When I initially posted my Instagram stories with the tour of our playroom-turned-study room, I had no idea that my inbox would explode with that many DM's asking for the links to different. Below I've collected links to all the items I mentioned in my stories and I hope you find these as helpful as we have in keeping our kids busy learning new skills or honing existing ones.
Doodlepad for sketching, drawing and practicing letters
The boys LOVE this one because it has a way to lock the screen so they don't accidentally erase their artwork which was always an issue we dealt with a different brand we used before.
Scholastic Reading Comprehension Workbooks
These are absolutely amazing. They've really helped honed our 8-year old's reading skills where he's now reading easily at a Grade 4 level.
Montessori Math Starter Kit
We've been using this for our 4-year-old and it's amazing. Please note that this really only works if your kids are familiar with the Montessori method of teaching math which uses these concepts as its foundation.
Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks
These are great for younger kids to help teach them how to create patterns.
Wooden Tetris Puzzle
My 4-year old can spend literally HOURS doing this. It is an incredible way to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills in little ones.
Magnetic Alphabet
There are a ton of options. These are simply the ones that I got and we've been very happy with them so far
World/US Maps
I like these because they're relatively small so easier to put them up and also have a blank side which helps when practicing geographic locations with kids.
Wooden Puzzles for Younger Kids
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
We've gotten all these sets and I'm relatively happy with both of them. We did start with the set with fewer pieces to help build their confidence and will upgrade to the puzzles with more numerous pieces.
I hope this list has been helpful in giving you some direction on some activities and resources to do with your kids. Please remember, that at the end of the day, it's not the many things you buy them that will make the difference in this time; it's the quality time you spend with them and the memories that you make that will stay with them.
