Plan Toy Shape and Sort It Out
Shape sorters have been a favorite toddler toy for over 50  years. In fact, this finely crafted shape sorter has the look of an  old-fashioned family heirloom, with a smoothly sanded, sturdy wooden  box with rounded, dovetailed corners and a natural finish. The yellow,  removable wooden lid has three openings in different shapes to  accommodate the painted wooden shape blocks: two red cylinders, two  blue cubes, and two green pyramids. In addition to color and shape  recognition, this toy helps toddlers develop hand-eye coordination and  learn matching skills by discovering that the square shape fits in the  square hole (and it works the same way every time!). The small blocks  can also be used for stacking and beginning patterning activities, and  the box and blocks could also be combined with other blocks for  open-ended play. Parents (and grandparents) who like classic wooden toys  will find this an excellent value.--Marcie Bovetz is a former  children's librarian and senior editor in educational publishing, as  well as the author of 41 children's books. She has three teenagers in  her family.