It's Puzzle-ing - Melissa & Doug Puzzles are 15% off

With their hand-crafted, high quality, brightly coloured images, and fun themes the Melissa and Doug puzzles are unmistakable.

Whether it's their Jumbo Knob puzzles which are just right for beginners with little hands to their jigsaw puzzles for the more advanced puzzle builder, you are sure to find a one that your child will love.

At BabyThoughts.ca we have a large selection of wooden puzzles which are currently on sale for 15% off!

Some of my favourites are:


The Barnyard Animals Jumbo Know Puzzle - A fun way for baby to learn about their favourite farm friend.









The Construction Chunky Puzzle - For the little builder in your life.









The Jumbo ABC Chunky Puzzle - Learning the ABC's has never been more fun.







The Early Learning Peg Puzzle Bundle - You get 3 Peg Puzzles for hours of learning fun!








Stop by and check out our entire Collection of Melissa & Doug Puzzles and SAVE!

Play Essentials

With all the choices parents face as they stroll down the toy aisle, choosing a toy that will not only entertain your child but also stimulate them, and encourage them to explore and learn can be challenging.

This is why I have put together a list of types of toys that will not only be fun to play with, but will also give them the opportunity to develop important life skills. These play essentials include puzzles, stackers, sorters and pretend play toys.

To help start or add to your toy collection, we are having a SALE* on many of our essential toys.

SAVE UP TO 25% OFF ON SELECTED TOYS!

Puzzles

When it comes to toys, puzzles are certainly one of the best for children of all ages. For babies and toddles, puzzles aid in the development of hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills. As a child grows and puzzles become more complex, they help children recognize patterns which are very important for critical thinking. When played with others they are great at teaching all about teamwork, cooperation and communication. No matter the size and difficulty of a puzzle, once completed it will give a child confidence and encourage them to investigate and participate in trial and error activities.

Stackers & Sorters

Stackers and Sorters are great toys to teach children about size, shape and colour. They will also help with their fine motor and cognitive development. You can introduce both sorters and stackers as soon as a child is able to sit by themselves, at this time it is best to introduce them to the different pieces and showing them how it works, and as they get older you can start encouraging them to stack the rings in the right order or to fit the shapes in the right slot. You can also create different games that will teach them about pattern recognition, counting, and promote logical thinking.

Pretend Play

Kitchen play, dolls, doll houses, trains and cars are all great toys for role playing and make believe. Pretend play encourages children to inquire and discover about the world they live in. It supports the development of social & language skills, creativity, and imagination. It is a wonderful way for them to develop emotional skills and learn how to react to a variety of situations that they may encounter in their early childhood years. When played in a group, pretend play will encourage teamwork and communication.


* Sale ends March 1, 2009, while quantities last.

Happy Travels

'Tis the season for family vacations, whether you are able to escape somewhere sunny and warm or just heading a couple of hours out of town to visit family and friends, good travel toys are essential to keep the little ones entertained and in their seats.

We just got some great toys that are perfect for playing in both the seat of a car or an airplane.

The first ones are our newest addition from Melissa & Doug, their new magnetic bead mazes. Both the Magnetic Number Maze and Magnetic Colour Maze will keep your little one occupied for quite some time as they work to slide the beads in the correct hole. Both toys are great for the development of number and colour recognition, as well as matching and fine motor skills.

Another great travel toy is the Mini Bingo from HABA, the classic bingo game for up to four players that comes in a charming tin container. A great assigning game that all will enjoy playing.

A great travel toy for younger children are both books from HABA. Both Alex at the Zoo and Dino and the Dinos are a 3-in-1 toy: they are a book, a puzzle and a game. Younger children will enjoy reading about their favourite dinosaur or zoo animal, while older children will have fun putting together the five jigsaw puzzles and playing the game.

No matter how far you travel this season, these toys are sure to keep everyone happy.

Piecing It Together

We have a very special family tradition of always getting a puzzle that the family has to put together during the Holidays. We have so much fun trying to out do each other by finding the most pieces or that one piece that can not be found. There is something very satisfying and just a little sad when you place the last piece.

Puzzles are certainly a fun activity to do, alone or with a group of people at any age. When it comes to the benefits that it offers young children, puzzles really help with their problem solving skills, language skills, pattern recognition, logic and hand-eye coordination.

Puzzles are great toys that parents can also use as early learning tools to teach children their numbers, shapes and the alphabet. The Melissa and Doug ABC, Numbers, and Shapes Peg Puzzles are certainly a fun way for children to be exposed to their numbers and letters.

Puzzles are also amazing at helping children develop problem solving skills which they will use for all their lives. Jigsaw puzzles are great for this because children need to identify patterns and must place the pieces in the correct way for it to fit. It is best to introduce jigsaw puzzles to children who are two and older, starting with the easier ones and working up to more complex ones with more pieces.

