Hello everyone!
Well if you follow me on
Facebook and
Instagram (you're awesome!) and you've probably heard that I've been selected by the wonderful online kids & babies shop
Finlee and Me. It is such an exciting step for
Teacher Types as I prepare to take a year maternity leave from teaching and want to take my blog further out into the interwebs... I've learnt that collaboration is the key to getting anywhere in the online world, and I'm so grateful to have established this partnership with Angela and her business.
What does that mean for you? Well I've got the inside scoop (if you like) on absolutely brilliant and unique toys and products for your children - most of which you can't get in regular shops. I can share the educational benefits and our personal play experiences too. All opinions are my own, and this is not a sponsored post, I will however always disclose if a product has been kindly gifted :)
So without further ado - here are my top 15 educations Christmas gift ideas all available from Finlee and Me! If you're thinking of starting your Christmas shopping and want to avoid the Westfields - why not buy online?
Amazing Alphabets
The alphabet is everywhere! And it's never too early to start. Most kids love puzzles - and if they're learning the alphabet at the same time it's win win! This wooden alphabet puzzle is beautiful quality and would be a great for kids 2-5 years of age.
Number puzzle also available!
We have letters all over our house - a foamy alphabet in the bath and magnet letters on the fridge just to name a few. Providing a print rich environment and immersing your child in letters, words and language can work wonders for their early development. Half the fun for little hands is sticking these magnet letters on to the fridge, and it's a set of 52 meaning you get a full capital and lower case letters. These are a gift for my nephew this Christmas {gifted}
You can never go wrong with books for Christmas pressies. Maybe you need an extra item or two, a stocking stuffer, or you're buying for someone else's child you don't really know all that well. The Alphablock book is a winner {gifted}. Little readers peek through the cut out capital letters to reveal the pictured behind. The
Countablock Number book is also available at Finlee and Me.
Beautiful Blocks
How stunning are these pastel building blocks? There are other colours available but these are my favourites! I believe that blocks should be part of every play area both at home or school. They are what we call an open ended toy - and the possibilities are endless. It's amazing to see where your child's imagination will take them.
The newest addition to our block bucket are these rainbow blocks {gifted}. Best played with near a window to get the dull visual effect of light pouring through the coloured blocks. Miss M and I enjoyed sorting by colour and then by shape, making towers and structures and as you can see - having a look through to see what the world would look like :)
Grimms Rainbow
So you know how I can't resist a rainbow?? These are my all time favourite toy and product from Finlee and Me. If I could recommend just one present for your Christmas list it would be this. We have the small (pictured above along with the Grimms stacking cups) and it's just right for tiny little hands (1-3 year olds).
For older children - 4 and above, I'd recommend splurging and getting the large rainbow. There is just so much more they can do with more pieces. My blogger friend Nichole from You Clever Monkey has a fantastic post sharing
5 ways to play with this rainbow stacker. Have a look and you'll be inspired!
Imaginative + Pretend Play
For Christmas this year we're after some additions to Miss M's play kitchen. It's always a good idea to build on what you have instead of getting too much and over cluttering. Any good play kitchen isn't complete with out play food - so we got this wooden fruit cutting set {gifted}. It's so ideal for Miss M's age right now. She loves pretend play and I can just see her keeping busy cutting up the fruits and joining them back together, making meals for her teddies and dolls ('friends' she calls them)...
Family members are always asking for Christmas present ideas aren't they? Miss M's Nanna is getting her this cute as pie cash register to go with her play kitchen, play food, trolley, handbag etc... So much learning happens through play as young children act out their everyday life experience and make sense of the world around them.
Invite a little magic into your child's bedroom or play room with these fairy doors. This product is on my wish list for when Miss M becomes a big sister, I think it'll be the perfect addition to her
rainbow bedroom. The 'small world play' possibilities are endless with these little doors and accessories that come with it. Many parents say that these have helped their little ones stay in their own beds and sleep better through the night. Win win!
Fine Motor & Music
Another fabulous Finlee and Me product is the Wooden Lock Activity Box {gifted}. If your little one is fascinated with keys, knobs, locks and latches, they'll be kept busy with this for ages! We have something similar for Miss M (I called it the
Nuts 'n' bolts toddler board). But the lock box version is much smaller, more compact and you don't have to make it yourself! In this photo Miss M is giving it a little test run before we give it to her cousin for Christmas!
I've had my eye on this Melody Mix for a while now - I just think it's such a cool idea. So many musical instruments in one neat and tidy set! Young children LOVE music and noise and they can experiment with so many different sounds and actions with these instruments. Bang, scrape, tap, shake...fun, fun, fun!
Activities for when you're on the go
Ever heard of busy bags? They're an ingenious idea designed to keep toddlers busy when you're out and about and need something quiet, low mess and low fuss to keep them entertained (eg doctor's waiting rooms, flights, out to dinner etc). This fabric memory game is ideal! Playing independently, children can match up the pairs, or play with a partner.
Another easy to transport, busy bag type product are these drawing sets (many colours available). Velcro tabs make them easy for little hands to open and close. (Please note, note pad is included but crayons are not). What a nifty idea!
Probably the quietest play product ever and one of my favourites are fuzzy felts. Numerous different scenes can be created with just one set and will encourage little imaginations, and best of all it's silent! There are so many other sets available at Finlee and Me, just follow the link under the image.
Well there you have it! What a huge list of ideas! I hope you've found something useful here, I tried to include products to suit a variety of budgets explaining their use in a variety of educational categories. There is so so much more at
Finlee and Me that you just must have a browse around!
Who else has started their Christmas shopping early?
Lauren x
