I’m just starting to get the fact that children go through phases when it comes to everything…including play and toys. Right now my son is very much into pretend play. He talks to his trains and his bear and some of the other toys we have in the house. It’s actually quite cute to listen in on his “conversations.” Since he’s two, he doesn’t always use complete sentences or say words exactly as they should be pronounced. And that makes it so much cuter. The other thing my son loves to do is read. We read a LOT of books. The other day we read a book about animals at least five times in a row.
If you asked me what my son would like for Christmas, I’d tell you books or toys that stimulate his imagination. Little Tikes recently released Apple Grove Pals, a line of “characters, playsets and storybooks which teach friendship, curiosity, courage, and other important life lessons.” I always believe that toys, in some ways, are what you as the parent do with them. My son is just starting to get to the point where he can play for small amounts of time by himself, but he definitely prefers that I play with him (and that’s perfectly ok with me!). I also believe that toys should do more than just sit in a toy box. Apple Grove Pals is really the first toy I’ve heard about that incorporates books (which I really like). It’s neat the way the toy characters match those in the books. And each playset comes with a book featuring the same characters. The other neat thing about Apple Grove Pals is the interchangeable hats that come with the characters. In fact the site states that “this provides a starting point for kids to discover new places and safely explore a world where they can wear many hats.” I never even thought about that until I went back and re-read it on the site.
The Deluxe Farm Playset includes three “pals,” a storybook, and features several animal sounds. It’s designed for children between the ages of 18 months and 48 months but I think it’s best for the toddler group. Children that are my son’s age are just starting to engage in pretend play. My son has fun with something as simple as putting the different hats on each of the different characters. And of course, he wants me to read the book to him over and over again.
Practically speaking, it’s nice that the play set folds up for storing. Children can collect pals and storybooks which provides for some continuity. Overall, I think the set is a great educational toy and value priced at $29.99. I think my only suggestion would be to lower the age just a bit to maybe 3 (but I’m not an expert on preschoolers so this is purely my opinion).
Apple Grove Pals is available online and at retailers nationwide.
For more fabulous Holiday Gift Ideas, visit The Mommy-Files
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