Play time!

As Brooke has gotten older play time has become more fun! Here are some of her favorites as of right now.

Blocks-  She loves these! It is a wooden train set and she will sit and put the blocks on and off the little pegs for what feels like forever some days.  I love watching her little mind work as it is clear that she has a "mission" to complete.  Red one on, blue one on, then both off, one on each peg and then together again.  Occasionally she will stop, admire her work and clap. It is adorable! It has also been fun watching her figure out how to do it.  Her most recent technique is to stick her finger in the hole and then feel for the peg and slide it on.  Much more successful than the random banging technique she used at first.

Magnets- Many years ago we bought these wooden animals for a class project for Brett.  I decided to add magnets to the back of them for Brooke.  It only took her a day and she figured out how to use them and loves them. Probably a tie with the blocks for her absolute favorite. She will carry them around the house and then when she finds one she will take it back to the fridge.  She loves putting them on and off as well as pushing them down the fridge until they fall off the bottom.

Hows that for some bed-head?  She is clapping for herself

Pushing one of the Halloween magnets down to the bottom

Animals- In conjunction with the magnets Brooke likes learning about animals.  Her favorite seems to be the cow because she "moo's" whenever she sees one.  This is actually kind of an example of accidental teaching.  I mean, I knew what I was doing when I would point out the animals and sounds but I did not expect her to actually retain the information yet.  She proved me wrong!  The other day we were playing with the tiger magnet for the first time and I said "tiger, roar!" She looked at me and then pointed into the kitchen.  Then she turned around and went into the kitchen and got the lion (one of the magnets that we had played with for the last few days), who also says roar, and brought it back to me.  What a smarty pants! So then I "quizzed" her and was surprised by how many she could pick out.  Here are just a few...

(Video)

Farm Toy- This toy is a hit because it makes animal noises and she gets to open and close the gates.  She also tries to pick it up and carry it around with her.

Puzzles- I got a great deal on some puzzles so I bought them knowing she is still a little young for them.  She loves playing with the little pieces (they are all animals) and picking them out of their spots.  I don't have a picture, but we have a few larger piece puzzles and she has even started to try and put them in their right spots.

Books- Still a huge hit around here.  She will stop and read her books multiple times a day. She has quite the collection growing and will sometimes sort through and pick one specifically.  Her favorites include one with "actions" like the farm animal flap book, the slide pictures in Brown Bear Brown Bear what do you see?, the sound buttons on another fabric farm book and the pictures in her touch and feel books.  Books are also a favorite while in the car, she gets thrilled when I ask her if she wants a book and hand it to her while she is in her car seat.  

Walks- Although not a toy, one of her favorite activities is going for a walk, especially if we end up at the fountain. This little video shows her excitement as we approach the fountain. (It also shows her saying "up up up" when she wants me to pick her up.

(video)

Usually Brooke does a good job at holding my hand while we are walking because the sidewalks aren't exactly kid friendly.  If I ever let her walk on her own she gets so excited and starts walking so fast that she has to put her hands behind her to maintain balance...

Bubbles- no picture for this one but blowing bubbles continues to be a hit.  Now that she is much more controlled while standing/walking she can actually get to the bubbles in time before they pop and she loves that.

Play Wallet- Brooke got into my diaper bag and got my wallet one too many times so I decided to turn an old wallet into a play one just for her. She loves putting the old plastic cards in and out as well as opening and closing the flaps.

On any given day she will also become fixated on a number of different toys.  The nesting bowls, the Velcro on her shoes, the ball, her stuffed animals, dropping the lids into the wipes container etc.  And then there are all the non-toy activities like pulling the clean clothes off the couch, opening and closing the cupboards, trying to get the books on the bookshelf, etc.  Endless entertainment options for this little girl.

What toys do your kids like? Anything I'm missing that I should introduce to Brooke??