When I first introduced jigsaw puzzles to my daughter, it was incredibly interesting to see her select the correct piece and then try to fit it to the puzzle. In the beginning she would always try to position it wrong, it was interesting to see that she would be guided by colour and trying to match the colour in the piece with the other one. When it did not work she would turn it around and try again. I have found that good jigsaw puzzles will be cut in such a way as to help the child work through it in a logical way. For example, the Playful Pets Jigsaw puzzle is cut so that it is easy for the child to identify the face of the animals and then the other parts of their bodies. This makes it easy for children to start the puzzle selecting one of the animals and working their way to to all the others. It also helps that all the animals are a distinct colour which helps them recognize the puzzle pieces and know that the yellow ones belong to the bird and so on.

For younger children, the best puzzles are ones that have few pieces, have large knobs for them to hold and even have a picture underneath the puzzle piece to help them in the beginning. These puzzles are great for children one year and up and it will help them with their hand-eye coordination because they will have to put the piece in the slot. Like all puzzles it also helps them with their judgment and reasoning . Parents can also take an opportunity to teach them the names of the objects that are found on the puzzle. With the Melissa & Doug Large Farm Jumbo Knob puzzle, parents can teach their children the names of the farm animals. As the child gets older, they can use it to sing to Old MacDonald and get the child to point to a farm animal and make their corresponding sounds. A fun game that helps children learn so much.

Along with blocks, puzzles are toys that are a must have in any play room. There is a puzzle for children of all ages and skill level. There is always something exciting about opening up that puzzle box, taking stock of all the pieces scattered and getting started.

Toy Spotlight - Haba Magnetic Puzzles

MAGNETIC FUN

Challenge your little one's fine motor and cognitive skills with the brightly coloured magnetic puzzles from HABA.

Whether it is the Princess Magnetic Puzzle or the Knight Magnetic Puzzle, your little one will love the bright colours, whimsical pictures and you will love that it is travel friendly, ensuring that no pieces are lost or forgotten.

Both the board and all nine pieces are magnetic, making it a fantastic toy to have up on the refrigerator to help keep them entertained while you go about getting things done in the kitchen.

Haba Magnetic puzzles are not only beautiful but also multipurpose.

A is for Alligator

Featured Toy: Melissa & Doug ABC Puzzles

Teaching your little ones their ABC's just got easier with the added help of Melissa & Doug's ABC Puzzles.

The Jumbo ABC Chunky Puzzle has colourful pictures of animals painted on the back of the board that correspond to each letter of the alphabet. You can also use the thick wooden pieces to spell simple words such as CAT or DOG.

Another great puzzle to help your child learn their alphabet is the ABC Peg Puzzle, with pictures under each piece and small pegs to make it easier for little ones to hold this puzzle is a big hit

Have fun teaching your toddler and preschooler their ABC's with the beautiful and colourful puzzles from Melissa and Doug.

Round and Round In Circles We Go

The newest addition to the fabulous line of puzzles from Melissa & Doug have arrived at BabyThoughts.ca. Brand new for 2007 are the Fresh Start Circular Floor Puzzles, there is Vehicle Fun, Farm Friends and Zoo Friends.

The puzzles have 12 large, bright and colourful pieces that are the right size for little hands to play with along with a fun and interactive story that children will love.

Though the puzzles are for children ages 2 years +, younger children will love the colourful pictures of all their favourite animals, and parents can sing along to the Old MacDonald song, or introduce them to their favourite jungle friends. For older children these are a great introduction to the more challenging jigsaw puzzles.

Puzzles are not only entertaining, but are also great for children's cognitive development. They assist in strengthening their problem solving skills, their vocabulary as well as encouraging independent play.

Stop by BabyThoughts.ca to see all three!

Dinos, Bugs, and Kittens Oh My!

Welcome to the first product review at the Baby Thoughts Blog. For this first review, I will be discussing the beautiful puzzles from Melissa & Doug available at BabyThoughts.ca.

Those who know Melissa and Doug know about their stunning hand painted, hand-crafted wooden puzzles. All puzzles are made from quality woods and extraordinary attention to detail.

For younger babies, starting at one year, Melissa & Doug offers colorful puzzles with large shapes and "Jumbo Knobs". These knobs are rounded wooden pieces attached to each puzzle piece that make it easier for babies to grasp. Another great feature is that there is a picture of familiar animals or shapes both on the surface and under each piece to help young children match the right puzzle pieces.

My favourite Jumbo Knob puzzles to introduce to young children are the smaller Jumbo Knob puzzles like Fish Bowl, House Pets, or Jungle Friends. These are simple, colourful, 3-piece puzzles. For those who are a bit more adventurous I recommend the Large Farm or Large Shapes puzzles, each with 8 pieces.

For older children we offer 2 different lines of puzzles: Chunky, and Peg Mix 'n Match. Chunky puzzles share some characteristics of the Jumbo Knob, in that they have colourful animals painted on the puzzle piece and the board underneath. A great feature of the chunky puzzles is that the thick shapes can be used to play with without the puzzle board. Check out the Dinosaurs, and Insects puzzles. The Mix 'n Match puzzles, such as Farm Friends and Zoo Animals are fantastic to play silly games making up your own animals. The puzzle shapes are interchangeable so that you can put the cow piece on the pig, the turtle on the fish, etcetera.

All the Melissa and Doug puzzles are works of art, they are puzzles that can passed down from generation to generation. Stop by and take a look for yourself.