into fun (“educational”) games? 

Of course! :)

In fact, consider all the different kinds of learning and educational games available– board games, active games, electronic games, computer games, video games, and phone and iPad games. That means lots of learning opportunities for your children! (Hint: Holidays are coming soon, this might be a gift idea.)

Board Games

Board games give kids rich learning opportunities and, as Scholastic writes, reinforce skills like:

  • number and shape recognition, grouping, and counting
  • letter recognition and reading
  • visual perception and color recognition
  • eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity
Educational board and strategy games:

Active Games

Active games are gross-motor games like the Play and Score Ball Throwing Game which also reinforces counting.

But, the classic recess games such as Capture the Flag or H-O-R-S-E are great active games as well and require minimal equipment. Some games, such as Capture the Flag, teach social skills and cooperation. The same goes for indoor active games like Indoor Foot Volleyball.

Electronic Games

Electronic Games are games which require a battery.


Computer Games

I’ve looked and there aren’t many computer games available on a disc. You can go online and play games or buy a gaming console like a Wii. For online games, try website Kids.gov which offers parents and educators a long list of educational online games or Kidz Pages which lists many online learning games.

Video Games

The Gates Foundation believes video games can enhance learning and recently donated $15 million to fund learning based video games. Interesting, isn’t it? Games can count as learning, even video games.

iPad and iPhone Games

We use the iPad for educational games, here are a few favorites.

There are so many fun ways that games make learning possible. 
Which games listed or not are your favorites?

Grocery Shopping Game for Preschoolers

Posted by melissa.t on October 20, 2011 None comments

Does a preschool game get any better than Shopping Cart Dash? It's the perfect game – pretend play, categorizing, matching, and tons of fun! Kids get their own shopping cart, coins to spend, a shopping list, and a store where they can shop. 

Get your money, shopping cart, and shopping list. It's time to play Shopping Cart Dash!

Roll the dice. The sections of the grocery store are categorized by color. Whatever color you land on, is the color section you can shop in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first person to successfully buy the items on his or her list wins the game. Here is a shopping list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that you have your shopping list, you need to go to the store.

If you buy something from the dairy section which is color coded yellow, you must insert a coin below the yellow section in the slot. Drinks are blue and treats are purple. Turn the grocery store to the other side and you'll see meats, fruits and veggies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first person to buy everything on their list wins the game!

But, if you ask me, everyone wins because each child learns about reading, following directions, types of food, categories of food, and counting.

I just love this game. (So do my kids.)

 

Stay Active Indoors With an Obstacle Course

Posted by melissa.t on October 17, 2011 1 comments

As the weather gets colder, I find it challenging to keep my kids active inside. We discovered that creating and doing an indoor obstacle course helped make indoor movement quite motivating. Even better, all you need are couch cushions, extra pillows, plus anything else you can find around the house. Here are a list of ideas and moves to get you started on your own indoor obstacle course. Take turns building the courses with your kids. Kids love to create the courses and race you through them!

Indoor Obstacle Course Supply Ideas

Couch cushions

Jump Rope

Cones

Balance Ball

Tunnel

Chairs

Mini-Tramp

Card Table

Plasma Car

Stilts

Blankets

Red Rody Horse

String (criss-crossing the course)

Spooner Board

Floor Mat

Throw pillows

Blocks or cushions

Not only is this great exercise, turn it into an imaginative journey over hills, rivers, and shark infested waters, and you'll add extra brain-boosting benefits. 

Indoor Obstacle Course Moves

Of course, you've got to have awesome moves. Like . . . 

Bunny hop

Crab crawl

Combat crawl

Climb

Side step

Tip-toe

Jump

Hop

Bounce

 

So, what do you think? Will do this with me?

5 Recycled Candy Wrapper Crafts for a Green Halloween

Posted by melissa.t on October 13, 2011 None comments

This Halloween, go green by upcycling your old candy wrappers! Upcycling is when you repurpose the recycled material into something else – like jewelry. Here are five crafty ways to upcycle your Halloween candy wrappers: jewelry, a candy bucket, a bookmark, flowers, and a light-switch plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. M&M Candy Wrapper Jewelry

For $19.95, you'll get directions, a hole puncher, 9 cords, 9 beads, 4 elastic loops,  30 sticky gems, and 200+ precut wrappers. Watch the video about how to fold the wrappers together. It really helps.

