Go Fish

S has finally fallen in love with games and I love to play them with  him.  "Go Fish" is a favorite.  We have this version and I like it because it reinforces upper and lower case match-ups for him and it also teaches the names of baby animals, but it got me thinking that there's nothing special about this deck that makes it "Go Fish".  You could also use any deck of flashcards that has pairs in it (colors, shapes, letters, numbers, etc.) or you could buy two of the same deck of flashcards to create an educational "Go Fish" game.  Dollar Tree usually has a selection of simple flashcards. 

Qwirkle $14

This is such a great game for kids AND adults and $13.99 is a great price (free shipping if you're signed up for free Amazon Mom or spend $25).  The price could change any minute on Amazon though.  S is too young to play right now, but the pieces can be used by preschoolers to sort by different attributes or a toddler could do simple matching.  They are also fun to dump out of toy dump trucks!

Baby and Toddler Computer Games

I understand if you are not interested in introducing your tot to the computer yet, but S caught me in a weak moment the other day and now there's no going back.  Babygamer.com has a collection of links to a variety of free baby/toddler internet "games."  They basically all work the same way - there is some type of response when any key on the keyboard is pushed.  I have convinced myself that they are good lessons in cause and effect, but there are some that are more educational (i.e when a key is pushed the next letter of the alphabet comes up). 

Also, we do not own an iPhone, but I have read/heard a lot of people talking about free and inexpensive applications for toddlers.  One of my favorite blogs 1+1+1=1 has a list of a few.

If you know of any others, please feel free to comment. 

Toddler Scrabble

My mom came across this Alphabet Game from 1972 and it is so great!  It has a precious game board and spinner, but what I love about it is the game cards.

The goal is to spell words on the game cards using big plastic letters, but I love it now for S because he can just match the letters on the cards and there is a picture of the word on the card as well.  It reminds me of this homemade activity, but cuter.  My only complaint is that I am not a fan of using all capital letters. 

Thanks, Mom!

7 Preschool Games for Less Than $4 at TRU!

S is too young for these, but I couldn't resist such a deal.  I will either save them as gifts or they would also be great for a Christmas toy drive this year.  Of course Memory I will keep for matching!   Here's the deal at Toys R Us:

Preschool Milton Bradley/Hasbro Games $3.99 Each

• Candy Land
• Cootie
• Chutes and Ladders
• Don’t Break The Ice
• Hi-Ho Cherry-O
• Ants in Pants (I did not get this one)
• Memory

Buy $25 in Hasbro games, get a $10 gift card
Submit Hasbro Rebate of $2.00 per game
 
7 games ($3.99 each)= $27.93
- $10 gift card
- $14 rebate ($2 per game)
= $3.93 (or 57 cents each!)
 
*Note 1:  My store let me buy 6 games and included the tax towards the $25, but others haven't been as lucky.  So I actually bought 6 games for $1.94 (that's 33 cents each!).
 
*Note 2:  You can't buy multiples of the same game for the rebate to work.
 
Also, if you only wanted Memory, you could buy it for $3.99 now and fill out the $2.00 rebate so that the final cost is $1.99 (still a good deal since these are noramlly priced at $10 each).

If you are new to my blog, we are currently giving away a set of Gaddy Nipper Crayons here!
 

Memory Matching

Today I borrowed my childhood Memory game from my mom's house.  Like Twister, Memory (aka Concentration) is another great game for toddlers.  While S is not ready to play Memory, it's fun to use for matching and vocabulary development.  Of course you could get the original Memory, but I think these are very cute: 

• eeBoo
• Plan Toys 
• Land of Nod

Twister

Everyone should own Twister.  It has so many uses:
1.  S loves to sit and play on it since it gives him a different sensory experience while on it.
2.  While he plays, we talk about colors.  I will take a red object and place it on one of the red circles.  Over time, he will be able to take over this color matching and sorting.
3.  It can also double as a splat mat for art, sand/water tables, and under highchairs.
4.  Finally, it will be a fun activity to practice right/left hand/foot when he's older.