Hi my DD will be turning two soon. I am looking for suggestions for a good birthday present. She loves letters, loves starfall but does not like reading eggs. She has the Doug and Melissa see and spell puzzle and LOVES it! Looking for toys that people have found useful for advanced kids but still having some fine motor weakness and upper arm weaknesses. She likes puzzles but has a hard time with the coordination. She tries to write letters and numbers but also has a hard time with the fine motor coordination. Thank-you

I like this toy store.
http://www.fatbraintoys.com/
I've bought a few things. I like browsing the customer reviews of the toys.

Does she have an easel yet? There's a pretty good, cheap one by Melissa and Doug.

Non-hardening clay is another option, to get her working more with her hands and arms. My son likes Sculpey a lot, but even if you use the softener / thinner it would probably be too stiff for your daughter. So I'd look around for either some non-drying modeling clay that is very soft, or the new Crayola stuff that is super-soft (but does dry). Plasticine might be soft enough, and you can get a set with a mat, a bunch of colors, and tools for cheap.

Block puzzles might be fun for her, and less frustrating than ordinary puzzles. Ravensburger makes some pretty nice, cheap ones IIRC. There are decent wooden ones, too. Check these out, for example: http://www.hazelnutkids.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=PT51520
http://thewoodenwagon.com/woodentoy/fischer-games/CAF1601.html
http://thewoodenwagon.com/woodentoy/fischer-games/CAF2004.html

Melissa and Doug Magnetic Pattern Blocks are another thing you could try. She could be a bit sloppy about putting them together, since they slide around. My son really liked that toy in the past. She also could use it just to put pictures together.

Haba and other makers have some nice, whimsical building block sets.

She is at an age where she would probably start liking the "marble runs / races" or similar things. The cheap plastic ones may actually be better for her, since they'd be lighter. A decent set would give her fine motor practice without being too frustrating-- you just have to essentially be able to slide a big peg into a hole. There are also decent wooden ones (e.g. Cuboro / Cugolino).

Capsela is a good toy for about that age. The only thing is that you would have to find some loose connectors for your daughter-- in my experience, they're all over the map. You could buy some extra pieces on eBay just to get enough loose ones. I think that's a great toy, and if she is inclined to do puzzles or think mechanically, she would probably spend many happy hours playing with it.

Rush Hour Jr., Hot Spot, and Clever Castle might be good puzzle games for her, and all would work on her coordination to some degree without being too tough. I love the game Topitop for little ones, and it involves some stacking.

I would suggest a good set of wood unit blocks; not the junky kinds from Toys R Us that are too light and topple right over. Something like this http://www.liveandlearn.com/woodtoys/unitblocks.html

They are expensive but at our house have been the most long lasting toy - every day from age one to ten. They can be passed down to the next generation. Wood blocks build spatial skills and fit well with open ended imaginative play. These are a preschool standard for a reason. The weight makes them easier and less frustrating to handle than plastic toys.

Yep, I'm a big, big fan of blocks too. Check out these colored ones (I swear I am not affiliated with this site, and don't necessarily recommend buying anything specifically from them, but I do think they look cool and will probably buy some of them for my up-and-coming little one soon, as well as some of the HABA architecturally-oriented block sets):

http://thewoodenwagon.com/woodentoys/202.html

At my daycare, one of the most played with toys is this -

http://www.discountschoolsupply.com...mp;CategorySearch=&Brand=&Price=

All ages and abilities love to build with them and see what creations they come up with. Also - Wedgits are wonderful, too

My DS (who, similarly, was cognitively advanced but not advanced wrt to fine motor skills) got and loved for his second birthday:

- a set of children's tuned handbells

- a wooden train set (ebay! this is a classic example of stuff best bought second hand, as it's expensive new but lasts for ever)

- a tricycle.

And books of course. I think my main recommendation would be the bells, if you think your nerves will stand it: they were a tremendous hit and are still used. Do get a set which are in tune and pleasant to listen to :-)

Though it says all ages these type of toys have powerful magnets in them. So if your child likes to put things in his/her mouth it would not be the best toy choice for them.

Thinking back to my DD's 2nd birthday she received dress up clothes, books, and a drum. All things she still has and still uses 2 years later.

Two's a little young for regular playdoh. Got ds some for his second birthday and it was more effort than fun for him to even squish it. At 2.5 when he could finally really use it he had better luck and more fun with the shallow "press in" molds than the spaghetti maker, which I thought would have been more entertaining.
I agree with the easel being a huge gift. We have a nice plastic one with shelves that folds down to a desk and up to an easel (thanks grandma) and it gets more consistent use than any other toy.

