A notebook for drawings, lists, stories and stickers.
A private thing that's theirs, the analog diary.
Prompt ideas: "best thing today," "I wish..." Never read without permission.
You'll need: Notebook
Beautiful wood blocks in a modern palette. They look nice enough to leave out in the living room, which is half the battle for getting kids to play with blocks.
Honest drawback: Non-magnetic, so towers topple more easily than with Tegu's magnetic line. Some kids find that frustrating, others find it more satisfying.
Six chunky magnetic wood pieces that stick to each other and to tray tables. It's the most quietly brilliant restaurant toy we know: no rolling away, no noise, and no small loose magnets.
What real parents say: One family reviewer reports almost ten years of playing, chewing and crashing on Tegu magnetic blocks. Sources
Honest drawback: Six pieces is a short game for older kids. It shines for ages 1–4.
Proper unit blocks, the kind every good preschool classroom has, made from reclaimed rubberwood. PlanToys says they use formaldehyde-free glue and water-based dyes.
Honest drawback: Fifty blocks is a starter set. Classrooms use hundreds.
