Toys and Games

[caption id="attachment_6158" align="alignnone" width="1024"] 5 Tips to Help Your Child Make New Friends - Scholastic.com[/caption]In part one of our friendship series we shared the many and compelling ways that making and playing with friends supports your child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, along with some simple things you can do at home to help your child learn to be a good friend.Now it’s time to talk about helping your child make a new friend! For some kids, making new friends is as easy to sitting down next to a small stranger in the sandbox. For others, making friends is a little bit harder. Whether your little one is outgoing or reserved, the suggestions below will help make their first forays into friendship a smashing success!1. Provide Limited Options – Having a friend over? Put your child’s special toys away, leaving just two choices out – say Playfoam® and Legos – and let the kids choose what to do. If they can’t agree, you may need to intervene with “Let’s let our guest pick first this time, and you’ll choose first next time.” (Talking about how we treat guests in our home before a friend comes over can make this solution go smoother.) Or let them each play what they want, side by side. They may choose to engage as they play or not – either way is okay![caption id="attachment_6150" align="alignnone" width="600"] Playfoam® - photo credit: @playingwithchanel[/caption]2. Keep It Short – Limit the amount of time the toddlers and preschoolers play with one activity to roughly 10 minutes. Unless they both seem really engaged, offer another set of activities to choose from, checking in on that one after another 10 minutes. And keep the play date short, too. Better to end it while the kids are having fun than to wait until someone melts down! An hour together is a good goal for toddlers and two hours is plenty of time for preschoolers.3. Serve Snacks – If the fun starts to stall or things start to get sticky, offer a snack! Snack time is a good distraction and gives the kids a chance to regroup and start fresh when they’re done. Check out our School Lunches and Snacks for Kids Pinterest boards for some super snack and awesome meal ideas! Odds are your child’s friend’s caregiver will stay while the kids play, but if not be sure to ask about any food allergies when they drop off.[caption id="attachment_6151" align="alignnone" width="486"] Photo credit: Kristine's Kitchen[/caption]4. Go Outside – The park, playground, or backyard are perfect places to play – and to burn off some of that endless kid energy! Pack buckets and shovels for sandbox time. When the kids are ready to move on from that, offer outdoor exploration tools like the GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars®, Walkie Talkies, or My First Telescope.5. Stay Close – In some cases you may need to join in the fun to keep things rolling. Play a game like 1-2-3 Froggies™ or My First Game: Bears in Pairs with your kiddo and their pal or doodle along side them as they color in some of their favorite EI characters and scenes using free, downloadable EI coloring pages. Even if you don’t engage directly, stay within earshot so you can quickly intervene if the kids hit a speed bump.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="680"] Unicorn Magic, Sprinkle & Twinkle Coloring Sheet[/caption][caption id="attachment_6156" align="alignnone" width="680"] Dino-mite Crown Activity[/caption]Like anything, making friends takes a bit of practice, but with a little prep and guidance, your kiddo will find just the right friends to share in their adventures! Looking for a bit more perspective? Check out some friendship reflections from the mom of a 10-year-old, in our past blog!

