Toys for g&t 2.5 year old

[Chloris33]

I need to up the stimulation re. toys for my 2.5 year old son. My mum is an educational psychologist and thinks he falls into the gifted and talented category. What I do know is that he is a fast learner, seeks constant stimulation and gets horrifically restless if bored. Hence I really need some new stuff for him to play with, I think! I'm already doing a lot with him outside the house (eg. various music activities as he's very musical and passionate about anything musical), but being at home can be a nightmare! He loves machines and exploring how they're put together and how the different parts of them work (he's obsessed with vacuum cleaners and likes to compare different ones). Any recommendations gratefully received. x

Just get some toys for 3-4 years olds? Or 4-5 year olds?? What I will say, in the nicest possible way, is that your DC sounds pretty normal to me. Just enjoy them being so young.

I wouldn't put too much thought into buying specifically stimulating toys. If they have a wide range of normal preschool toys to choose from they will use their natural curiosity and imagination to stimulate themselves.

The little boy I look after is five, bright , but I wouldn't label him as g&t, has always been machine and vehicle mad. Since he could choose his own books at the library he has always gone for the non fiction books aimed at early readers, e.g. "what's inside an ambulance?", "how do engines work", that sort of thing - our library has a whole shelf full.

Also, he has loved Lego since he was two, obviously he needed help playing with it then, but he's now capable of building some quite complex sets by himself. He also spend hours building his own designs of rescue vehicles.

If your little boy likes machines and taking thing apart and rebuilding, what about making him a treasure basket with lots of safe, clean diy bits and pieces - chunky nuts and bolts, cut off bits of pipes and connectors, a length of hose pipe. We have this place near us which is brilliant for stuff like that. I think there are similar schemes all over the country so there might be one near you.

An empty cardboard box, large one he can fit in
Lego
Are apparently the most educational toys
There was a TV programme about it

But playing with an adult had tge most educational value

Thanks. Nanny R, that place near you looks fantastic, wish we had one, what a great idea! Yep, I think he'd love a treasure box with those sorts of things, I'll have to have a think! I'll also have a look at early years non-fiction book in the library - another great idea. I'm glad I asked!

Lego he wasn't previously excited about, but I'll try again.

Mums and toddler groups usually have lots of toys. If you take him along to one you can see what he likes playing with and get him that.
Brio was a favourite toy for dd around that age. Also playdoh

He doesn't need any special toys, he can use his imagination and creativity to play with ordinary toys in different ways. Just buy toys aimed at a slightly older age group if you're not sure.

Lego is very good!

My ds loved wooden blocks, lego(+ideas book), kinex, puzzles(peg/zigsaw), magnetic letters/numbers, railway set, at that age.
Going to the toddler group is good idea to find what he likes as richmal says.
We bought all those toys in huge quantity from charity shops, so he never run out of parts/pieces when he wanted to make something with lego, or complicated railway system etc.
Also loved cutting/pasting papers, doing maze/dot to dot/colour by numbers. Also loved the teaching/talking clock with games.(Also bought from charity shop!)

Yes, charity shops are a good idea. It is so easy to waste a lot of money on toys. We are currently clearing out lots of over priced nonsense which we thought was so fantastic when we bought it new. It is amazing how much stuff gets played with once, or kept for when you have a bit of time and is thrown in the toy box. soon to be covered by the next load of junk you buy.

A good family day out would have been much better.

he doesn't need "stimulating" toys, just normal toys, and an adult to join in his games.

I hardly think a two year old's supposed giftedness needs to be reflected in the toys he plays with... but if he's obsessed with vacuum cleaners - this:

Spielgaben spielgaben.com/

Expensive but will last for years and passed to siblings

Frogusha, that looks fantastic. I would definitely have bought it if my ds was still small.
Only thing is, they don't tell you the price. I assume it must be very expensive, but how much? (just curious.)

Gifted and talented at 2.5? :) This whole G&T thing has got way out of control. Sounds just like a normal inquisitive toddler.

irvineoneohone,

'Sale price' (ahem) is currently £399.60
(reduced from £465.20).

They state "a small shipping fee" for UK, but I couldn't find what that is.
(And it's a solid piece of kit, so can't imagine the shipping cost is too "small"!).

Does look amazing, though. And would be so useful and durable for child after child. That initial outlay, though...yikes.

The worst thing you can do to a child is call them something .... like g&t - let them be a child, let them learn and develop - skills will come with time, if you look at the most g&t children ... real scale, a lot of them had dreadful issues - it's too much pressure - enjoy your child being a child and don't label him

3 months have passed since the OP. Her DS is now nearly 3, and may not be so g&t anymore - the other toddlers may be interested in vacuum cleaners too by now

The fewer toys, the better - saucepans, wooden spoons, sticks, stones, washing-up liquid and wheels of some kind would be perfect. Duplo and wooden farm animals can be used in many different ways. Best things you can invest in for a toddler are a puddle suit and a pair of decent wellies, and as much time as you're able to give...

JeffreySadsac,

I do like your comment so much. How true:

"Best things you can invest in for a toddler are a puddle suit and a pair of decent wellies, and as much time as you're able to give..."

I stand by that recommendation for an 8yo and 5yo too

Though the 'time' you give changes. I have definitely become a facilitator (or dogsbody) rather than a playmate for the 8yo - but both still get endless hours of amusement from jumping in puddles and poking mud with sticks, preferably whilst dressed in school uniform. I still buy wellies and over trousers/pacamacs in charity shops in various sizes - pretty much every child who comes to the house ends up borrowing them and getting filthy and happy! I could add 'a pack of outdoor chalk' and 'paintbrushes' (don't need paint, just use water outside) to the list too, though living in a chalky area, my DC find stones from the garden work just as well and if you can find the odd bit of clay, you can make 'red chalk'. We have 'cave paintings' all over our garage walls .

Meanwhile we have three large boxes of toys in the garage, given to our DC as presents, that have never been opened...

My mum is an educational psychologist and thinks he falls into the gifted and talented category

Ppretty much every Grandparent thinks their grandchild is gifted!! .I really don't think you can tell at that age because some children just develop faster than others in the same way that some get teeth earlier.It is about age 5-6 when you canb start determining intelligence and your DM should know this !
I have, over the years, seen many 'gifted' toddlers develop into mediocre schoolchildren