Looking for suggestions for toys that stimulate interest in reading or even coloring.?

Question

3 yr old Grandson is plunked in front of TV all day. He shows no interest in books or even coloring. I am looking for ways to stimulate interest in reading, numbers, alphabet, colors, etc. I live some distance from him, so I thought about toys that he would be naturally drawn to.

Answer 1

First off, as  a teacher, if you cant change the parent it may be a lost cause - but lets hope not.  My little ones like the leapfrog leappad for reading...and for drawing just try some blank paper and crayons.  If they dont work, try markers; then colored pencils.  Something should spark the childs creative outlet, but it may take a few tries.

Answer 2

Fuzzy posters are cool and kids always love to color them.

Answer 3

there is this plastic mat that you color with certain felt markers that are filled with water. you can color draw or anything you want. the markers dont work on anything but the mat. it has a boarder around it with letters and numbers on it. my grand daughter has one and she loves it. and there wont be any scribbling on the walls. another one is a talking book. they have little things on them that you can push and they say different things for different pictures. they are great and the kids interact with them. try to get one with favorite cartoon figures in it. there is also the fisher price play desk. it has all types of activieties they can do. i hope these ideas help you. merry christmas.

Answer 4

My three year old loves her Leapster - the handheld one. It is kind of like a LeapPad, however, much smaller and very portable.  Further, it is easy for their little hands to work with.  There is a cartridge that you can get to go with it, Learn to Write and Draw.  It is fun for my daughter, yet she doesn't realize that she is learning and improving her her eye-hand coordination.

The AquaDoodle pad/dinosaur is also excellent, no worries about stains.

Also, Crayola Color Wonder products are "wonderful", for lack of a better word.  They coloring pens and finger paints won't color on anything else besides the special Color Wonder paper, again, no worries about stains.

A Magna Doodle is also a way to get the creative spark to grow.  We have gone through a few of those.

Good luck - nice to hear of a grandpa that takes a serious interest in their grandchild!

Answer 5

If your grandson likes the tv I would try "Little Einstein" movies, they are good. Also, for every holiday/birthday I get my nephew books and a "fun" present. I have been doing that since he was born and he loves to read. His baby-sitter also started taking him to the library before he could even talk and read books to him, now he picks out his own books. Leap frog and the v-tech smile games are also very good.