Friday Family Fill-In: My Favorite Things (Toy Edition)

One of the benefits of having more than one child is the ability to pull old toys out of storage instead of having to buy new ones. Of course, since our second baby is a little lady, we are planning to get her some feminine toys for Christmas since her toy repertoire to date has consisted of any and all sports equipment, trains, tools, cars and trucks, etc. 

However.

There are a few toys that have stood the test of time with both of kiddos that I thought were worth a mention. 

So, here are a few of my favorite things (toy edition):

1. The That's Not My... book series. 

When I was pregnant with my first babe, one of my sisters started giving me these books and continued after he was born. They are adorable and great for sensory play (i.e., lots to touch and feel; bright, shiny pictures:). My little girl is a HUGE fan of these books and I read at least four of them to her a day. I just love seeing her stick that sweet little finger out to touch each page and feel the different textures. I highly recommend them!

2. A medical kit. 

Every other day, and sometimes every day, my little guy and I pull out the ol' medical kit and take turns doing health examinations on the other. It is so fun to see his imagination run wild while watching him attempt to come up with the diagnosis. And my little lady loves this kit as well...although more because she enjoys chewing on each piece of equipment. 

3. Standard building blocks.

We have used these a lot lately, mainly to build the brick home of the "Three Little Pigs," which we play all the time. It is also fun to stack these blocks up and let both my big and little one knock down the tower. 

4. Dress up clothes.

I bought my little buddy a couple of costumes post-Halloween (at 75% off!) that he will be receiving for Christmas. However, he also recently received a couple of costumes from his buddy, Jackson, that he loves dressing up in. Again, imagination overload. I love it. And have no fear. I have full intentions of letting his little sis dress up in her own little girly costumes as soon as she's ready.

5. Crayola Color Wonder.

The absolute beauty of these markers is that they only color on special paper. This means fun with markers while avoiding having my home and walls covered in kiddie signatures and pictures. Even my little lady loves pulling the tops of the markers off and on, off and on, off and on, over and over again; yet, I don't have to worry about her coloring on her sweet baby skin.

6.  Any and all balls.

I have written many times before about how much my little buddy loves sports, sports, and more sports. But you know what? His little sister loves holding, throwing, and chasing all kids of different sports balls. Fun for all ages...and especially fun to hear my little girl say "ball" over and over while holding them.

  

7. Crafts of all shapes and sizes

One of the things I love to do with my kids is various art projects and am actively trying to pass down my love of all things crafty to them. Not only do I think arts and crafts are great for fine motor skills and creativity, but the end result is something the kids can be proud of. In fact, my most favorite wall in our whole house is the one that displays my little ones' art projects.

So, there you have it. A few of my favorite things, toy edition.