Dress up. Especially capes (which they can continue to use as they grow). My 2 Ds got more hours of use out of capes (and dress up wings!) than anything else, I think. They would act out their favorite stories. And used for Halloween costumes

At that age my kids also liked toy food, and playing at picnics and cooking.

And, of course, as mentioned by others, books.

Hi,

It might have been around 2 that we got DS several of the characters from the starfall "store" (They sell stuffed Gus the Duck, Zac the Rat, etc, click on the store button). That was a big hit

At 3.3 he is not still using many things from 2 but among them are the Starfall stuffed animals. Also a dollhouse (a "real" looking one bought used with bins of furniture and a family of bunnies I added). That was a wonderful kind of scaffold for helping him begin to contruct little pretend stories. Also some popup books that were more for older kids but in his interests, he was gentle with them from the start and a year plus later they are mostly intact and still looked at some. Still uses a large collapsible fabric tunnel.

I got a large set of big wood unit blocks from ebay around then and there was no interest then and none since either. And I did get a tricycle not too long after 2, but his gross motor ability (and interest level) is pretty low for his age, he now can make it go, but doesn't find it fun.

DS loves playdoh. At 2 was still sometimes putting things in his mouth and wasn't strong enough to do much with it, supervised though he still enjoyed it a awful lot. I'm glad I did let him play extensively with it then as these days he makes little playdoh worlds with recognizable creatures that I like to take photos of. At 2 it was something we more did together, mostly he'd tell me what to make and I'd make it, but that's okay too, it was another way for him to create his own simple pretend scenarios.

Polly

My son loved this musical instrument rhythm set. When friends come over they still love being a marching band with them. The drums need to be reinforced (they have packing tape over the top at this point - but it has been several years); but they still sound great!!! (warning - it will get loud;)

http://www.backtobasicstoys.com/item/productid/7920/txt/Musical_Instrument_Rhythm_Set

DD will be 2 soon. We've already picked up a nice doll for her and may get her a balance bike for Christmas. She's really into dolls and does a ton of pretend play with them (we've picked up some accesories for them too). I know she'd be over the moon for a toy kitchen but we might be moving soon so we'd rather wait but I did buy some toy pots and pans and toy food and turned a box into a mini stove using construction paper and she loved it!

Books are always a hit and any art supplies. Her favorite crayons are these: http://www.amazon.com/Stabilo-Woody...ome-garden&qid=1284938533&sr=8-2 (if you google them you can find a lot cheaper prices, though). But, honestly, the vast majority of our days are spent playing with her dolls or reading books.

I've never heard of the wood crayons you linked to but they look interesting. Especially since they are mixable with water and can turn the experience into a watercolor one. DD would love these but wow they are expensive. I did find a link for the set for 19.99.


Stabilo Woody Crayons

We actually found these this summer in Europe and were able to pick them up for 12 EUR. However, DD got completely addicted so we'll have to find somewhere to get them here cheaper! She'll use them to the exclusion of all other crayons/markers/paints. Plus, I found that the colors are really pretty, much better than your standard crayon so they are more fun for me too.

We just got these for our niece: memory game (matching pictures), and one other I can't remember. Blocks make me think of the threading beads, big wooden ones, that are usually fun and help with the motor skills, expressing ideas about shapes and color, etc.

My son is turning 2 in 2 days and we have bought him a kids digital camera, which I think he'll love, as he likes to use mine to take pictures of his toys.

He got a dress-up box at his party on Sat., which I thought was a great idea 'cause we don't have much dress-up stuff and it will encourage him to use his imagination.

He also loves the LeapFrog Scribble and Write, which teaches how to write and draw. Very cool!

A memory game was something else I wanted to try with him, so that might be another option for you. Mr. Potato Head was also a hit at his party.

Finding toys for these kids is especially hard, so good luck!

Kalhuli just reminded me of another toy that was a big hit for DD when she was 2 and under: the doodlepro. It comes in many sizes such as a smaller travel size which is great to take in the car and on planes but she really loved the large one.

Ooohhhh, yeah! My son LOVES his doodleboard and they have just come out with the GloDoodle, which is the same type thing, but has a clear screen, so you can trace pictures or objects by laying the GloDoodle underneath. The only downside is that you can't keep a really good picture!

Thank-you sooo much for all your ideas and even giving me the links! I wish I could buy it all.... SOme of the things I have from her much older sister such as capes and dress up clothes that I had kept. The "cool" toy store in town is having a store wide sale. We are actually planning to take DD to the store and kind of steer her in the direction of the toys mentioned and let her choose what she wants. The toys that she plays with the most are toys she has picked herself. I think we will invest in an easel so that she builds arm strength by painting with her arms unsupported. It is hard to buy safe enough toys that are interesting enough. Thank-you everyone!