Spotlight: Ape to Zebra Toys (and Giveaway!)

Supporting your child's development through play is not only fun, but an important part of laying a strong foundation for future learning. That's why I'm always on the lookout for educational toys that support key developmental milestones such as gross and fine motor skills.

I was recently introduced to an awesome online educational toy store that carefully selects toys that help encourage and stimulate young minds. Ape to Zebra has an extensive array of toys and feature quality natural and organic toys from esteemed brands such as Haba, Plan, and Kathe Kruse (famous for their handmade dolls).

I was amazed to see that the selection contained many toys that are hard to find as well as many award winning toys, games, and books. As they have such a broad selection, I appreciate that their site offers search features that help narrow the selection including shop by price, Toys Made In, age group, targeted skills, and award winners.

As a parent, I love the information on development with toy recommendations that are appropriate for my son's developmental level. It helps me to focus my shopping on items that I know will help stimulate his development and the tips (such as giving Bean his own cabinet full of toys and objects so that he can safely explore) were great!

To check out the quality of the products they sell, Ape to Zebra sent me the Melissa and Doug Beginner Pattern Blocks to review. The set includes 5 double-sided wooden scenes and 30 wooden shapes (to replicate the scenes), all neatly packaged in a wooden crate. The blocks can be used to help teach skills such as matching, sorting, problem solving, and color recognition.

The wooden scenes are sturdy and have insets that act as a self-correcting guide for little ones learning to place shapes to complete the picture. As the pieces are all made of wood, the toy is sturdy and is perfect for sharing with multiple kids.

I love how the toy is versatile and allows for a lot of creativity. There are plenty of shapes that a child can use to create their own scenes. Since the wooden shapes are thick, they are easy to trace for art projects as well. Suggestions for improvement: My only suggestion for improvement is that I wish the wooden box that contains all the pieces come with a lid.

The Melissa and Doug Beginner Pattern Blocks is great for: toddlers, preschoolers, day cares, preschools.

Buy it! The Melissa and Doug Beginner Pattern Blocks retails for CAN $27.50 at www.ape2zebra.ca

Win it! Ape to Zebra has generously offered one lucky Psych Mommy reader a $35 gift certificate to spend at Ape to Zebra's online store!

To enter, head on over to Ape to Zebra and leave a comment on this post telling me what item catches your eye!

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This post will be open for entries until 3/25 at 11:59 pm EST. Open to all.