Sarah Kasted's Toy & Game Review

Melissa Doug Wood

PREHISTORIC SUNSET Dinosaur Wood Puzzle Melissa & Doug $7.99

MELISSA & DOUG BEGINNER PATTERN BLOCKS WOOD SHAPES NEW $15.00

Dominoes Classic Game w Storage Wood Box Melissa Doug $31.99

Natural Wood Puzzle Storage Case Melissa Doug Up to 12 $38.99

Stacking Train by Melissa & Doug-18pc.Solid Wood- NEW! $15.19

MELISSA & DOUG WOOD TOY LOT JET HOUSE 5 MAZES FARM NEW $27.77

100 Wood Block Set (Melissa & Doug) $9.99

WOOD TOY TRAIN MELISSA DOUG STACKING EMERGENCY PRETEND $12.99

Melissa Doug Wood Peg Puzzle Vehicles Train Firetruck $8.59

New WOOD Melissa & Doug Wooden Lace & Trace PETS Dog $6.99

Folding Medieval Castle Melissa & Doug Wood Toy ~New~ $67.50

7 Wooden MELISSA & DOUG Family Dolls Set NEW Wood Doll $12.25

BIRTHDAY PARTY WOOD PLAYFOOD SET by Melissa & Doug NEW $14.99

Melissa Doug ABC 123 Blocks Alphabet Number Blocks Wood $0.99

Melissa & Doug Decorate-Your-Own Wood Crown Name Plaque $8.95

100 pc Wood Blocks Melissa and Doug Primary Colors NEW $19.94

TOY WOOD CONSTRUCTION TRUCKS/ PUZZLES – Melissa & Doug $14.99

Zoo Sound Puzzle Wood Melissa and Doug 269 NEW $11.08

Chess Game Melissa and Doug Wood Game Room NEW $27.71

Painted Wood Puzzle Case Melissa & Doug 1006 NEW $41.03

Chinese Checkers Clssic Game Melissa & Doug Wood Room $27.71

Farm Sound Puzzle Wood Melissa & Doug 268 NEW $11.08

Dinosaur Stamp Wood Toy Set by Melissa and & Doug $8.25

Brand New Melissa and Doug 100 Wood Block Set $16.99

MELISSA & DOUG WOOD MAGNETIC ANIMALS IN BOX AGE 2+ $9.00

WOODEN PLAY FOOD TOY CUTTING FRUIT Melissa & Doug Wood $15.99

Wooden Abacus BEADS MATH board Wood Melissa & Doug NEW $12.99

Melissa Doug Fold & Go Dollhouse # 786 natural wood oop $1.29

WOOD DINOSAUR PUZZLE 9 PC PRESCHOOL MELISSA & DOUG NIP $7.99

Melissa & Doug Pasture Pals Horses with Wood Organizer $15.99

Melissa & Doug Wood Counting Shape Sorting Educational $5.99

Melissa & Doug WOODEN BEAD FARM SET ~ in wood box used $0.99

Melissa & Doug Wood Puzzle Dump Truck Age 2-5 New $9.99

Melissa & Doug Wood Puzzle 3D Train Age 4 UP New $14.99

Melissa & Doug Wood Puzzle Magnetic Construction site $9.99

SHAPES JUMBO WOOD KNOB PUZZLE Melissa and Doug $8.99

Hand Crafted Melissa & Doug Wood Sound Animal Puzzle $8.50

MELISSA & DOUG DOORBELL DOLLHOUSE #2505 /4 WOOD PEOPLE $6.99

MELISSA & DOUG Magnetic Responsibility Chart – Wood $5.00

MELISSA & DOUG 2580 VICTORIAN DOLLHOUSE WOOD $145.00

New Wood Melissa &Doug Wooden Lace & Trace Farm Animals $6.99

New Wood Melissa &Doug Wooden Lace & Trace Farm Animals $6.99

72 MELISSA & DOUG WOODEN WOOD LETTER # PICTURE BLOCKS $9.99

40 MELISSA & DOUG WOODEN WOOD LETTER # PICTURE BLOCKS $5.25

Nice Hand Crafted Melissa & Doug Wood Puzzle Animals $3.50

Melissa & Doug “Hey Diddle Diddle” Wood Puzzle EUC $0.99

Melissa & Doug 1004 Natural Wood Case Storage $50.00

Checkers Classic Nostalgic Wood Game Melissa Doug $33.99

100 Wood Building Blocks Set 4 Color Melissa Doug 100pc $37.99

Melissa Doug Shut the Box Game Kid Child FUN Wood Toy $18.89

