Smart Stackers

Ring stackers have long been considered a great starter toy for children because it promotes fine-motor-skill development. “But these toys do more than boost dexterity, ” says Kirsten Cullen Sharma, Psy.D. and clinical assistant professor at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone’s Child Study Center in New York City, “They can also encourage cognitive development.”

The seven eco-friendly options showcased here will encourage focus and enhance your child’s learning:

QUACK AND STACK

The Duck Family Stacker, colored with water-based paint, features rings that are numbered and grouped by color. “Because the pegs vary in height and can hold only a set amount of pieces, this toy is perfect for introducing the concept of limits,” says Sharma. She also points out that having pegs at differing heights is a wonderful introduction to superlative concepts—think tall, taller, tallest ($26, amazon.com).

FLOWER TOWER

The Garden Stacker, made from sustainable rubberwood, contains pieces in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures, which helps promote sensory exploration ($20, hapetoys.com).

BEGIN TO BALANCE

Babies will love watching the sustainable-wood Giraffe Stacker wobble back and forth, thanks to a ball that’s built into its base. According to Sharma, “The motion will also encourage development of depth perception” ($18, smartgeartoys.com).

SEE SAW

The sustainable-wood Seasaw Dogs stacker from Vilac swings back and forth as you add more pieces, which introduces kids to the concept of balance and weight ($25, amazon.com).

SAIL AWAY

Little ones will be captivated by the charming colors on this sweet sailboat, which gets its hues from water-based ink.  Plus, playing with the curved pieces will help develop your child’s understanding of spatial relationships ($64, thewoodenwagon.com).

CHICKEN AND THE EGG

This sustainable-wood Mother Hen Ring Stacker by Djeco is a clever alternative to the classic plastic toy ($19, amazon.com).

CHERRY ON TOP

This sustainable-wood stacker will expose your child to different shapes and colors thanks to the diverse shapes of its pieces. And as kids grow older, it doubles as a prop for pretend play ($19, letoyvan.com).

Comments 34

  26. Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your web site, how can i subscribe for a blog website? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit familiar of this your broadcast provided vibrant transparent idea|

    Reply

  32. Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Internet explorer. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The design look great though! Hope you get the issue solved soon. Cheers|

    Reply

  34. Today, I went to the beachfront with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!|

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.