This entry will be ongoing, I have only had a chance to take photos of two of his toys today and want to get started. I will post here pictures of toys that we have and that I recommend, I will include ages in which it was used most, ways we used them and ideas for other uses. I am also putting together a pinterest board which will include rec's for toys that O does not own but I would purchase if I could.
The first thing up is a DIY set of shaky bottles. To make these you need the mini sized water bottles (easier for little hands), water and food coloring (and glue if you want to glue the lids shut). O and I made these together one day. I filled them with water and dropped in food coloring, closed the caps and O shook them like crazy to mix up the colors. He has loved these from the first day, he takes them down and lines them up and puts them back again. Shakes them, looks through them, and rolls them on the floor. I keep them on the window sill near his table and chairs so that they catch the light and his attention. He reaches for them almost every day after finishing a snack. If I am sitting with him he loves to hand them to me and I say the colors out loud or count as he hands them over.
I did not glue these closed because I'm not sure we are finished with them yet. I may add glitter, buttons, beads or other items to them. Or I may just make a new set with those items.
(And I'm not sure why the red and orange look like the same color in the photo, they look different in real life)
The following picture is a set of weighted cylinders by Guide Kraft. They are recommended for ages 3+ but I gave them O at 13 months, figuring he'd find a way to use them. For the suggested age, these blocks are used for matching - both color and weight, building concentration and challenging perception.
First they were on the floor and weren't touched. Then when we got his table, I placed them on it, right in the middle. Almost immediately, O was intrigued and starting playing with them. First it was in and out of the tray, then he started stacking them. He now stacks up to 6 cylinders. These blocks are already building his concentration level, hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. He's not able to match the weights yet but is experiencing the differences and you can tell that he is aware of them.
This toy should support developmental growth for 4+ years. They can also be used along with building blocks.
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