Melissa & Doug Sports Door Plaque $5.02 Its easy to create a personalized keepsake with the Melissa and Doug Sports Door Plaque! This durable wooden plaque features a blank space surrounded by soccer balls, basketballs, baseballs, and big stars. Use the enclosed stickers to personalize the plaque for your little all stars room! The color-coordinated hanging ribbon makes this gift a hit!…

Maple Landmark 25128 HANG-A-NAME- STARTERS- FIRE TRUCK $4.99 Personalize your baby’s nursery or room. Hang-A-Name starter shapes have a keyhole slot in the back for easy hanging on the wall or door. Hangs from a screw or nail (not included). Cut from hardwood plywood and measures about 3″ in size. Attach Hang-A-Name letters to a starter shape to create a name or word. Finish: Lacquer with colored ink….

Melissa& Doug Bead Set Bundle (3 Pack) $34.99 This bead bundle set comes with Flower Power, Sweet Hearts and Butterfly Beads. Thats 450 beads!…

Wood Lacing Sneaker $11.99 This learning activity will tickle kids down to their toes! The sturdy wooden high-top sneaker is the perfect size toy for kids to learn how to lace and tie over and over again!Size: 8 x 5 x 3 1/2Ages 3+…

Melissa & Doug 20 Animal Magnets in a Box $7.16 Kids will have a wild time learning and playing with these magnetic animals. With plenty of colorful, generously-sized wooden magnets and classic animal shapes, children are sure to be engaged and entertained for hours. 20 pieces. Handy wooden storage box measures 8″ x 1.5″ x 5.5″….

Melissa and Doug 8 1/2in Wooden Ascending Train Tracks (6 Pack) $16.31 Take train play to new levels with the Melissa and Doug 8.5in Wooden Ascending Train Track Set! Each pack includes 6 ascending/descending track pieces. Enhances your train track layout!…

Guidecraft Rainbow Blocks 30 Piece Set $45.50 Rainbow Blocks from Guidecraft offer an adventure in color, light and sound! Indulge your childâ€s appetite for exploration by merging colored wooden blocks together to form new and exciting shapes. This learning toy features 30 blocks per package and is ideal for building motor, color and shape recognition skills….

Melissa & Doug Cutting Food Box $11.98 The Cutting Food Box from Melissa and Doug contains eight pieces of wooden food, a cutting board and a wooden knife. With 31 pieces, this pretend play food set offers a great way to introduce the concepts of part, whole and fractions! And, the food makes a fun “CRUNCH” sound when sliced….

Melissa & Doug Wooden Shape Sorting Clock $7.99 It’s time to “block” around the clock! Two toys in one, this colorful clock combines shape sorting and learning to tell time. Place the numbered and shaped pieces in their proper place on the face of the clock, then move the hour and minute hands to make telling time fun! Measures 9″ x 5″….

Melissa & Doug Food Groups $9.99 Who’s hungry? Mix and match to make a yummy meal. This 21-piece set is full of well-balanced, nutritious pretend food. All four food groups are individually boxed in sturdy wooden crates for storage, sorting, and stacking….

Melissa & Doug Wooden Puzzles Help Toddler Development

Wooden puzzles encourage many types of physical and emotional development among toddlers, while at the same time providing durable, low-cost toys for toddlers. Non-toxic puzzles with smooth-edged pieces are safe for toddlers, as well as easy for them to pick up and move around.

