123s educational toys for preschool kids at The Savvy Source for Parents

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Smart Splash Fun Number Ducks

by Learning Resources

For ages 6 months to 3 years

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There's something so reassuring when the simplest toys are also the most engaging. This set of little rubber duckies for the tub is simple and sweet, and even if it simply provided a little armada of friends for your little one's bath, we would be fond of it. But it is also a floating number game. Each duck is numbered on the bottom from 1 to 10, with the corresponding number of dots on his back. (And how long will it take your clever little one to figure out that the even numbers are orange, while the odd ones are blue? In fact, how long did it take you?) Line them up, sort them, count them, take a few away, count them again, this time backwards…. Well, you get the idea.

Counting Tower

by Voila Wooden Toys

For ages 1 to 3 years

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This is one of those classic wooden toys that is actually elegant in its simplicity. Your little stacker drops ten little plus-sign-shaped pieces in rainbow colors through the top of the plain, numbered wooden tower and then pulls them out one by one through the bottom. As they add up, and as they subtract away, the numbers along the edge of the tower tell you how many are left. It's a simple, charming, self-contained counting puzzle. Just the kind of toy we especially love. Look also at the Math and Counting Blocks, Tug a Lug Counting Pull Truck, and Acrobat Numbers, all also by Voila Wooden Toys; they are all so lovely that it's nearly impossible to choose.

Time to Learn Preschool

by Fisher Price

For ages 2-5 years

View Time to Learn Preschool on Amazon.com >

This little preschool play scene is a well-loved favorite among some of our Savvy kiddies, and we would be willing to bet that they've barely even noticed all the counting they've learned in between all the regular old fun they've been having with this toy. Each of the ten Little People figures gathered around this little red schoolhouse and its playground is holding a different number, and the touch-activated mat quizzes your very own little person about numbers, as well as colors and shapes. The abacus counts, and so does the sidewalk as the figures walk along. Even with the sound off, it's a fun little imagination scene where your little one can play school. And the pretend playground with its slide and swings and teeter totter may just be the answer for how your little one gets to go park on an otherwise inclement winter day!

Teaching Cash Register

by Learning Resources

For ages 3+ years

View Teaching Cash Register on Amazon.com >

This award-winning toy is the perfect way to combine some serious math and number-based learning with a ton of fun and imaginative play. Your little shopkeeper will learn basic math and money skills as she uses the electronic coin identifier, rings up sales, scans pretend credit cards and coupons or plays the multi-level math games prompted by the register. Because its levels increase in difficulty as the child gets more advanced, this is a toy that both your three-year-old can tinker with and your five-year-old can really work with. They can use it to run a pretend café, and maybe they'll be willing to bring you a cup of tea while you read in the corner, just to add to the realistic effect! Don't forget, that'll be $1.50, ma'am!

West Indian Counting Song from House Party CD

by Dan Zanes

For ages all ages

View West Indian Counting Song from House Party CD on Amazon.com >

The thing about counting with your little ones is that once it catches on, it really catches on, and the next thing you know you can't walk up a set of stairs even all by yourself without silently counting as you trudge. Enter Dan Zanes - our hero of music that your kids will adore that doesn't seem for one note like 'kid music' - with this wonderful, quirky, island-style counting song to add some much needed syncopation to your daily rhythm. It's an a cappella rendition of a group of women counting to 60 and then dissolving into laughter, and we think it's fantastic. Plus, it's about a minute long itself, and that makes it a fun thing to sing with your little one to pass time - if you are waiting for something that is going to take about two minutes, help your darling one sing the song twice, and you'll have mastered counting, sung a song that delights you and avoided a fuss during waiting. The song of our dreams...

Learn and Groove Maracas

by Leap Frog

For ages 6 months to 3 years

View Learn and Groove Maracas on Amazon.com >

This is a rare toy that offers both a bit of distraction to a wee little one and a bit of instruction to an older sibling. It's a maraca - of course it's irresistible for a tiny person! And every time you give it a shake, an electronic voice counts from 1 to 10 in both English and Spanish. In a different mode, shakes introduce primary and secondary colors, also in both English and Spanish. While your preschooler may well already know numbers and colors in one language, perhaps a few tricks in another would be fun to try out on the playground. And how nice is it to find a toy that you can actually encourage your older child to share with a younger sibling, letting you exhale for a moment after that breathless vigilance as you tried to keep the tiniest Lego pieces out of arm's reach of the baby!

Our Theme for September 2008

The Social Life of Preschoolers

Now At BeingSavvy

The Birthday Party Social Whirl

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September

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Sometimes we get a bit frazzled when the wave of invitations splashes onto our family's calendar, but ... Read more >

123s Educational Toys