Our blogger friend, Miss Mimi, made jewelry using the Alex Kit with her daughter highly recommends it.Also, if you start making jewelry after Halloween, you'll have some beautiful, hand-made holiday gifts to give as presents!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Halloween Candy Wrapper Bucket

3. Candy Wrapper Bookmark

4. Candy Wrapper Flowers

5. Light-Switch Plates

 

So, go GREEN for HALLOWEEN!!! You'll be showing your kids how to reuse and recycle plus have tons of craft fun!

And, don't forget to upload your cuties in their Halloween costumes to our Facebook Page by October 31 for our Costume Contest!

Indoor Playrooms for Kids – The Essentials

Posted by melissa.t on October 6, 2011 2 comments

Today you're in for a treat with play advocates and bloggers sharing their indoor play spaces for kids! Want to share your play space? Upload your photos on the Imagine Toy's Facebook page.

Look at this amazing space from writer and mom, Patricia Driscoll of Critters and Crayons! She's made sure her kids have plenty of SPACE for play.

She has an so much room, isn't it great? Check it out closer  . . .

Another blogger, Laura Pherson Williams, who writes at Art for Little Hands gives us a peek before and after she's picked up. I can relate to this for sure, can't you? Keeping the room CLEAN is the only way your kids can really enjoy their toys.

Here's the before photo.

And after . . .

Good ORGANIZATION is essential in an indoor play room. Below, Kristina Buskirk from Toddler Approved, shares what she does with baskets and labels: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! Such great ideas, right?

I want a playroom with a tent and a swing.

And maybe a hammock. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No matter what kind of playroom space you have, you must have good storage to stay organized.

Like these colorful suitcases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or a kid-sized table with storage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or a multi-use bench toy chest. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What about you?

Where do your kids play?

How do you keep organized?

PLEASE SHARE!!

Post your playroom photos on our Facebook page. We would love to see where your kids are playing!

(*And, if you have a tent and hammock, I'm coming over to visit.)

 

 

 

11 Fall Fun Ideas For Kids

Posted by melissa.t on October 3, 2011 None comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What wonderful ways can kids enjoy nature during the fall season? 

1. Go on a nature hike. Bring a collection bag to collect rocks, leaves, seeds, or fancy sticks.

2. Hunt for signs of fall. Take digital photos for a fall book. Or, draw what you see in your fall nature journal.

3. Leaf play, art, and writing. 

4. Make pinecone bird feeders. Watch and observe what birds like the peanut butter. Write or draw in your nature observation journal.

5. Decorate gourds and pumpkins with sharpies, paint, glue, pom-poms, glitter, ribbons, felt, or other craft supplies. Or, hollow out and use as a vase for dried flowers.

6. Make chocolate chip pumpkin muffins – my kids' favorite pumpkin treat.

7. Rake leaves into pile and JUMP!

8. Visit an apple farm or a pumpkin patch.

9. Collect sticks and build a fairy house or tunnel.

10. Learn about letterboxing – an outdoor treasure hunt throughout the United States and world.

12. Stargaze and learn about the night sky in fall.

What other fall activities does your family enjoy?

Dress Up Imagination Play Not Just for Halloween

Posted by melissa.t on September 29, 2011 None comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boys and girls need dress-up play because it inspires imaginative thinking, sophisticated vocabulary, and problem solving. Plus, playing with others improves a child's social skills and cooperation.

Don't worry, it's not too hard to stock up on dress-up clothes.

And, if you have dress-up clothes, you might not need to buy a Halloween costume. That's what we did for years! Most years, our Halloween costumes came from our dress-up clothes. Last year, when my 8 year old daughter wanted to be Hermione from Harry Potter, it was the first time I actually bought a Halloween costume. Think of all the money I saved for eight years!  

Let me offer a few suggestions to get you started and organized with your own dress-up clothes stash. 

