Toy suggestions for preschooler

[LizK]

Looking for inspiration. DS is 3yrs old, will be 4 yrs old in October- probably has AS/mild ASD. I struggle to know what toys to buy him as most age-approprite toys seems to require a degree of imagination that he's not yet developed. He also has some mild dyspraxia so struggles with toys with very small pieces. He tends to play with more mechanical toys for children a year or so younger but loses interest in these as they don't engage his brain for long.

 

He's driving me nuts at the moment as he's so bored at home! He wants me to play with him all the time partly because he needs direction and help with playing especially with more complex or toys for his age group. He can't seem to generate play on his own like his peers can. Wanting me to spend all day playing is very sweet on one hand but I need to do boring but essential things like wash up, cook and give his baby brother some attention too! If I'm not actively entertaining him he's like a bored teenager and gets quite manic and destrcutive or ends up doing a repetitive activity like slamming the cupboard door repeatedly

 

Currently he likes his wooden train set. Also likes numbers. We've got a couple of games from the Orchard Toy range (big recommendation ) which we play too. Any suggestions for toys or games that he can either play on his own or do together would be appreciated

 

Liz x

[Lesley]

My son (AS, ADHD) was like that - the best things for him were 'cause and effect' toys. He could spend hours putting a marble down the marble run, collecting from the bottom, starting again. He also had little imagination.

 

Then something miraculous happened.

 

We had some advice to start him on omega 3 fish oils & his imagination just took off. He went from zero imagination to loads. Mainly role play - dressing up etc he could suddenly do. Admittedly we now know he's limited to playing out a character from the TV and boy watch out when you want him to take the costume of (transition NOT GOOD!) But it amazed us what a difference it made.

 

It was the only difference the fish oils made but it was soooo noticeable....

Now his obsession is being a superhero.... and we're trying to teach him that the ninja moves are not always appreciated by everyone in the playground if he doesn't let them know that's what he's doing....

 

Lesley

[Zemanski]

second the marble run and brio train set. Com still plays with both at 13! He now has enormous sets.

 

have you tried the other brio (they made the original wooden train set before ELC etc) product - brio mech?

it is like large meccano made of wood - the nails just push in if he can't manage the bolts. Com just made abstract shapes with it.

 

when his motor skills got a bit better he took to knex as he liked the abstract forms he could make - he once covered his bedroom floor entirely then headed down two flights of stairs and out the front door

 

what are you building, Com?

 

the world wide web

 

he also liked very simple card games where you can collect sets and an old game called floundering where you collect parts to make a fish.

 

another favourite has been bey blades - now he likes all the stats and being able to take them apart but at first he just liked the spinning and crashing.

 

and never forget good old play dough and cutters - extruders are fascinating too

 

Zemanski

[George]

Hi Liz, my son is exactly like this too -I recommend My first leap pad, he sits at the kitchen table when I have to do the boring things in life - he loves the way you can be in control and make the characters repeat phrases over and over ? it has also been a great teaching aid.

 

George X

[victoria]

Hi Liz

 

My 3 and 4 year asd boys old both love computers, anything from the cbeebies website, pc games like bob the builder or more educational stuff like jump ahead toddlers, x-box, to the v-tech vsmile computer game which you plug in your tv. They picked it up so quickly too, I didn't really have to show them how to use the mouse or the control pads and it keeps them entertained for ages.

 

They both also liked building bricks.

 

Most of the v-tech electronic toys seem to go down well as they make lots of noise and have flashing lights etc and hold their attention.

 

My oldest loves playing with all his early learning centre plastic food and instead of lining them all up, now actually pretends to have picnics!

 

Hope this helps

V

[call me jaded]

My NT 4 y/o has graduated from wooden train sets to model villages made from Lego. We took him to Bekonscot model village in Beaconsfield and he loved it. I had to google model villages and some kind soul has got village buildings to download and colour in and cut out, so they went round the train track first. Then he had some road from Father Christmas/ELC and just lately a Fire Station from Lego. There are millions of Lego collector websites and we are working our way through them and holding out for a trip to Legoland 'if he is a very good boy' some time during the school holidays.

 

Great, says, Liz. So now we can trip over Lego as well as the trains. Slightly less expensive than 'big boys train sets' which he will have to be much older to appreciate anyway. He has his eye on a garden railway when he's a man. Think he's going to be a softie southerner Fred Dibnah.

[Elouise]

Sam struggled with a fiery mix of AS and fine motor dyspraxia to the point I ended up paying a rpivate specoial needs nursary to have him for two and a half hours a day.

 

The dyspraxia brings its own fun and games.

 

I bought Sam the following items to reduce the frustration.

Table wedge to move drawing and painting work at a more comfortable angle

A special anti-slip sheet to place what he was playing with or eating on to avoid the 'screams' because it had slipped under his fumble fingers.

 

A self opening pair of easy grip scissors all he had to do was close them and then they sprang back; as he got the hang of those he moved to sprung loaded scissors that he could use. Please note these scissors are designed for less able people so the blades are sharper than ordinary kids scissors and should only be used with adult supervision.

 

Ultra pencil grips and some soft foam triangles from the local 'outreach' at a physical disabilities school to fit to knifes forks pens paintbrushes and anything else he could not get a grip of.

 

You can order these items from the dyscovery centre in wales but they are exensive. It depends on how badly his dyspraxia affects his abilty to hang on to his toys.

 

Handhuggers; Yoropen and Stabilo easy writers are all very good for children who want to write draw and create but struggle to hang on to anything. [You can find them in large WH smiths]

 

Magic writers are good. Some come with magnetic shpes you can stomp across the board and make partterns with. Try ELC.

 

Bubble blowing stuff for when frustration grabs hold and you need a distraction FAST

 

Sam enjoyed Brio (he could not break it so easily) Junior Meccano ; the sliughtly more grown up Duplo playsets that contain vehicles as they looked 'older'.

 

He has moved on to playmobile because he considers the detail to be 'accurate' but its difficult to manipulte with flip back fingers that you cannot truly control.

 

Good luck.