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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: March 05 2008 at 11:36am | IP Logged
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My 3.5 year old boy is definitely entering the stage where I think he'd really benefit from some figures to play with and interact with for imaginative play. He has started having conversations with himself even while just sitting by himself putting a puzzle together.
This is something I've been putting off since I'm not sure what to buy. Most of his friends have super figures like superman, spiderman, power rangers, etc..., but that's really not our thing, and I'd rather not have a bunch of those. Those things do seem attractive to him, though
My husband and I have discussed plastic army men (dh and son watch a number of the old WWII movies together), but it seems they are all so cheaply made in China these days. Plus, I'm not super excited about the prospect of so many tiny figures making their way into every nook and cranny of our small house. They seem high maintenance in the same way playing cards seem to be in this house.
We have a few knights we got for Christmas (Schleich), but they aren't really seeing as much play as I thought, but maybe that's because they get buried in the bins of duplo and the like?
Any ideas for what kind of figures you and your children have enjoyed? Is it necessary or worthwhile, or is it really enough that he enact these things in his minds eye while doing other things without the need to have a physical toy to represent that? His brother is only 21 months and not really to that level of play yet; so, it isn't as if he has a ready playmate to enact these things himself, if that makes sense.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 05 2008 at 11:43am | IP Logged
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One word -- Playmobil!
I cannot believe how much imagination my son uses playing with these. We have knights, Romans, and pirates, but he uses them in all sorts of ways, including acting out stories he reads in books or sees in movies. And trust me, it doesn't have to be exact -- the imagination is such a great thing.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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CKwasniewski
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| Posted: March 05 2008 at 11:46am | IP Logged
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Lindsay,
I agree with you about being put off by the glitzy movie action figures. We have avoided these completely.
We've gone with Playmobil and it gets more use than just about any other toy (Lego is close). My ds (8) is always happy playing with them, either with friends, his sister or by himself.
Most or all of Playmobil is NOT made in China. These are good quality and you can choose from many "historical" period costumes, e.g., pirates, knights, Romans, Vikings, Native Americans, pioneers, hunters, or regular families and modern jobs like doctors or astronauts.
I think it is natural for children to act out themselves or play (with figures) various adventures and stories, either that they have heard or seen, or that they think of themselves.
Just like little girls with dolls and tea sets or playing house... Only for boys it's a little more adventurous! 
I'd get your knights in a separate bin so that they can be more easily found. And any other figures should be kept separately from legos etc.
hth
ck
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DominaCaeli
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My two littles aren't at this stage yet, but your question brought to mind a post from SouleMama about wooden toy options that I loved. Halfway through, she talks about the wooden "people" that her kids enjoy decorating and playing with. They looked like so much fun that I bookmarked them for later use. Obviously, these aren't necessarily meant to be long-lasting--but they are definitely open to your son's imaginative interpretation!
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Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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Fe2h2o
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| Posted: March 05 2008 at 11:23pm | IP Logged
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We have some puppets that Puggle uses occasionally, along with stuffed toys. But he's equally as likely to act out scenarios with blocks. Actually, he's also pretty keen on using the didinosaur counterss he got at the start of the year. They live in a tub, and I won't say we haven't lost _any_, but I think there's only one gone missing so far!
Humanoid doesn't seem to be the biggest requirement:-)
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Mary G
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| Posted: March 06 2008 at 7:31am | IP Logged
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DominaCaeli wrote:
| My two littles aren't at this stage yet, but your question brought to mind a post from SouleMama about wooden toy options that I loved. Halfway through, she talks about the wooden "people" that her kids enjoy decorating and playing with. They looked like so much fun that I bookmarked them for later use. Obviously, these aren't necessarily meant to be long-lasting--but they are definitely open to your son's imaginative interpretation! |
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Celeste this is a great suggestion! My kids love making things and my 8yod LOVES to do things like this -- play incessantly with little people/animals she has made (even more so than the more expenisve ones she has).
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MaryG
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momto2
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We have holztiger figures. My two really seem to enjoy them....they are a little pricey but are meant to last generations! They are made in Germany and are quite large!
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CrunchyMom
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momto2 wrote:
| We have holztiger figures. My two really seem to enjoy them....they are a little pricey but are meant to last generations! They are made in Germany and are quite large! |
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See my post in this thread about our Holztiger elephant experience.
Wooden Toy Thread
Do you find them to be durable? I'm thinking we probably just had bad luck choosing an elephant which is unique in its proportions? They are beautiful figures, and we had decided to start investing in them, but I am leary now spending so much if they are not going to survive a day--much less make it to be heirlooms.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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momto2
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CrunchyMom wrote:
momto2 wrote:
| We have holztiger figures. My two really seem to enjoy them....they are a little pricey but are meant to last generations! They are made in Germany and are quite large! |
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See my post in this thread about our Holztiger elephant experience.