With today’s global economy, there are a slew of wooden puzzles to choose from. Costs are relatively low thanks to slave labor wages paid to oppressed workers in China and other communist economies. Popular brands include Melissa & Doug, Ravensburger, and Parker Brothers.

Wooden puzzles can help toddlers develop their physical motor skills and their hand-eye coordination. Because a puzzle requires the child to manipulate several relatively small objects, this will develop their physical skills. They will learn to visually match the puzzle piece with its corresponding space on the puzzle board, and then will learn to physically manipulate and fit the piece into that space. They will also have to match colors and shapes on the board to colors and shapes on their puzzle pieces, which will engage multiple areas of the child’s brain.

Puzzles can improve a toddler’s cognitive skills, in particular their problem-solving and reasoning skills. Each puzzle piece fits in a precise location, and the child may have to rotate the puzzle piece or flip it over. A toddler may become frustrated at first as they struggle to make the piece fit. However, with continued puzzle play, the toddler’s problem-solving skills will improve with repeated successes at solving their problem (making the puzzle piece fit).

Problem-solving requires persistence and steadfastness to stay with the task until it is solved. It requires breaking the problem down into smaller steps, then solving each step one at a time, while maintaining a focus on completing the overall objective. Each of these problem-solving skills is required by puzzles. As children grow and develop better skills, puzzles can grow increasingly more challenging in order to continue promoting skill development at higher levels with increasing degrees of difficulty. Puzzles can even teach the child patience, as a puzzle piece that does not fit one way will ultimately fit somewhere if they keep trying.

Toddlers will also develop their spatial skills and abstract thoughts by playing with wooden puzzles. As they rotate or flip a puzzle piece to make it fit in the puzzle, they will be forced to think in three dimensions. They will have to think outside their concrete thoughts (what they can see right now) and consider abstract thoughts (whether the puzzle piece will fit if they rotate it).

Puzzles may also encourage children to think ahead about the results of their actions. They will have to consider the effect of inserting a particular puzzle piece into a particular place on the puzzle board, on the placement of the next puzzle piece.

Durable wooden puzzles from brands like Melissa & Doug and others can help foster a love of puzzles in a child that will grow along with the child, evolving from wooden puzzles to jigsaw puzzles, Rubik’s cubes, and crossword puzzles. These advanced puzzles offer similar benefits as wooden puzzles, from cognitive and physical development to learning abstract thought.

About the Author

Joe Kanooga is a father of two kids, a successful business owner and the author of numerous articles about wooden puzzles. Click here to download our free Melissa & Doug guidebook filled with tips, ideas and information.

