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Prepping for Kindergarten with Playmobil

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PlayWithPlaymobil #CollectiveBias

Prepping for Kindergarten- I loved playing with Playmobil as a kid and they have continued to put out great toys for our kid’s generation. The school bus toy is getting my daughter excited for her year at Kindergarten next year and I couldn’t be more pleased for her.

Hover over the image to shop for the School Bus play set

Playmobil makes toy sets that are perfect for kids 4+. My daughter is 5 and she was able to follow the instructions to put all the stickers where they go and put the backpacks on the little students. Her favorite part of any toy is getting it set up. The Playmobil School Bus had the perfect amount of set up for her to not get frustrated before she got to play with the toy.
Playmobil School Bus toy perfect for kindergarten prep

Playmobil School Bus toy perfect for kindergarten prep
Prepping for Kindergarten

There are three things we’re doing to prep Sophia for kindergarten next year.

  1. Making sure we know what they’re teaching in her grade. The Indiana Department of Education lists out exactly what she’ll be learning next year so she’ll be confident in what she already knows.
  2. Working on meeting friends and all that comes with friendship. As she has been an only child until a couple months ago we wanted her to have lots of interaction with kids to learn sharing, compromise, empathy and kindness.
  3. Preparation of what’s to come. She’s most excited to ride the bus so we pretend play with her Playmobil school bus. Her favorite thing is to take it outside on the driveway, make chalk roads and drive it along waiting for the real school bus to drop off the neighbor kids. The bus drivers in our neighborhood know her name because she has now made friends with them all in her excitement to start school next year. I’m so glad she’s excited about going to school. When I ask what she’s most excited for, her response is always ‘RIDING THE SCHOOL BUS!’ Her enthusiasm for school will hopefully make it less difficult for me to watch her ride off on her first day.

Playmobil School Bus toy perfect for kindergarten prep

Playmobil School Bus toy perfect for kindergarten prep

Walmart carries a large variety of the Playmobil sets for very affordable prices. We found sets from their City Life, The Explorers, Dinos and Family Fun lines. I love that they have sets that you can build onto to make as elaborate as your imagination can dream. You can see lots of different ways kids and their parents play with Playmobil here.

Playmobil School Bus toy perfect for kindergarten prep

Playmobil School Bus toy perfect for kindergarten prep
Playmobil Makes a Great Gift

Playmobil has been making toys in the US since 1974. My parents saved the Playmobil farm set my sister and I played with as kids and now my daughter and nieces love playing with them! The high quality characters move easily and all of the toys are manipulative. On this school bus the lid can be taken off and the lights work. It’s the little details that make kids love Playmobil sets so much. At 5, my daughter is the perfect age to begin playing with the school bus and we’ll be getting her the playground set to go along with it for her birthday because they’re perfect for helping to develop her cognitive and social/emotional skills.

What are some other ways you helped prep your little ones for Kindergarten? The school bus seems to be the thing she’s most excited for so, for now, I’m milking it for all I can!

Related Posts:

Tips for a Smooth Back to School

Homeschool Field Trips Around Indianapolis

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Gift Guide for 1 Year Olds

Hello friends! I have a 4 year old niece who is awesome and super fun to shop for at the holidays. I also have a one year old, of my own, who is terribly difficult to buy gifts for.christmas-1We have been extremely lucky to know generous friends and family who give us toys, books and clothes second hand so she is swimming in STUFF.

Sophie also just had her Birthday where people said ‘what does Sophie need for her Birthday?’ and I would reply with ‘I have no idea because she has everything in the world’ (and I wasn’t joking.) She ended up getting some really thoughtful gifts that we were all happy to receive and bring into our home and here comes Christmas and people are, yet again, asking ‘what does Sophie need for Christmas?’ I realize, unless you are the parent or guardian of the child, you have no idea what to get the child. Perhaps the child already has that toy, perhaps the parents don’t want them to have that toy, maybe there is already too many toys, books and clothes that the parents are considering buying a bigger home to fit everything (all of these are very real possibilities.) I wanted to do a round up of some of Sophie’s favorite toys or toys that would be awesome for a 1 year old to receive.

Handmade Toys:

quiet-book

DIY Quiet Book. I’d love to make a felt quiet book for Sophie to play with in the car, at a restaurant or on trips. I found this amazing site on clever activities to add to your quiet book but you could always buy one on Amazon.

teepee

DIY Teepee. I think little forts, nooks, tents and teepees are awesome little areas for kids to have playtime or reading time. How fun is this teepee Jen made for her daughter?!

dress-up-wings

DIY Dress-up Wings. I am obsessed with this skirt/wings combo for dress up (or the grocery store.) Lier makes amazing costumes for her kid’s and these dress-up wings are no exception!

