Valentines gifts for your kids

I have always loved giving my kids a little Valentine gift for Valentines. Cookies and Candies are a nice gesture but its nice to give something that is going to last and they can learn from them.

One of my favorite toys is this Melissa and Doug Monster bowling.

Bowling is such a great game to play with your little ones. You can work on several areas of development. First of all you can play it indoors. When its cold and snowy outside this is a great opportunitiy to get them up and moving. It is also a great game to encourage language and cognitive skills. You can talk about knocking them down (uh-oh they fell down), picking them up (stand them up), rolling the ball (ready, set, go), counting (one, two, three, etc.). Ask questions, which one should we knock down? Should we roll the ball fast or slow? Should we stand up or sit down to roll the ball? Should we line them up in a row or put them in a circle?

Picking them up and standing them up also works on their fine motor skills. It takes practice to stand them up correctly without knocking them over. They are also working on crossing midline as they do this.

You can also use the bowling pin monsters and label body parts. Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Mouth. Talk about the different colors and point to them. You can also work on counting. The monsters can be used as puppets to act out stories. This is great for expanding their pretend play. Children of all ages enjoy bowling. You won't go wrong with this activity. You can purchase the above set at Amazon.com through this link. http://amzn.to/2k8mHjI aff.link