When it comes to wrangling the wee ones into bed, I think that most parents have a similar evening routine in common: bath, books, bed.
That's how ours goes, but in recent months as my hub has been taking over for me as the sun goes down and my belly grows out, I can tell that being the sole storyteller night after night, while gingerly leafing through dog-eared favorites can get old, quick. So can the responsibility of playing bard to a roomful of pajama-clad critics.
Not so, with Thinkativity - a new brand from Cosmotot fave, Step 2. Debuting nationally at Target stores nationwide,
Thinkativity toys promote learning and development for younger
preschoolers, giving children a chance to do everything from learn their ABCs to create their own stories and learn new languages.
Better yet, Thinkativity toys are devoted to promoting
imaginative, self-directed learning and incorporate bright colors, innovative
illustrations and sunny music, which are also the perfect learning tools for children with special needs.
Cosmotot's holiday picks are the award-winning Pretend & Play Storyteller (shown at top left, $24.99), which is so much more than just another too-precious pretty in pink kind of toy for girls ages two and up. This princess castle not only allows children to create and build their own fairytale adventure by spinning story cubes, but even comes complete with a fairy godmother who can act as narrator with a click of a button.
Boys (and girls who might not dig the whole princess thing) ages two and up can build their creative storytelling and language skills with yet another award winner - the Soar & Explore Storyteller (shown at bottom right, $24.99). Not only can budding bards in the making spin their own stories with the plane's spinning story cubes, but they can also learn to say hello, goodbye and thank you in eight different languages.
Both story telling toys come with batteries, too, which means dad might get a night off as the kiddies regale him with tales of far away lands filled with princes or pirates and other adventures, instead of the other way around.
However, before storytelling can even come into play from a pint-sizers angle, a good place to start is with the foundation of any good tale: the ABC's. With Thinkativity's Feed & Learn Singing Croc (shown at bottom left, $19.99), which also happens to be another award winning toy, wee ones ages 18 months and up can get to know a friendly-faced, interactive crocodile that sings for its supper while learning all about the alphabet.
With each double-sided alphabet "cartridge" inserted into the crocodile's mouth, he sings 26 different songs about letters and words. When playtime is over, the letters A-Z can be stored in its tummy for safe-keeping. We did find that the "cartridges" are a little hard to insert into the croc's mouth, but at the same time, this can be a perfect occupational or physical therapy-based activity for those honing their fine and gross motor skills along with speech development.
Although it doesn't come with a volume control button (a bummer for the parents) at least there's an on/off switch if things get out of hand.