Wood Building Blocks

Vintage Wood Wooden Color Building Blocks Toy 29 pc Lot $9.99

Colored Wood Building Blocks 78 pieces Lead Free Toys $19.99

Alphabet Letter Wood Building Blocks 25 pieces Toys $9.99

100 MULTI WOOD COLOR EVA FOAM BUILDING BLOCKS PLAY ROOM $26.00

200 MULTI WOOD COLOR EVA FOAM BUILDING BLOCKS SCHOOL $39.00

Dayton Hudson Wood Fraction Math Building Blocks IOB $9.99

300 MULTI WOOD COLOR EVA FOAM BUILDING BLOCKS DAYCARE $55.00

400 MULTI WOOD COLOR EVA FOAM BUILDING BLOCKS WHOLESALE $69.00

500 MULTI WOOD COLOR EVA FOAM BUILDING BLOCKS WHOLESALE $82.00

LOT OF VINTAGE BUILDING BLOCKS OTHER WOOD TOY PCS 55+ $3.71

47 PIECE LOT JUMBO NATURAL WOOD BUILDING BLOCKS W/BAG $10.50

©1899 *THE MAPLE LEAF BUILDING BLOCKS*ORIGINAL WOOD BOX $79.99

Guidecraft Wooden Building 76 Pc Wood Blocks Kids Toys $61.74

68 Piece Kids vintage wood block building lot $4.99

BLOCK BUILDING FOR CHILDREN Lester Walker wood wooden $6.95

Lot 200+ wood alphabet ABC building blocks 1-1/4″ $41.85

184 pc colorful wood building blocks ABC’s castle train $9.99

Guidecraft Wooden Building 76 Pc Wood Blocks Kids Toys $61.74

VINTAGE 40S SIFO KINDER CITY WOOD BUILDING BLOCKS 50+ $29.99

Antique 1900s WOOD Wooden BUILDING BLOCK Set Litho Box $50.00

Antique 1900s WOOD BUILDING BLOCK Lithograph Toy Box $50.00

Uncle Goose Braille Alphabet abc Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Arabic Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Classic Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $29.95

Uncle Goose Classic Lowercase abc Wood Building Blocks $29.95

Uncle Goose Danish Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Dutch Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose French Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose German Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Greek Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Hebrew Alef-bet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Italian Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Norwegian Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Spanish Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Polish Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Swedish Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Russian Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

60 Wood Alphabet Blocks Building Words Craft SMALL 5/8″ $12.80

Antique Wood Toy Building Blocks in Original Container $9.99

109 Lincoln LOGS:building WOOD gable,chimney blocks,old $8.99

120 pcs Baby Magazine Wood Wooden Building Blocks 2″ Sz $15.99

58 pieces of Big Wood Wooden Building Blocks 1″-5″ $12.99

8 Rainbow Building WOODEN BLOCKS Wood Preschool $9.99

170 Wood Colored Building Blocks $14.27

Vintage Wood House Child’s Building Blocks $7.50

Keva Planks Wood Building Blocks 800 School Storag Tray $299.00

CHILD’S VINTAGE GERMAN WOOD TOY BUILDING BLOCK SET $23.99

100 Wood Building Blocks Set 4 Color Melissa Doug 100pc $37.99

NEW Maxim 100 Wood Bright Colors Building Blocks Toys $19.99

NEW Maxim 100 Wooden Wood Color Building Blocks Toys $19.99

Hollow Blocks – Nursery Set – 27 Pieces, 6 Shapes $545.92 2522JC Now Stronger than ever!! Blocks are Birch and Maple construction and all joints reinforced with heavy duty screws. KydzSafe edges are carefully rounded and sanded. The large size of the units encourages group play and cooperative activity. The Nursery Set consists of six basic parts, twenty-seven pieces in all. Features: -6 basic parts: 6 half units, 5 full units, 4 double units, 4 ramps, …

Extra Large Building Blocks 12 x 36 $52.99 Extra large parrot toy constructed with colorful wooden blocks and cotton rope. Extra large size provides longer lasting pleasure for your bird….

Block Island Lighthouse by Rudi Reichardt 13.00X17.00 Framed with Black Wood Frame Block Island Lighthouse, framed black wood, white matte. Beautiful Highest Quality Frame, Solid Finish, LOW SHIPPING!!! Price includes price of print Poster. Framing includes dry mounting, acrylic glazing. Comes ready to hang. and is a better quality then your local framing store Guaranteed….

Ado Products WB1285 Windblock Rafter Infiltration Block $10.49 For use with Provent and Durovent rafter vents. Prevents wind driven moisture and cold air infiltration between the rafter and the top of the wall. Reduces energy loss at the attic perimeter. Helps prevent moisture problems on the wall’s top plate. Effective for use in new and retrofit applications. Install with rafter vents to maximize attic ventilation performance. Constructed of waterproof and …

Focal Point 21610 5 7/8-Inch Quick Clips System B Connector Block 4-Inch by 4-Inch by 41/2-Inch, White $7.68 Mitre free decorative blocks. No. 21625: 4 1 8″ No. 21610: 5 7 8″…

Basswood, 4 x 4 x 12 $17.99 Basswood (Tilia americana) is a fairly soft wood, preferred for carving and is easy to work. Grown in Canada and USA. Fine straight grain material with an even texture and little contrast between early and late wood. Europeans sometimes call it American lime because it bears some carving similarities to European lime (Tilia vulgaris). Basswood is an off-white, almost cream colored, tending towards…

Berg Moov Advanced Kit $329.00 21.03.00.00 Features: -Mixed material. -Advanced kit contains more than 150 parts. -Parts you can create at least 7 models. -Manual included. -Builds technical skills, creativity and physicality….

