Toys Toys and more Toys

it's nearly Christmas and I've been looking for the perfect present for Matthew and we've decided to get him a balance bike based on the reviews from other parents and watching the kids play around the park. At 18 going on 19 months, he's the perfect age for it. Watch this video. There are so many different brands and variations it's very hard for a parent to choose which one. Hopefully we can decide which one before Christmas!

I thought this morning that it would be good to document/remember what kind of toys Matthew's 'into' at this age..

Blocks (Megabloks & Duplo) - loves these, plays with them daily for the last few months. Stacks them then knocks them over or pulls them apart and starts all over again. He gets lots of enjoyment from these.

Shape sorters - we have a few different ones (Tolo, Fischer Price and ELC) He plays with all of them, especially the Tolo one (great eBay bargain for $3!) and works the shapes in and out and opens the case to get the shapes out with any problems. Also plays with this daily.

Stringing Beads (see pic on left) - he loves these, even though the packaging says suited for children 36+ months, perhaps they could be choking hazard, but Matthew does not swallow anything he can't eat. We were introduced to these when we were at a friend's place for the playdate. They have a 3 children all of varying ages so it was great experience for Matthew to try out different toys before buying! (Sadly this family is moving away to Melbourne)

Wind up toys - Cheap and small but highly entertaining for Matthew. We have all sorts of these pint sized toys - cars, walking shoes, chattering teeth, a Mexican riding a horse etc. They are great to just throw in my handbag before heading out for a meal as after about 20 mins or so of waiting for food or for us to finish our meals Matthew can get very fidgety.

Cars/Plastic Animals - he's building a small collection. He got his first set of cars his 1st birthday and animals during his first visit to the zoo.  Plays with these often too and amazingly looks after them well. Keeps them on display, lined up on his toy shelf.

Books - lots and lots of books. We have lots, close to a hundred children's books and counting. Some, which were given as gifts I've put away because he's too young for them. We've been 'reading' books together every day since he was born and he never tires of looking through them. He'll often sit on his own and flip through the pages. Our favourite or rather my favourite is this one (see right pic) called 'Kisses' by Barney Saltzberg. The best ones for small children are the hard board books with plenty of textures, colours and things to do (pull, touch, press, squeak etc). In Sydney, there is a great children's bookstore in Beecroft which organizes readings by the book's author. I havent been able to find anything like that in Singapore, even at the libraries. The consolation though is that books are much cheaper in Singapore, sometime up to 50% less than Aus!

There are lots of other toys that he likes to play with semi-regularly, like kicking one of his many (many) soccer balls or giving his drum kit a bash. But the best activity for an active toddler like Matthew is plenty of active play, singing & dancing, playing at playground with other kids and swimming. Makes them sleep really well ;)