- Safari Farm has THE best little plastic animals: http://www.healthstones.com/farm_life_store/safari_farm_toy_animals/safari_farm_toy_animals.html Making animal sounds (baaa, mooo, nay-nay, etc.) is a great first step in articulation.
- Check out these plastic fruits and veggies: http://www.thefind.com/family/info-play-vegetable-basket We also got him a set that includes very realistic looking bread, butter, eggs, etc. Great way to expand vocabulary. Ben can now name just about everything in the produce section.
- Babybug Magazine by Cricket Magazine Publishing (http://www.cricketmag.com/ProductDetail.asp?pid=10) is FANTASTIC. Ben loves it.
- Ben was so taken by an illustrated version of Humpty Dumpty in an issue of Babybug that we started playing "Humpty X" for a variety of X. Build a wall out of blocks, put a plastic banana on top, and recite: "Humpty Banana sat on a wall. Humpty Banana had a great fall," and push the banana off. After awhile he was completing almost all of it. Expands noun vocabulary and reinforces the idea of a verb (fall) as an action and prepositions (on/off). He's kind've grown out of this now.
Why is a mindset still there?
2 months ago
3 comments:
Thanks- love the plastic animals.
Thanks!
Here are a few of my favorite picks for special needs toys in general:
http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-10003-Discovery-Ball/dp/B00005BHK3
Leapfrog discovery ball: For my little guy with motor skill issues, this has been a big hit! It teaches letters. There's a similar one that has letters and animals.
http://www.nextag.com/Radio-Flyer-Classic-Rock-74858793/prices-html
Radio Flyer Rocking Horse: It's got an adaptable seat that lets Connor actually sit in it himself, and it's great for gross motor skils, balance, and muscle strength. Not a big one in the language department, but a huge hit in the fun department.
As far as language goes, we tend to do a lot of hands-on things and imaginative play: for farm animals we go to a farm, etc, but some of Connors Deaf and Hoh friends swear by the LeapFrog refrigerator word products.
http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Word-Whammer-Fridge-Phonics/dp/B0002SC7CE
Thanks for sharing!
~Jess
I used to get Babybug! it's awesome! (And I had some plastic veggies just like that too.) I also love the "humpty X" idea, it's like introducing the concept of a variable! very cool!
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