Griffkin 1000 Piece Building Set in Wooden Box Make amazing things with these fun Griffkin Blocks! Griffkin Blocks are the winners of the Toy Mothers Smart Play Smart Toy and Best Toy award 2008! Wooden blocks have been around for centuries and make an excellent tool to teach basic math concepts, organizational skills, sequential skills, and spatial relations. It is no surprise that blocks are found in almost every pre-school and kindergarten…

Melissa & Doug 100 Piece Wood Blocks Set $12.49 Kids can use their creativity and imagination to build all sorts of things with this 100-piece set. The structures are only as tall and wide as the child’s imagination! With endless possibilities, it’s sure to provide hours of engaged play….

Melissa & Doug Stack and Sort Board $6.19 Engage kids for hours with this classic toy that helps build matching and counting skills. Little learners can simply match the color and quantity of the colorful pieces to the key on the sturdy solid-wood board, and then stack them up on the peg. Comes with 15 wooden stacking pieces and base….

The Benefits of Wooden Building Block Toys

Do you know just how beneficial playing with wooden building blocks can be for a young child?  As well as providing them with a fun way to keep them-selves busy, these wooden toys can increase many skills needed as they grow. Giving children the chance to play with these items can facilitate not just healthy development, but may also encourage an interest in design and construction.

Eye-hand coordination in one principle benefit. This is a learned skill that is important to emphasize when children are young, as this will be needed for basic motor skills will used to do most simple and complex tasks throughout life. Holding items, driving, and participating in sports all require good eye-hand coordination. Allowing a child to play with wooden building blocks frequently will help him/her master picking them up and placing them correctly when building a structure, thus improving their coordination.

Decision making is another benefit. Learning to make sound decisions is also important at an early age. Every day you are faced with several choices to make, and it is usually important to make the best one. When playing with building blocks, children must learn to make the best decisions for their building structures, or the whole thing will teeter and collapse. Trial and error is exhibited through the kid’s attempts to keep the blocks stacked upon each other and standing. Learning to reason well with these kinds of toys will help them learn how to use logic in other, more pressing decisions.

Encouraging social abilities is a less obvious benefit. Playing with wooden blocks may seem like it would not benefit a child socially, but it actually can when a group of kids are involved. If more than one child is working together to create a building from the blocks, they must talk to each other about the placement of the items and how to build the structure so it will stand on its own. Learning to discuss and cooperate will further their social skills. Even when they are playing alone, they will talk to whoever is supervising them about what they are creating. Given the ability to talk about their interests and what their current actions can facilitate good communication skills that will be beneficial as they grow older.

Hopefully it’s now easy to see just how advantageous it can be for kids to play with building block toys. The aid in development of physical, mental, and social skills will help them as they grow into adult life. That’s a very goods reason to choose wooden building blocks the next time you come to choose a toy for your child.

About the Author

Original article for a U.K based online childrens toy store specialising in wooden toys.

Abc Wood Building

Lot 200+ wood alphabet ABC building blocks 1-1/4″ $41.85

184 pc colorful wood building blocks ABC’s castle train $9.99

Uncle Goose Braille Alphabet abc Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Arabic Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Classic Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $29.95

Uncle Goose Classic Lowercase abc Wood Building Blocks $29.95

Uncle Goose Danish Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Dutch Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose French Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose German Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Greek Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Hebrew Alef-bet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Italian Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Norwegian Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Spanish Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Polish Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Swedish Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

Uncle Goose Russian Alphabet ABC Wood Building Blocks $32.95

@VINTAGE TOY WOOD ABC ALPHABET BUILDING BLOCKS ANTIQUE@ $13.01

WOOD TOY BLOCKS WOODEN BUILDING COLORED & PLAIN & ABC $15.99

Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden ABC Blocks $17.24 The Melissa and Doug Classic Wooden ABC Blocks provides a fun and versatile way to teach the alphabet! This solid wood blocks feature a colorful collection of pictures, letters, and numbers. The blocks are perfect for letter recognition and building block fun! All 26 blocks are packaged in a sturdy wooden storage box….

