According to Albert Einstein, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”  And if you have ever struggled with finding ways to spark your child’s imagination or creativity, you are not alone!  Imagination during play is an important component of you little one’s development.  So, finding fun and refreshing activities that stimulate and engage your child can be a big boost to your child’s overall development.

As important as any activities or toys, it’s vital you let your child explore creatively with open-ended activities.  This provides a sense of pride and accomplishment in what they create or experience on their own.  The following are 10 amazing, safe, environmentally-friendly, high quality and fun items to ignite that spark in your child’s mind!

1) Eco Dough: Eco-dough is an all-natural sculpting dough colored with dyes from fruits and vegetables. Young children love exploring dough and seeing what they can create.  More often than not, they will feel the need to taste test the dough while exploring it.  With Eco Dough you don’t have to worry about them ingesting potentially harsh chemicals.

It is helpful to begin by modeling ways to roll it or pat the dough.  You can also model different ideas of what to make such as animals, cars, food, etc. then you can let your child take the lead and see what they create next.  It’s a great activity to pair with language as you can label actions such as roll or pat.

2) Earth Paint: Earth paint is safe and non-toxic paint for your child to explore and experiment with. Similarly with dough, if your child is exploring paint for the first time, they may accidently try some or get it on their hands or bodies.  With Earth Paint you know it is nontoxic so you can feel safe about letting your child explore.

Paint is fun, as you can initially introduce various shapes starting with dots and lines, then move onto more advanced shapes.  Let your child explore which direction the paint strokes takes him. Turn music on and let them paint with the music or paint outside in the garden.  Talk to them about what they are painting. Ask them questions and revel in the fun stories they come up with!

3) Boon Cogs Water Gears: Boon Cogs Water Gears are great for the bath or water play! Let your child build their own machine, model how they work and then see the various combinations they create on their own. Kids love exploring with water, dumping, building, pouring and splashing.

4) Kid o car or plane: Either the Kid o Car or Airplane are great! You will be surprised how many different ideas they come up with, whether indoors or outdoors. They will find various surfaces to drive on, ways to drive, noises to make and ideas about where they’re headed on their exciting journeys.

5) Kid o tempo music set: The Kid o Tempo Music Set provides easy-to-grasp instruments which allow your child to explore different musical sounds and create their own rhythms.  This is great for them to explore their musical side and get creative with sounds, beats and movement.

6) Korxx Brickle Blocks: Block building promotes development of fine motor skills, it presents challenges, encourages creativity and helps a child create an end goal. Children are free to build just about anything they could imagine such as houses, castles, zoos, parking garages, towers, pyramids, and walls just to name a few. While the Korxx Brickle provides a variety learning experiences, it also pretty forgiving  a structure isn’t sound. Limiting the frustration of failure also contributes to a happy atmosphere.

7) Green toys sand play set: Building and playing outside offers many great developmental benefits. Your child also gets to explore new materials such as sand and soil. Build a castle. Dig for buried treasure. No matter how ambitious the project, the Green Toys and Play Set always leaves a light footprint.

8) Maileg Noah’s Cruise: Maileg Noah’s Cruise is part puzzle, part play set, part story.  Children can reenact what they know of the Noah’s Arc story or create their own fantastic tale.  The ark animals are magnetic so they stay securely in place while the child explores various fun activities with the toy.

9) Green sprouts swim friends: Swim friends are fun for various water play; they float and stick to various surfaces.  There are 10 water loving animals to play with, learn about and give their own characteristics too!

10) Franck and Fischer Pull Toy Thomas Tiger: Thomas Tiger is your child’s new best friend!  This will encourage your child to walk and explore while pulling Thomas along.  They can go on adventures and explore new territory together!  Thomas is made of 100% certified organic cotton and printed with environmentally friendly dyes.