My son is just a little over two and LOVES puzzles. He has so many and he is starting to get bored with the ones he has. He has over 30+ puzzles including animals, shapes alphabet, chunky wood ones to acually jigsaw 24 piece puzzles. He is able to complete them all on his own and has now started putting them together upside down (with top of puzzles facing him and a few he can put together with the pic facing down)
So my question here is what types of games/toys come next to keep him using his problem solving skills? He also really enjoys playing with flash cards. Hoping to get a few new things for him for Chrismas and ideas would be great. He also has an amazing memory!
Thanks!!
How about some dressing frames. Look up some Montessori materials. I bet you'll find some stuff he'd like and learn. We do Montessori homeschooling as much as we can. I'm slowly building up the supplies. They can be expensive.
Tangram puzzles.
My kids started doing those at 2 years old. They loved it then at that age, and even still now. Great for problem solving.
Its great, even for adults.
There are kid versions as well.
These are the best.
You can get them online like at Amazon, or in stores.
I also suggest the game "Rush Hour" by ThinkFun.
My daughter started playing this game, and being able to solve it, from about 2.5 years old. Your son sounds as though he might be able to understand this game. Its for adults, BUT they also have kid versions.
Its a SUPER fun game.. .and my son who is 3 yrs. old, now can play it too. Great for the family/adults/kids.
You can get it at Amazon or any kid toy store... or Barnes and Noble in the store or online.
I LOVE the games/puzzles by "ThinkFun." GREAT games for problem solving and cognition and memory... for kids AND adults. We like to play it together as a family. Can't go wrong with these games.
Good luck,
Susan
My soon-to-be 3 year old twin boys love memory...you can even use a regular deck of cards so they can learn to recognize the numbers. They love to flip them over and find the matches (not really problem solving, but developmentally good) I just bought them the next level (smaller) legos and lincoln logs for Christmas also that have more specific parts rather then just general square blocks. Also, this is the time when he should begin dramatic play...pretending, dressing up...I also bought my boys (much to my husband's dismay) a kitchen for X-mas...not pink though!!! They LOVE the one at their preschool. They have a tool bench that they love to use the screwdriver and the pliers...Go to Step2.com
I recently became a rep for Discovery Toys and we have some really great puzzle toys that I think your son will love. They are fun to play and they require thinking, so he'll learn something at the same time. There are a few ways to order:
1. You can go directly to my website http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao
2. Come to a party I'm having at my house on the 18th! Send me a private message and I'll give you the details
3. Have me host a party in your home for your friends - you can earn free toys!
There are a few specific toys that I really think your son would enjoy. If you go to my website listed above, you can see each toy:
1. EZ Blocks Wheels & More
2. Busy Farm
3. Busy Pets
4. On the Go Flashcards - ABC
5. Playful patterns - this one is meant for older kids (age 4+), but if you and your son do it together, he will love it!
6. It's a Match!
7. Motor Works - also for older kids but great to do together
If you have questions about any of these toys, I'd be happy to answer them for you. I really believe these could be a lot of fun for your son.
Your son seems to like putting shapes together, have you thought about all the building toys they have out there? Lego’s, blocks, Lincoln logs, Tinker toys, ECT. Just having him create pattern sequences with colored blocks can be fun and educational. Getting him to recognize patterns is a precursor to reading and arithmetic as you probably know, so you may want to head out to a school supply store and look over what they have there for preschool and kindergarten in this area. But if those are not his forte and he has learned letters and/or numbers from those flash cards you mentioned, then I would try puzzles that have numbers or letters on them. One’s that require him to put them in order or in some other spatial relation to each other. Also a good bet for a child like yours whose attention span is advanced for his age; there are a lot of computer soft wear programs available for preschoolers. My kids liked the Winnie the Pooh one, which was out ages ago. (My children are 17 and 21) It had so many different things for them to do.