Italian Alphabet ABC Blocks by Uncle Goose $32.61 This heirloom-quality set of 28 blocks provides 4 complete alphabets along with 3 sets of numerals and 28 different animal pictures with their Italian names. These basswood blocks are made with two embossed sides, beveled edges, and non-toxic inks making them both safe and beautiful. A welcome edition to any playroom….

ABC Blocks in Maple Tray $55.59 This set of solid maple blocks has letters, numbers, pictures and mathematical symbols. The 28 blocks have a mix of images on all sides so children can spell, add, or just make a colorful stack of blocks. The wooden tray is crafted from maple and is a great way to store the blocks….

Alphabet blocks offer many potential benefits to young kids. While they are among the simplest of all toys, they are also among the most beneficial in many ways.

One of the great things about alphabet blocks is they come with no rules and no instructions. Kids get to make up their own rules and play away. The sky is the limit for what they can do with them and how much they can learn.  The blocks encourage open-ended explorations.

Alphabet blocks are available from several manufacturers including Citiblocks, Schylling and Melissa and Doug. All of these brands provide blocks that are safe and educational. To prevent any risk of lead poisoning, blocks are painted or stained only with non-toxic paint or stain, as children will undoubtedly put the blocks in their mouth! Brands like Melissa and Doug have designed their entire product line just for the younger kids, kids that would use alphabet blocks. Melissa and Doug is proud of their safety record of zero incidents of any problems and no needs for any recalls in over 20 years of business.

Alphabet blocks allow for social and emotional development among young children in two ways. First, when playing with other children, they learn to negotiate for the items they want to use and also to respect the ideas and opinions of others. Open-ended block play gives kids an opportunity to explore social behaviors and emotions in a safe environment. These benefits will transfer to other areas of the child’s life, such as when they are playing with friends!

Blocks also provide physical development for children. Playing with blocks will improve both the child’s gross motor skills and fine motor skills. As children pick up the small blocks, carry them from place to place, and position them, their small muscles will develop. Even seemingly “small” motions will provide benefits. When children stack blocks, they will improve their hand-eye coordination as well as their balance.

Standard wooden alphabet blocks naturally appeal to children. Wood that has been sanded and polished feels good to the touch. Their symmetrical shape is naturally pleasing.

Blocks allow cognitive and intellectual development for children. Blocks help children develop a concrete understanding of the world around them. They will learn about sizes, shapes, numbers, orders, area, length, patterns, and weight as they build with and put away the blocks. Blocks also help children to think abstractly. Children form mental pictures as they interact with the world around them. When they play with blocks, they can recreate these pictures in concrete form.

Finally, blocks allow for language development in children. Children love to talk about the scenes they have created, and when an adult asks questions or shows a genuine interest, the child will be learning to create a description of what they see. When adults provide a new word to describe their creations, they will be expanding their vocabulary. They can even develop their writing skills when they make signs for their buildings.

Alphabet blocks can help kids develop the skills they need to become strong and healthy physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. Perhaps best of all, they don’t cost nearly as much as high-tech electronic toys. In fact, brands like Melissa and Doug have found ways to distribute high quality blocks around the world at very low prices.

About the Author:

Joe Kanooga is a father of two kids, a successful business owner and the author of numerous articles about Melissa and Doug and other educational toys. Click here to download our free alphabet blocks guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Melissa and Doug Alphabet Blocks Help Kids Develop Skills