Play invitations for children 4 - 5 years of age
As your child begins their transition out of early childhood you may notice that a new version of them begins to emerge. Along with their internal growth, their bodies are shifting and changing too! We can help our children have a positive body image
Curiosity is one of the many precious gifts that children bring into our lives. When your child was younger curiosity led to ongoing “experiments” (Will this bounce if I throw it?) that helped your child develop a foundational understanding of the wo
Praise can be tricky. On one hand, having your own cheerleading section feels good! On the other hand, when we praise children unskillfully, our words can diminish a child’s confidence, serve to make them feel less seen and celebrated, and cause them
Pretend play. Pretend or imaginative play has not traditionally been a part of the Montessori 3-6 year old curriculum. And yet, if we follow Montessori’s golden rule of “follow the child” we will see that nearly all children move toward imaginative p
A child’s curiosity is what drives their deep love of learning. Four year olds are champion question askers.Their minds are opening up to the broader world and they have the capacity to ask about everything - and they do! Although it can be tiresome
The Mini Car Set is a great addition to any roadway or train set you may already own. It is also an opportunity to create and build other roadways in your play space! Consider identifying other vehicles or building materials that could be used in
The Curvy Click Clack is a smaller version of a marble run that helps develop visual tracking and cause & effect principles. Consider demonstrating how to place the marble into the track. Consider helping to identify the bumps in the track and
The Road & Rail set is a classic track for building and playing with vehicles and roads. Consider identifying other vehicles or building materials that could be used in this set. Consider demonstrating how to assemble the road set. Consider
The large Fire Truck is a wonderful vehicle to create endless imaginative play scenarios. Consider demonstrating how to fire truck operates narrating your actions. Consider identifying each of the parts of the fire truck and their importance. Allow
The Lucas Tower is a progressive toy that starts as a basic ring stacker and can progress into an advanced game of logic. Consider demonstrating how to categorize the pieces from smallest to largest. Consider demonstrating the Lucas Tower logic game
The Banjolele is a beginner string instrument to explore and make music, complete with strings that can be tuned. After giving your child time to explore on their own, encourage singing a favorite song like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or "Baa Baa Black
The weather watch from Tender Leaf Toys is a fantastic and interactive board to spark conversation with your child about their observations of the world around them. We suggest using this interactively with your child and potentially creating a
The Stacking Acrobats are a perfect introduction into more complex balance and stacking, requiring focus, concentration and fine motor skills. The Acrobats can double as imaginative play or as a game to be played with multiple people! Consider
The wooden cars from CandyLab are full of opportunities for open-ended and imaginative play. Consider incorporating with other building or road sets Consider creating a ramp using a piece of cardboard or hard surface to create a ramp race Consider
The wooden cars from CandyLab are full of opportunities for open-ended and imaginative play. Consider incorporating with other building or road sets Consider creating a ramp using a piece of cardboard or hard surface to create a ramp race Consider
One to one counting can be done with nearly any item within your house. The significance of the Coins to Count is the inclusion of number recognition in your child's early learning of numbers, counting and math. Select one of each number in your coin
The 12 Nins can be used for imaginative play, to create stories and small worlds. And combined with other items, they can be part of many other games and activities. Importantly, this material is not structured, which allows for open-ended use. We
The elements of this set allow the child to create their own small worlds. There are no instructions or rules. As each object is open-ended, it allows your child to create their own narrative about the world they are creating. The coins can be roads
The 8 Cars is an incredible addition to any imaginative play set. As your toddler begins to create representative play situations, this set can help them explore their creativity with an entire roadway of vehicles! Consider incorporating with train
The Bus & People is an incredible addition to any imaginative play set. As your toddler begins to create representative play situations, this set can help them explore their creativity. Consider incorporating with train tracks, roadways and other
The House & Cars is an incredible addition to any imaginative play set, creating the foundation for a town, home or village and the people within them. As your toddler begins to create representative play situations, this set can help them explore
A stacking and building puzzle in the beautiful tones of the sunset! Your child can build and play with the arches and blocks or assemble the puzzle. Handcrafted in Europe from a single piece of wood, this sunset building set is an easy puzzle that
The Forest Trail Set is an invitation to explore the great outdoors! Skills developed: imaginative play Parts included: Bag, Waterproof Ground Sheet, Magnifying Glass, Compass, Exploration Cards Safety: Children’s play should be monitored at all time
The Mini Golf Set is a great introduction to the sport of golf. Skills developed: gross motor skills, cause & effect, movement, collaborative play Parts included: 2 Golf Clubs, 2 Balls, 3 Plates, 1 Hole Safety: Children’s play should be monitored at
A stacking and building puzzle in the beautiful tones of the sunset! Your child can build and play with the arches and blocks or assemble the puzzle. Handcrafted in Europe from a single piece of wood, this sunset building set is an easy puzzle that