[caption id="attachment_6113" align="alignnone" width="830"] Photo credit: PBS.org -  Helping Young Children Learn To Make Friends[/caption]Grandma wisdom says, “In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips.” As your toddler tootles toward preschool, they’re also headed toward the first of many childhood friendships. And although it feels like a family’s love is all a child needs, these friendships are a positive and necessary milestone in your child’s natural development. They’re the chocolate chips!Baking  delicious cookies is a fool-proof way make a special friend's day! Here's the famous DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie recipe to help! Enjoy baking time with the kiddos while teaching them the spirit of giving and sharing. They will love the warm fuzzy feeling when surprising their friends with a special homemade treat. Adding a little note with Grandma's words of wisdom will add the perfect personal touch.[caption id="attachment_6108" align="alignnone" width="1021"] The infamous DoubleTree by Hilton chocolate chip cookies.[/caption]Building and sustaining friendships develops a child’s confidence and self-esteem. Navigating friendships helps kids understand the concept of loyalty and teaches them about acceptance. Playtime with friends promotes patience, builds decision making skills, enhances communication and language skills, and provides an outlet for imagination, creativity, and energy. Disagreements provide practice with compromise and conflict resolution. Spending time at friends’ homes gives kids a glimpse into other lifestyles and family units, broadening their perspective. And, of course, later on, friends provide a peer group to provide support and encouragement when you are not around.Those are some pretty compelling reasons to nurture your child’s friendships. So how do you go about helping your little one make good friends? The first step is learning how to BE a good friend – and that starts at home. Here's a great kid's book that can help start the conversation. Below are some of our best tips and tricks for modeling and practicing being a good friend:• Talk and Listen – Ask your child a question and really listen to their response. Then ask more questions about what they’ve said, or restate what you heard them say, to show that you are listening and that what they have to say is important to you.• Observe – See something, say something. When you see your child exhibiting positive and friendly behaviors say something out loud! “I love that you let Grampa pick tonight’s story!” or “It was great that you and your brother found something you both wanted to play!”.• Practice – Game play is a great way to practice choosing an activity, deciding who goes first, taking turns, and winning and losing gracefully. Ask your kiddo if they’d like to play a game (you’re modeling how to invite a friend to participate in an activity). Then set out a few favorites, like The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game® or Pancake Pileup!™ Relay Game. Tell your little one that they can either choose the game or go first, but not both, then follow their lead.[caption id="attachment_6109" align="alignnone" width="680"] Photo credit: @my_sensorium[/caption][caption id="attachment_6110" align="alignnone" width="680"] Photo credit: @preferredtherapytoys[/caption]• Keep Things Light – Whether you’ve been sent down the long slide playing Chutes and Ladders or your block tower tumbles, laugh it off and try again. Teaching your child to roll with the punches and be a good sport will make them even more fun to play with.With a little practice and a lot of support, your kiddo will be ready for their first play date in no time! Be on the lookout for part two of this piece, Teaching Your Child to MAKE a Good Friend, including five of our favorite tips for hosting a successful play date.Check out this great article from Popsugar: How to Help Your Child Become a Good Friend for more helpful hints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7Lf8iS39eI&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Sahad Rivera Sonda, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 3-5Supplies:• Paper• Markers• Pipe cleaners in various colors• Tape• Design & Drill bolts in various colorsProcedure:1. Tape a piece of paper to the table.2. Tape the top end of 5 different colored pipe cleaners to the paper.3. Use a marker to write the numbers 1 through 5 next to the pipe cleaners.4. Ask your kid to match the color of the bolts with the pipe cleaner and to lace the number of bolts written on the paper.Sahad Rivera Sonda has dreamed of being a toy designer since she was a child in Mexico! Her passion for miniatures and other playful oddities (her collection includes everything from a plush churro to a miniature French fry) eventually led her to Otis College of Art and Design in California, where she obtained a degree in Toy Design. Sahad’s dreams came true when she landed a job with EI, designing the look and feel for many of our toys and games, including Playfoam Pals, Design & Drill and our plush line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUZdYNPEycI&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 4+Grades: Pre-K and upSupplies:• Cardboard box• Scissors• Marker• TapeProcedure:1. Cut the short flap off a cardboard box.2. Mark 5 even lines about ¾ - 1” wide and cut them out.3. Mark each cardboard strip with a number from 1-5. These will be the points for each peg.4. Fold the strips in different lengths so that 5 is the shortest and most difficult. 1 should be the easiest. You can skip this step if you have little ones who might have difficulty getting the ring on a peg.5. Tape the strips to the inside of the box at different locations. We use two in the top row, one in the very center, and two on the bottom row for plenty of spacing.6. From the remaining piece of cardboard, cut out 2 rings. If you have more than 2 players, use the flap from the opposite side of the box to make more.7. Let the games begin!Game ideas: Throw the ring around the pegs. Play first to 10 or 20 to build their math skills while they play. You can also play where only odd or even numbers count.EI Product Manager Michael Sheridan is a jack of all trades! An avid surfer and former international soccer competitor, this outdoor and sporting enthusiast also has a degree in Astrophysics from UCLA and eight years of product development experience in a variety of industries. Prior to helping build EI's science products and brain game lines, Michael developed everything from folding chairs to electric scooters and skateboards!

Photo credit: @themotheroverloadEaster is upon us! This year give the gift of creativity by building a basket designed to inspire imagination, expression, and pretend play, including:

Art Supplies and Craft Kits

Art is a wonderful way for young kids to explore and express their own unique ideas and perspectives. Artistic creativity also fosters social/emotional skills, introduces early math concepts, and even encourages scientific exploration. What happens when you mix two colors? When you add water to paint? When you smash clay flat?This Easter, help your kids get creative by packing their Easter basket full of beautiful new art supplies and craft kits, like the reusable Color by Playfoam® Dragon and Unicorn. Provide the materials (check out our well-stocked craft closet post for a list of the basics), create a space where it’s okay for kids to get messy, then stand back and let them do their thing. Resist the urge to direct or interfere with your kids’ creative process. Instead ask them to tell you about what they are doing or what they’ve made.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="615"] *NEW* Color by Playfoam® Unicorn[/caption]While younger kids enjoy the process of open-ended creativity – choosing a color, the feel of the paint on paper, the sound the brush makes – older kids can use the art supplies to create their own, custom versions of the Easter crafts on our Pinterest board![caption id="attachment_5409" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo credit: redtedart.com[/caption]

Creativity Inspiring Basket Booty!

