Tis the Season for Play!

Like many of you, I’m in the mad dash of holiday shopping for all of my favorite folks on the NICE list.  It can be a challenge to pick just the right gift especially for the youngest of the bunch. When it comes to buying holiday gifts for the kiddos on your list I think we all want to give something that will be played with and enjoyed time and time again, and encourage hours of creative fun.

This holiday season, I’m partnering with one of my all-time favorite brands for young children, MOLUK.

What I love most about this Swiss-born brand is the intention behind every toy. I had the chance to speak to its creator and I was truly struck by his commitment to providing quality, creativity-driven playthings for our youngest children. Every product encourages a child’s own imaginations to lead the play.

The MOLUK line is created to be intrinsically open-ended, allowing a  child’s curiosity, wonder, and explorative nature to come beaming through. I wish I’d had these toys when my own boys were little and to include in my preschool classroom “back in the day”.

Needless to say, I’m quite excited to be offering a fabulous giveaway this month with the folks at MOLUK!

Each of two winners will receive a prize pack of 4 of MOLUK’s most popular playthings!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below or on my Instagram giveaway post over at @Meredithplays! Two winners will be chosen on December 7th, so hurry… enter today!

Here’s what two luck winner will receive!

Plui Rain Cloud: Ages 2+

Pluï is a charming bath toy that playfully teaches children some basic physical principles. Immerse it in water to fill up and then let it rain. The magic lies in the way you can stop the rain simply by closing the hole on top with a finger. 

Oogi Family Pack: Ages 3+

Oogi® is an irresistibly tactile and wonderfully expressive new figure toy. With suction cup head, hands and feet, and long stretchy arms, it connects to other Oogis and any smooth surface. Oogi leaves room for the imagination and invites children to explore and experiment while playfully training hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Oogi Glow Jr.: Ages 3+

Just like the original Oogi , but this Oogi I glows in the dark! Just hold it near a bright light to charge, then let the party begin! Unlike traditional dolls for girls and action figures for boys Oogi is gender neutral and fun for all ages. 

Bilibo: Ages 2+ 

The multi-award winning Bilibo is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and versatile openended toys. Bilibo arouses curiosity, engages the imagination and playfully trains basic motor skills and balance. Both boys and girls find unlimited ways to play with Bilibo – using it to rock and spin in, hide under, sit on, tote with and peek through. Bilibo provides hours of fun, indoors and outdoors. 

Imaginative and Creative Play for Parents and Children, and a MOLUK Giveaway!!

As an educator, play expert, and parent, I’ve tested and shared many toys and games on my site and on television over the last 20 years.  I’ve witnessed over and over again is that the old adage is indeed true. Children often have the most fun with the big cardboard box rather than the predictable, one-trick-pony of a toy that’s inside.

In my preschool classroom, the best playthings were items such as a basket of colorful scarves, the water table filled with rice or beans with all sorts of utensils thrown inside, cardboard tubes, and toys that are widely open-ended and imagination-driven!

MOLUK is a beautiful Swiss brand that has consciously designed each of their playthings to allow a child’s imagination to creatively lead the way. Their multiple award-winning “Bilibo” is widely regarded as one of the most innovative toys for kids, and it’s often spotted in early childhood classrooms…for good reason.

In honor of imaginative and creative play for all, this month I’m partnering with MOLUK to give away prize packs of 3 of their most popular toys! Two winners will receive a Bilibo, their super popular Oogi Pilla, and an Oogi Boi! Check out all the details about each item below.

Simply comment on this post to be entered to win! I’ll be choosing two winners on October 1, and announcing it here and on Instagram @Meredithplays! For an extra entry, follow me on Instagram and join the fun there too!

Bilibo

The multi-award winning Bilibo is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and versatile open-ended toys. Bilibo’s iconic shell shape and bright colors immediately appeal to children. Bilibo arouses curiosity, engages the imagination and playfully trains basic motor skills and balance. Both boys and girls find unlimited ways to play with Bilibo – using it to rock and spin in, hide under, sit on, tote with and peek through. Bilibo provides hours of fun, indoors and outdoors - all year round. Measures 15". Available in blue, green, orange, pink, red, yellow and light blue). Ages: 2+, Price: $30

 Oogi® Pilla

Oogi® Pilla is an endearing little creature with five suction cup feet in progressively smaller sizes which allow kids to experience the distinct suction strength and pitch of each. Stick it to any smooth surface and rip it off to hear a rapid cascade of popping sounds. Pilla is great for training fine motor skills and irresistible like bubble wrap. Measures approximately 6″.  Ages 3+, SRP: $10