8-monsters

DIY Zipper Monsters. I’ve never sewed a stuffed animal or even added a zipper to anything but these zipper pouched monsters are amazing! Kids can hide things in their mouths!

Store Bought Toys:

shapesortcubekidcomp

Sorting Cube. Sorting cubes are a great learning toy for toddlers. I like this Melissa and Doug version because, Sophie who just turned one, can’t figure out how to put the shapes in yet, but she loves taking colorful shapes in and out of buckets. She’ll learn soon enough how to sort the shapes in the correct holes.

mega-blocks

Mega Blocks. Mega Blocks are an awesome pre-Duplo/pre-Lego toy that little toddlers can use to stack and build towers.

water-table

Water Table. There are a ton of different water tables out there. You can even make your own out of PVC pipe! I liked this Step2 water table for someone Sophie’s size because more than one kid can play at once and there’s a lot of space reserved for splashing.

melissa-and-doug-blocks-wooden-abc-123

Wood Blocks. You can’t go wrong with wood toys and wood blocks are a staple in every kid’s toy box. They’re great for learning numbers, letters, colors and how to be destructive like Godzilla.

Indestrucibles

Indestructible Books. My sister bought Soph a few of these indestructible books and they are awesome. These books are tear proof, chew proof, water proof books with beautiful illustrations.

dolphin

Musical Bath Toy. Sophie loves bath time but I know a lot of one year olds don’t like baths. These colorful dolphins make whistling noises when you dunk them into the water. I’m sure she can’t tell that they’re different tones but she loves bopping them to make them whistle!

Do you agree with me that 1 year olds are difficult to buy for? Especially if you’re not the parent or guardian. What is your go-to 1 year old present?? Usually they like the tissue paper and bag the gift comes in better than the present! Any tips on toy management so you don’t feel overwhelmed after holidays with TOYS?

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Top Toys for 7-8 Month

Hiya Friends! Now that Soph’s more mobile, I’ll be doing toy posts more often. She has a pretty shore attention span when it comes to playing with toys. Watching Frozen, on the other hand, can be done in it’s entirety now. Crazy! I wanted to list some of her very favorite toys that she plays with every day. 8 month toys
  1.  You’ve probably all at least seen Sophie la Giraffe, if you don’t currently have one. Sophie now has 8 teeth and has never really gotten into any of her teethers. She LOVES this giraffe for teething though. She’ll play with it without teething as well.
  2. The Bright Starts Activity Table has been her longest toy in rotation. She got tall pretty quickly so was able to sit in the saucer at an early age. She can now pull herself up to play with the table while standing wobbly for a minute. I also still love this toy because it will keep her attention just long enough for me to clean the kitchen or my husband and I to eat dinner together!
  3. Stacking rings are a big hit with Soph. She loves knocking them over, chewing on the rings and even playing fetch (I know that sounds terrible but she really enjoys throwing them and chasing them all over the room!)
  4. Now that it’s sunny and warm at least one day of the week, we like pool time for a little bit. She only lasts about 10 minutes in the pool, so it’s not much for all the hassle of slathering in SPF and peeling off a wet swim suit but she LOVES it! I throw in a bath book, a cup and rings and she splashes and smiles the whole time. This pool is smaller than I thought it would be based on the picture but I like the high walls and the fact that it was only $15.
  5. Puffs have been a fun adventure! I’ve really enjoyed watching her get a little better at eating them every day. We don’t get them as a snack or food replacement but as practice for her hand-eye coordination.
  6. The Laugh and Learn Stride-to-Ride Puppy is a toy that Sophie has loved from the start. We brought it out when she was too young to use the shapes, push the dog or ride on it while holding on. She’s always loved watching the lights and listening to him sing. She now likes to play with the shapes, can hold on to ride and can use him to stand up. She’ll eventually be able to scoot herself on him, push him around and put the shapes in the holes. This is another great toy that will last a long time
  7. The Indestructibles books are amazing. Sophie loves when we read to her with the board books because she can turn the pages but the Indestructibles books are…well…indestructible. They will survive literally everything a child can do to them.
  8. This cute cloud/octopus (we don’t know what it is) has been one of lil bean’s favorite toys for a long time. She will just stare at him until you make her stop. She really likes to hold him and move him around while watching the stars dance along the ceiling and walls.
  9. Sophie’s newest favorite toy is her Little Tikes swing. She lights up when she gets pushed in this swing. The rhythmic motion also calms her down for nap time!

pool-babyWhat were your baby’s favorite toys at this age? What are their favorite toys now that I need to look into for the future?! The choices for toys are so extensive now that she’s crawling and can sit up on her own! Some of her favorite free toys are pampers boxes, ice cubes, empty water bottles and string of any kind (I watch her when she has it, don’t worry.)

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