1. Farm Animals with Barns
With this play set, your kids can learn about 10 different farm animals and identify their characteristics. They printed the barn lids with numbers from 1 to 10, and the bodies have dots corresponding to the numbers.
Children of all ages can have fun with number-learning and color-matching sorting games based on these, and exercise their counting, color recognition, classification, and matching skills.
NeuroKids Farm Animal Ideas
- Discuss and practice animal names and sounds
- Work on saying colors
- Learn about numbers
- Use describing words (big/little, soft, loud/quiet)
- Play a guessing game (give three clues, then have your child guess which animal you are describing)
- Pretend play (wake the animals up, feed them breakfast, play in the field, etc.)
- Play hide-and-seek (hide them around the room/house). Follow directions to find them.
2. Touch & Feel Animal Cards
With a vibrant image on every flashcard, these sturdy picture cards make learning about animals exciting.
There are even talking points on the back of each card to reinforce learning while helping children become familiar with the shapes, colors, and sounds of fluffy puppies, stripy fish, and many other favorite animals.
NeuroKids Flashcard Ideas
- Repeat animal names and sounds
- Learn colors
- Use describing words (big/little, soft, loud/quiet)
- Relate to your personal life (“Our neighbor Joe has a dog like this one, but he is brown.”)
3. Critter Clinic Vet Set
This cute animal hospital set comes with two plush patients and features six colorful rooms with matching keys. Five veterinary tools (stethoscope, mirror, syringe, tweezers, and thermometer) are stored neatly away in a rooftop compartment.
NeuroKids Vet Set Ideas
- Discuss all the different colors
- Match colors (keys→doors)
- Practice fine motor control (opening the doors)
- Pretend play with the animals and vet toys
- Hide other toys/objects/pictures inside the doors
- Try to use target words such as “open, lock, key, close”
- You can also use it for frontloading for upcoming doctor appointments (to help set their expectations)
4. Water Doodle Mat
This large water-drawing mat works without ink, so there's no mess, and it is completely reusable. Portable for indoor and outdoor use and travel, this mat is a great learning toy for children of all ages.
Fill the pen with clean water and draw on the mat, and after 3-10 minutes, it magically disappears. Children can paint on the drawing mat again and again.
This magical water painting pad allows your child to paint with friends at the table or on the floor, exercise hand-eye coordination and color perception, and develop painting and creative skills.
NeuroKids Drawing Mat Ideas
- Draw and learn about shapes
- Discuss and explore letters
- Encourage your child's creativity
- Have your child imitate/copy other drawings
- Make up stories with their associated drawings
5. Books
You can always purchase books from Amazon or a local bookstore (or check some out from your local library during holiday break!).
When reading, you can:
- Label objects/pictures
- Talk about the people, characters, objects, and scenes
- Relate to your personal life (“You like to go swimming at Grandma’s house, her pool is just like this one”)
- Read the story to them, or encourage them to “read” to you (they can describe the images)
Happy Holidays from NeuroKids
Everyone at NeuroKids hopes you have an excellent, enjoyable, and stress-free holiday season. We hope these ideas help you as you search far and wide for a special gift for your loved ones.
Happy holidays!
