Imaginative Play Win!

     As we all know, entertaining a toddler can sometimes seem like a Herculean task. I mean, how do you keep a pint-sized whirlwind fully engaged for more than five minutes?! Well, today inspiration hit and I remembered my Fisher-Price Briarberry Collection tucked safely away in a bin in the basement. The Briarberry Collection is a discontinued toy from Fisher-Price of plush bears and different playsets, such as a kitchen, a dining set and wardrobe.

My little one was perfectly thrilled when I opened up the bin and she caught sight of the bears, Sarahberry and Berrylynn (their names are on the bottom of their left foot). We sat down together and took out all of the furniture pieces and then began to go through the smaller containers that held all of the little pieces (place settings, clothing, pot, cookie sheet, bedding, story book etc). I helped her set everything up, explaining what all of the pieces were and chatting with her about what the bears could do. After a while, she began manipulating the toys herself, pouring the tea and giving the bears a drink, cooking up a pot of soup on the stove and then tucking the bears into bed for a nap. She even read the bears a story!

 These toys are positively adorable and the best part...??? They do not have any electronics! That's right!  No noises, no lights, no moving parts! Just basic toys that encourage a child's own creativity and imagination. I noticed that my little one began utilizing different voices when using each bear. She would sing and just talk, talk, talk as she had the bears going about their various activities.

Also, the bears each came with their own storybook. We were able to sit down and read about the very bears she was playing with, occasionally acting out what was happening in the story. If only there were more toys like these on the market today!

I am so glad I saved these toys and finally remembered I had them! They have offered an afternoon of genuine play, a chance to connect play with reading, and an opportunity for my little one to exercise her creative skills and imagination.

Moral of the story? Some toys should be saved and shared generation after generation!

Happy playing and reading!