• Crayons
• Markers
• Stampers
• Playfoam®
• Watercolor Paints
• Clay
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Sketch Book
• Stickers

Building Sets

From blocks to bricks to construction sets, building play definitely develops STEM skills, logic, and problem solving capabilities, but did you know that it’s also great for inspiring imagination and creativity?This Easter, give the gift of the Design &Drill® Stem Garden and let your little builder place their stems, select and stack their petals to design and grow their very own spring gardens.[caption id="attachment_5410" align="alignnone" width="1029"] *NEW* Design & Drill® STEM Garden                                      Photo credit: @kayceesworld[/caption]Or maybe the bunny will bring the Design &Drill® Bolt Buddies™ Rocket so your kids can construct their own space craft and engage in hours of out-of-this-world imaginative play with the included astronaut Bolt Buddy and space dog.[caption id="attachment_5412" align="alignnone" width="2000"] *NEW* Design & Drill® Bolt Buddies™ Rocket[/caption]

Collectibles

Speaking of pretend play, collectibles are a wonderful way to encourage imagination and creativity! These pocket-sized cuties are totally portable and perfect for pretend play anywhere, anytime. And, when kids pretend, they are observing reality and imagining their own way to replicate what they see. This requires an incredible amount of creativity – re-purposing various objects to represent the props they need and playing various “roles”. Pretend play also helps kids develop empathy, learn to take turns and cooperate, develop language and communication skills, and foster self-confidence.*NEW* Playfoam® Pals™ Unicorn Magic (Sets of 2, 6 or 10)Pop a Playfoam® Pals™ Unicorn Magic pod into your little one’s basket and watch as a fantastical pretend play session unfolds. Kids open the rainbow case to reveal heart-sparkle Playfoam with four magical surprises hidden inside. Find the collective unicorn character, then use the non-toxic Playfoam to sculpt pretend play props for the unicorn friend. Also available in Playfoam® Pals™ Space Squad theme.[caption id="attachment_5415" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Playfoam® Pals™ Space Squad 2-Pack (Sets of 2, 6 or 8)[/caption]

11 Tip-Top Candy Alternatives for Valentine’s Day

Aww, it’s almost Valentine’s Day! Time to show your loved ones just how much you care – by stuffing them silly with sugar! Since your little ones will receive plenty of sweet treats at school, we’ve got some great ideas for non-edible surprises for your Valentines’ sweeties, like

1. New Jammies! Spring is right around the corner, calling for a lighter-weight pajama. Make it a tradition to gift a new set of jammies on Valentine’s Day! Make things really special by throwing in some matching slippers.[caption id="attachment_5332" align="alignnone" width="484"] Photo credit: Etsy - PJMamma[/caption]

2. Color by Playfoam®! Your kids can create squishy, squashy works of art, using the included tool to smoosh different Playfoam colors into each section of the canvas. When they’re done, scoop it out and start all over again! Choose from a Unicorn or a Dragon.[caption id="attachment_5333" align="aligncenter" width="418"] Color by Playfoam, Dragon[/caption]

3. A Journal! What better place to write about your Valentine’s crush than in a brand-new journal? With so many themes to choose from, there’s sure to be one your child will love.[caption id="attachment_5335" align="alignnone" width="578"] Photo credit: Oriental Trading Company[/caption]

4. Playfoam®! Looking for the perfect little valentine exchange gifts!  Whether the Playfoam® Party Pack, Set of 20 individual pods or the Playfoam® Pals™ Surprise Party 24-Pack, it's a great way to share the fun with friends at school![caption id="attachment_5354" align="alignnone" width="596"] Playfoam® Party Pack, Set of 20[/caption]
5. Kidnoculars! Encourage your kiddo’s love of nature with GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars! With enlarged, focus-free eyepieces and perfect-fit goggles, even toddlers can get an up-close, magnified view of the world! And now, Kidnoculars come in pink![caption id="attachment_5336" align="alignnone" width="508"] GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars Pink[/caption]

5. Crayons! Who doesn’t love a brand-new box of Crayons? Perfect for coloring hearts and kisses, maybe you’ll even inspire your kids to make you a homemade Valentine. Add a special coloring book or download one of our free and watch your kids get creative.[caption id="attachment_5337" align="alignnone" width="615"] Photo credit: Oriental Trading Company[/caption]

6. Zoomigos! Little ones love Zoomigos™, a wacky wonderworld kids power up all by themselves! Pump their heads to wind them up, place them in their Zoomers, and watch as they race away![caption id="attachment_5338" align="alignnone" width="559"] Zoomigos[/caption]

7. Bagel In Love! This hardback picture book tells a sweet bagel-meets-donut love story featuring tap-dancing bagels and plenty of baking puns. Perfect for reading with to your little loves on Valentine’s Day or any day.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="411"] Photo credit: Barnes & Noble[/caption]

8. Playfoam Pluffle™! Say so long to slime! The Squishologists at the Playfoam Wacky Workshop have formulated a brand new, totally mesmerizing, completely color-mixable, can’t resistable substance! Best of all, this feel-good fluffy stuff never dries out so the sensory fun never ends.[video width="1080" height="1080" mp4="https://www.educationalinsights.com/media/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pluffle-tube-dump_4.mp4"][/video]

9. Stickers! Stick it to your sweetie with some Valentine’s stickers! Make a sticker book, use them as drawing prompts, design your own matching games – stickers are good for hours of fun![caption id="attachment_5342" align="alignnone" width="624"] Photo credit: Amazon.com[/caption]

10. Kanoodle® Gravity™! Give the gift of together time with a great new game! Challenge your children to a brain-building battle of Kanoodle Gravity, a vertical puzzle with 40 stackable challenges.[caption id="attachment_5343" align="alignnone" width="420"] Kanoodle® Gravity™[/caption]Happy Valentine's Day to you and your loved ones! ????