Toys with a finish point for autistic 3 year old

[boobybum]

Evening all,
Can anyone suggest some good toys for a 3year old boy with autism. I specifically want something that he can do by himself and that has a specific end point. Someone suggested Mr Potatohead but the one we were given was 1) too fiddly/hard to get pieces in and 2) really quite boring and over too quickly.
I have ordered a peg board with designs he has to copy and also a Melissa and Doug tangram type thing but would love some other ideas.
ps. No replies please saying that I shouldn't be encouraging him to play alone - I'm not, I would just like to try and get him interested in activities other than lining up trains!
pps. Are there any more challenging stacking toys rather than baby type stacking cups?
Thanks in advance and Merry Chrimbo!

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MNHQ

Tidying the toys away can be the finish point for any activity.
I suppose simple jigsaws have a definite end point if that's what you feel he needs.

When DS was 3, he loved the Melissa & Doug Catches and Latches board. It doesn't have such a definite end point as some of the other things you've mentioned, although I guess when all the doors have been opened, that's the end.

Agree about Mr Potatohead, it's terrible!

I'm a big fan of Melissa and doug toys, my dd aged 3 loves her shape sorter clock although it doesn't take too long to complete once they get the hang of it but she still loves it and has learnt numbers 1-12 from playing with it as well. She also has a wooden alphabet book also by m&d that's really nice, it's like a magnetic jigsaw book.

I liked the Melissa & Doug latches board too. To give it further appeal I used to cut out pictures from the CBeebies magazine and hide them behind the doors. Obviously it's good that there's five green frogs to count and note the colours, but it gave it some extra mileage. Plus, I put one of those suitcase padlocks on number 6 with the hasp and staple (it had an orange top so looked like it belonged) to make it a little more challenging.

I'm also a fan of the Melissa & Doug doorbell house. DS liked the cause-and-effect aspect of ringing the bells; plus looking for the right key for each door, and getting fiddly little key into the lock was good for his concentration and fine motor skills. Again I put other objects behind the doors, as DS wasn't remotely interested in the dolls that were there originally. (Trains and mini tape measures grabbed his interest most... )

For another child with ASD, I bought a boxed series of jigsaws (I think there were three) showing a pictorial story of everyday events, like a child getting up in the morning. They were supposed to help with sequencing iirc.
Here, I don't know if that's any good to you? (And I see there were four not three. Ah well.)

Elefun definitely
The fridge wheel cogs - DS friend had them and DS loved them
There's a chunky Lego duplo fire station set that DS7 still plays with actually, easy to build and lots of ways to play once it's built.
There's a game called 'who knows who's nose' from the ELC that's great for that age too.

DD has a Melissa and Doug bug board - it's like a peg puzzle, except instead of pegs, the pieces have magnets which you lift out with a net. She loves it.

Fit and play tray type puzzles, they had some nice wooden ones in wilko a while back.

Depends on co ordination of course but there is a definite end, so long as you dont lose any pieces

Time shock is good.
Once the prices are all in its over.
Then you can start again.

What about a magna maze? Brilliant for fine motor skills. You have to trace the all magnetic balls through the maze to the middle. All three of my dcs fight over ours and I will admit to having a few zen moments playing with it myself.

There are other magna mazes available if you google, with different designs for younger children etc.

The best thing I ever got for my DS was a Click clack track.

like this but taller

magna maze, my little world

magna maze flowers

numbers and counting

Addictaball?
You can get small versions.
My you gests fave toy is a set of wooden building blocks from he Lewis.
Plays with them every day.

John Lewis rather!

www.amazon.co.uk/Tomy-141349-Pop-Up-Pirate/dp/B00000JICB
Is a good one

Badvoc, had to laugh. Ds1 asked for an addictaball last Christmas and the rattling noise it makes seriously drove us all to distraction. He loves it and to give it it's due, it was fantastic for keeping him focussed and occupied for ages (not to mention completely frustrating my poor SDad who also got addicted to it ) - but I couldn't stay in the same room as it.

Moose :)
I have got ds2 a pop up pirate game this year!

Ds has asked for the next difficulty level of the addictaball this year - let's just say Santa may not have noticed that was on the list.

My boys used to love pop-up pirate.

Am gutted, dd3 would love that addictaball but I am spent out. Will show her when she spends her xmas money from the rellies

Isnt it maddening when you have spent ages trying to find stuff and then when you have spent all your money along comes the perfect pressie!!!

I'm feeling the opposite today Ineed. After the way my boys have behaved this morning I'm tempted to give all their presents to charity.

First day of the holidays and the Christmas spirit I was starting to feel yesterday afternoon has already gone pouff.

Oh moose. I'm sorry.
I sort of relate though.
My mum was rushed to a and e last Friday - home now but not well. My dad has hospital appt next week and ds2 is still ill - 6 weeks and counting.
Am exhausted.
My Xmas spirit is struggling this year :(

We have such a dysfunctional family that Christmas spirit gets a bit lost sometimes and that is without Dd3's antics.

Bar humbug

My DS was given these cogs when he was 3 and he still plays with them now, 4 years later. He has real satisfaction when every cog in the set spins.

I highly recommend them!