Kids need to spend time in their own imaginations, creating worlds and scenarios of their own design. Children who engage in imaginative play are shown to have better vocabularies, better cognitive flexibility, more creativity, and increased creative performance both on and off the job into their adult years. They are also more flexible, able to consider other’s opinions, and adapt better in many situations. Fantasy play is also just a lot of fun- here are a few of our current favorites.
Safari LTD makes a wide variety of figurines that are perfect for imaginative play. No matter whether your child likes to pretend they are on a farm, in a faraway land, under the sea, or with mythical creatures (or maybe a mash up of the above), they can find fun new friends they will enjoy playing with for years. Sturdy, with realistic painting and anatomies (of course, even the dragons!) these toys can take a tumble and look no worse for the wear. They are fun to collect, but don’t need to stay on a shelf to be enjoyed. You can find creatures in all shapes and sizes at https://www.safariltd.com/
HABA puppets are great for children of any age (HABA recommends age 1 and up, but as they are soft with no loose parts or buttons, younger would be OK in my opinion as well). They are soft-bodied with sewn-on faces and easy to manipulate parts. These simple and cute puppets are basic use- one finger holds up the head, one moves one arm/hand, another moves the other. They have many smiling, friendly faced choices that will give your kids many happy hours of theater-show creations. There are also themes you can get in a set (one by one) such as Red Riding Hood, royal family, and more. Finger puppets are also available. I have machine washed and hung-to-dry mine, which as any parent knows, is a bonus with messy kids who love to play. Most puppets are about $15, see http://www.habausa.com for choices.
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