Wooden Toy Thread
Do you find them to be durable? I'm thinking we probably just had bad luck choosing an elephant which is unique in its proportions? They are beautiful figures, and we had decided to start investing in them, but I am leary now spending so much if they are not going to survive a day--much less make it to be heirlooms. |
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Yup, a few of mine have been thrown across the room and never had a problem! We have had ours since Christmas and I have a 2.5yo that thinks everything is a baseball  Did you try contacting Holztiger about your elephant??
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 06 2008 at 4:13pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| We have a few knights we got for Christmas (Schleich), but they aren't really seeing as much play as I thought, but maybe that's because they get buried in the bins of duplo and the like? |
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I just wanted to add that we got Schleich knights and Playmobil at the same time. The Scheich doesn't get played with as much. Playmobil has movable joints, interchangeable weapons and clothing and hair and such. Lots of parts, but my son loves them all.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 06 2008 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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Same here. We have several different types of figures - only the Playmobil gets played with - over and over again!!!
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Jen Mackintosh
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marianne
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| Posted: March 06 2008 at 5:25pm | IP Logged
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You've gotten good suggestions, but I also wanted to throw in Rescue Heroes. My boys have gotten a ton of imaginary play out of these guys - and they're the perfect size for 3yos.
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Lori B
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Playmobil, hands down. We have some Schleich and some wooden figures, but my kids prefer the Playmobil because they can be manipulated.
Another option is Lego mini-figures (especially if you are already collecting Lego/ Duplo).
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SusanJ
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I have a 3.5yo ds as well and his imagination is going crazy so I mentally bookmarked this thread to explore later. I just went to the Playmobil site--overwhelming! I'm thinking of giving him a name day gift (St. Joseph) because his birthday and Christmas are so close together and he's had a lot of interests and abilities develop since then.
Anyway--I've heard Playmobil recommended overwhelmingly from a lot of people in a lot of places. Where to start? Is there some sort of minimum amount that kids seem to need before they can really play with them? I'm on a decluttering spree and it sort of kills me to think of buying toys with lots of small pieces but I really think ds would have so much fun with some toy to act out his imagination.
Advice?
Susan
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Mackfam
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Susan,
Why not start with just the firetruck or something else that is fairly generic? The fire truck gets tons of play here and comes with 2 action figures. We have the pirate ship and rescue helicopter too, and figures get interchanged quite a bit. We like these Plano utility boxes for organizing the small pieces. Sometimes, I put the utility box away along with all the little pieces and only leave out the firetruck with the 2 figures.
I really don't think you can go wrong with Playmobil!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Lori B
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Susan, we asked our kids what series appealed to them most, and then bought them "Super Sets" to get them started.
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CrunchyMom
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Funnily, we don't own playmobil yet, but we do have a catalog the boys like looking at. I guess I'll have to start paying better attention to which ones they like.
Susan, the catalog was free at the local hobby store; so, that might be an easier way to get an idea of what your little ones like.
I do like the little wood turnings, too. They remind me of what my little people were like when I was young. I even had a few wooden ones from yardsales!
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Kathryn UK
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My 21 month old is engrossed in putting Playmobil people into cars as I type  .
I only have girls and they tended to like the more realistic, "modern" sets - house, shop, emergency services, vehicles, playground and so on. I think if I had boys I would do the same as Jenn and opt for pirates, knights, Vikings and so on. Buying a few smaller sets is a good way to start, as it gives them more options than one larger set.
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JennGM
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marianne wrote:
| You've gotten good suggestions, but I also wanted to throw in Rescue Heroes. My boys have gotten a ton of imaginary play out of these guys - and they're the perfect size for 3yos. |
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At first I thought you meant the Adventure People that my siblings had growing up. These were so great. But the Rescue Heroes seem along that line. I'll have to keep my eye out.
As far as where to start with Playmobil, I started with the Nativity set. Then, like the others suggested, I went small. The figures and their accessories are the favorite. You don't need much to do the imagination, and the people can be used inside Duplo houses, on stairs, etc.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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julia s.
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Lindsay,
My only warning about Playmobile or any of the plastic type figures is that once you go plastic you pretty much have to continue with plastic figures. I find it very difficult to get my kids involved in the wooden ones once they've had the others, but I know people who only use the wood or natural materials and their kids love their toys.
It's a bit of an aesthetic and philosophical choice in the beginning that unless you are aware you're making you might pigeonhole yourself without realizing it.
Just a thought.
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julia
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Figures for Imaginative Play