Good Containers for Dress-Up Clothes

  • Laundry hampers
  • Garbage bins
  • Large Rubbermaid boxes
  • Large wicker baskets
  • Large cardboard boxes
  • Suitcases

Shopping Ideas for Dress-Up Clothes

  • Thrift stores
  • After-Halloween sales
  • Garage sales
  • eBay
  • Cleaning out
  • Specialty toy stores (like Imagine Toys!)

Awesome Dress-Up Clothes Accessories and Props

Playing Dress-Up – Thematic Ideas

  • Mother / Father
  • Doctor
  • Vet
  • Zoo Keeper
  • Pirate
  • Princess
  • Movie Star
  • Explorer
  • Book Character
  • Cowboy / girl
  • Ballerina
  • Firefighter
  • Superhero
  • Fairy

Halloween is coming – but you can start now. Why not wear your costumes more than once on Halloween. How about all year around? 

Time to Play! Pirates Ahoy!

Posted by melissa.t on September 26, 2011 None comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pirates are a timeless pretend play theme and just as popular today as when I was a kid. I loved playing pirates with my best friend, Justin. We used our little sisters for captives (sorry), garbage can lids for shields (did pirates actually have shields?) and sticks for swords. All you need is imagination and a love of adventure!

Since Halloween is coming up, you might want to start your pirate play adventures now, especially if your child wants to be a pirate for Halloween.

Learn about pirates with great picture books, sticker books, and non-fiction books. Here are some good books to get you started.

Shiver Me Letters, A Pirate ABC by June Sobel

Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long

Pirates Past Noon by Mary Pope Osborne

Pirate Sticker Book

Pirate by Richard Platt

Pirate by Christopher Maynard

 

Be a pirate! You'll need: 

- a bandana

- an eye patch

- a sword (you can make yourself)

- treasure

- a treasure box

- a hideout

- a ship

- a treasure map

 

Do pirate things.

 

* Check out this cute pirate birthday party from the blog Makes and Takes. It makes me want to have a pirate birthday party!

10 Playful Ways to Learn Your ABCs

Posted by melissa.t on September 22, 2011 2 comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the parent of a preschooler, you need ways to help your child learn the alphabet. Since we know that kids learn best through interactive play, here are ten fun and playful ideas to help your child learn the alphabet.

1. Sing the alphabet song while marching and dancing around your house. 

There's a good reason to learn with songs — music helps us remember things! Add movement and it's even better.

2. Build with alphabet blocks. 

Say the letters and you help your child build towers and buildings.

3. Read alphabet books. 

There are so many great alphabet books about different things can help reinforce your child's alphabet knowledge. Make your own personalized alphabet book with this book kit software or your own digital photographs. 

4. Make alphabet cookies; eat alphabet cereal or crackers.

My kids love CheezIts Scrabble tiles for yummy alphabet snacks. Don't forget about Alphabits and alphabet soups either.

5. Play Alpha Catch. (photo above and right)

Alpha Catch is an active alphabet catching and throwing game. Each ball is a letter. When caught with the mitt, it sticks with the Velcro. Say your letters or sounds and playfully practice your alphabet – it's fun and practices large motor skills at the same time.

6. Play-dough alphabet.

Get out your play dough and make your name out of your favorite color. An adult can help by providing the letters traced on a paper that the child can cover up.

7. ABC Cookie Game.

No, these aren't real cookies but a cookie jar of games and letters for young children. Brain food is yummy, too!

8. Alphabet puzzles.

I love puzzles for learning, don't you? Kids learn the letters as shapes first – which is why they're writing sometimes is backwards or reversed – the letters don't yet have meaning. Knowing the shape is the important first step in learning the letters. Puzzles reinforce this.

9. Sand alphabet writing.

Find a sandbox or make your own and write your letters in the sand.

10. Make an alphabet sensory tub.

Give your kids a tub filled with wonderful tactile things – beans, rice, pasta, and alphabet letters! If you use magnetic letters, you can "fish" for the certain letters. Or have kids scoop out letters or use big tweezers to practice small motor skills.

 

Everything you do helps your child learn and reinforce the learning. There is no right way to parent or teach – just find what works for your child and make it fun!