Boi - new for 2018

Boi floats and dances in and out of the bathtub. Is it a penguin, a duck or some other creature? We let the children decide. No matter how you spin or roll it, Boi always gets back upright again and continues to bravely explore the world! Ages 1+, SRP: $14

How to Keep Your Kids Busy Over Summer Break

Live from LEGOLAND California Resort this morning, I shared some of my favorite toys and games that will keep your kids playing all summer long. Plus, I shared a sneak peek at the brand new LEGOLAND ride. Get all the details under the video and get ready for a great summer!

LEGO City Deep Sea Adventure Submarine Ride

In the new interactive ride at LEGOLAND California Resort, passengers board a real submarine, submerge under water, and are immersed in an oceanic habitat, with more than 2,000 different types of real sea life. Among the real sea animals are bright LEGO octopi, fish, and friendly LEGO scuba divers. Guests take a voyage on a submarine ride looking for lost treasure on a sunken LEGO shipwreck … With touchscreens located at each porthole inside the submarine, guests will assist the LEGO minifigure dive team to identify gems, pearls, LEGO gold coins and more throughout the journey.

LEGOLAND Castle Hotel

I was able to stay in the new LEGOLAND Castle Hotel and had so much fun. Located right at the main entrance to LEGOLAND California, LEGOLAND Castle Hotel is a deluxe hotel with amazingly themed rooms, immediately immersing you into a world of LEGO enchantment and captivating tales of kingdoms from distant lands!

Nickelodeon Slime Drencher

This maker kit for kids will have your kids and their friends making their own slime and playing "hot potato" with it!

Duncan Power Glider Kit

Think amped up paper airplanes. With this kit kids can paint and customize their own gliders, plus, the gliders have a motor and can charge for an hour of play!

Swimways Infant Baby Spring Float

Perfect for pool time with baby, this fabric-covered baby float features a soft seat and adjustable harness to keep your little one secure. Plus, the removable and adjustable sun canopy has UPF 50+ sun protection.

2018 Ford EcoSport 

Get ready for summer adventures with the 2018 Ford EcoSport. Connect your Alexa app to get directions, play music, and even order online through Amazon... without having to get your phone out as you drive. Plus, there's plenty of storage... bins, hooks, and spaces to utilize every interior inch. And when you want to plug back into the world, it has an embedded 4G LTE modem with Wi-Fi hotspot.

American Ninja Warrior Competition Kit

From head-to-head, team, or timed competition, these complete 33-piece or 37-piece obstacle course sets allow for dozens of different set-ups. No matter the age or skill level, you can create a course and great family fun to match.

How to Have the Best Summer Ever

Summer Break is HERE!

Our kiddos are wrapping up their collective school years and we’re beginning to turn our eyes to a summer break full of fun and games, right? Or are you bracing yourself for 6-8 weeks as your kids cruise director?

It’s my firm belief that if we really want more “spontaneous” fun and playfulness in our lives, we have to plan for it, and let our kids take some ownership for their own summer fun.

It sounds super counter-intuitive, but time and again we all talk a big “summer fun” game, and then end up falling into our same old routines, and never quite DOING all those seemingly frivolous things we mutter-on about. We are NOT our kids’ balloon-animal-making clowns! Help them plan their own fun!

So, in honor of pre-producing some serious silly playtime this summer (and NOT just for your kids), I give you the Summer PLAY Planner!

Download my 2018 Summer Play Planner Worksheet

Fill this thing out with your family and hang it somewhere y’all can’t avoid! Your fridge, the top on the washing machine, the dash of your car, the wine rack… wherever you visit on a daily basis.

Then check this bad-boy off as you actually DO all the stuff you’re talking about doing this summer!  Make sure it includes stuff just for YOU, or you and your mate, or girlfriends. It isn’t ALL about the kids, and it’s important for your offspring to see you whooping it up sometimes too.

Need a few ideas? What about...

• Put together a Ready-To-Go Picnic Basket and have lots of outdoor lunches
• Create your own DIY Yard Games to enjoy all summer
• Host a Grown-Ups Only Game Night
• Check out these outdoor toys that will make your backyard the most popular on the block
• Create a Family Time Suggestion Bottle

Let’s show summer break who’s BOSS, shall we?

Now GO… go play!

— Meredith