Early Learning

Select Favorites by Category

We have 3yr and 5yr gaps between children so there is significant diversity in our ability levels. I teach independent learning using a Montessori style at age 2 and encourage solo play by having 5 bins for our youngest to choose from each day. The bins contain a variety of items however each one includes a puzzle, a game, electronic learning, sensory learning, fine motor skills, books and small play items. I prefer items that scale as learning grows, are mobile/durable to be used on the go and teach core skills.

Organized collection of children's toys, including games, books, and educational items, on a wooden floor.
A child's hand writes the word 'quarters' in orange and yellow letters on a educational worksheet about coins, with a daily marker. The worksheet explains the steps to identify and feel the words and includes a section for placing a coin image and a designated space for a quarter coin.
A children's educational game with lettered blocks, erasers, and a card featuring a Santa Claus illustration and snowman, on a colorful mat.

The items below are my favorite tools to teach 3 children across a wide age range - photos are linked!

Stack of colorful science books, with one titled 'Quantum Physics' visible on the spine
A box set of 20 different colored books or DVDs arranged in a row.
Collection of toy animal figures, including lions, crocodiles, a horse, a zebra, a deer, a cow, a dog, and other animals.
Collection of comic book covers with colorful illustrations, featuring characters engaged in adventures, some with animals and machinery.
Children's electronic learning toy with colorful buttons, a small keyboard, and a display screen, themed for learning 100 words.
Children's electronic toy with animal sounds, number 100, and various animal images.
Children's tablet with a green and white casing and a plastic orange keyboard, displaying a smiling face on the screen.
A children's educational electronic toy resembling a handheld computer with a colorful keypad and a screen showing an underwater scene with a cartoon fish.
Yellow and blue digital alarm clock with two white base supports.
Colorful jelly beans scattered on a white background.
Unown Splash fruit-flavored candy pack with colorful packaging
A colorful children's clock with a smiling face, and a pink clock with a happy face, part of a time-telling game.
Four colorful board game or puzzle boxes in blue, red, yellow, and purple, with one featuring a circular spinner, and a multicolored string or rope.
A deck of Exploding Kittens card game boxes and cards
Boggle word game box featuring a dog and alphabet dice
A Zingo! game box, card tray, and cards from the game set.
Box of Zingo Boost game with colorful game pieces and cards
A board game called 'Augole Boost' with a green tray and cards, along with white dice featuring blue symbols, placed on a white surface.
A Mahjong Boost game set with a red box, a green and white electronic game console, and multiple green Mahjong tiles.
Zingo board game with chips, cards, and game box
Clue board game box featuring colorful illustrations and game details.
Monopoly Junior board game box with colorful illustrations of game characters and tokens.
Pattern Block Activity Set packaging with colorful pattern blocks and educational information
Container of pattern blocks with assorted colored geometric shapes scattered in front.
A children's dental care play set including a box with two children on the packaging, dental tools, toothpaste, and a mirror.
Container filled with colorful crafting beads.
Three boxes of Aquadoodle drawing kits in different colors
Colorful wooden alphabet toy blocks with a green ring and a red string.
Toy set featuring small clothing items, shoes, and accessories, with a cardboard box in the background.
Kids' board game box called 'Kingdomino' with colorful illustrations of castles, trees, and a domino on the cover
Button art craft kit with colorful buttons, eyes, and tools for making button art projects.
Hedbanz game box with cartoon pig character, for ages 8 and up, 2-6 players.
A board game set including a game board, colored tokens, a spinner, and various game pieces.
Chutes and Ladders board game with dice and a game box
Board game titled 'The Floor is Lava' featuring cartoon children jumping over furniture and street elements on the cover.
Yeti in my Spaghetti toy packaging
The Ladybug Game board game box with colorful ladybug and cow illustrations.
Guess Who board game box with cartoon characters and children playing
Colorful children's book titled 'Cootie' with five illustrated bug characters in bright colors.
Packaging of a colorful toy or accessory set featuring a character with red hair, surrounded by four smaller figures, with purple, pink, yellow, and green elements.
Candy Land game box with colorful characters and candy-themed artwork.
Cover of a children's book titled 'Princess Prettypants' with an illustration of a princess in a pink dress and crown, and a small girl in a green car.
Colorful book cover titled 'Sequence for Kids' featuring illustrations of cartoon dinosaurs and children.
A children's board game titled 'The Eye Found It!' with colorful illustrations of a theme park, harbor, and city scenes, including characters, boats, and various activities.
Children's board game with colorful game pieces, cards, and a game board
An open blue plastic case filled with various toy cars and a mini soccer ball.
Educational children's toy set with building blocks and graph accessories in a box.
Children's EOS Baby Bottle and feeding accessories in packaging with toys and educational items arranged on a flat surface.
Rush Hour traffic simulation game with colorful cars, a game board, and a smartphone controller
Board game titled 'Mouse Trap', with a mouse figure, and several plastic pieces and traps for gameplay.
Connect 4 game box with colored discs and red game pieces
A colorful board game box for 'Sorry!' featuring game pieces, a pawn, and a cartoonish explosion design.
A board game titled 'Hidden Pictures' with a black and yellow box design, showing a magnifying glass inspecting a detailed picture.
The board game Pictionary box with a hand pointing at a picture of a horse on the cover.
Cartoon illustration of a squirrel named Squirrella Tree, surrounded by green leaves and berries, with playful text emphasizing it's a squirrel character.
A colorful box of Frida's Fruit Fiesta Gummy candies featuring a toucan, parrots, and tropical fruits on the packaging.
Set of four pastel-colored sticky notes with dinosaur illustrations, each featuring a different dinosaur design, on a pink background with Naba branding
A canvas game box with colorful cartoon illustration of a mountain landscape, characters, and a character riding a skateboard.
A tabletop game setup with various game pieces including animals, trees, a red ball, and other tokens.
Mermaid Island board game box with colorful underwater theme and illustrations of mermaids and sea creatures.
Hoot Owl Hoot board game box with colorful owl characters and trees on the cover
Board game titled 'Count Your Chickens!' with colorful illustrations of chickens and other farm-themed elements
Book and game titled 'Sunny and Stormy Day!' with colorful illustrations of children and weather elements.
Bugs in the Kitchen board game box with a cartoon chef and a bug character
Robot Turtles board game components including the game box and game tiles on a table.
Book titled 'Rivers, Roads, & Rails' with colorful illustrations
Board game with colorful pieces, cards, and a game board.
Yardzee game set with oversized dice, cup, and scorecard featuring Peppa Pig characters
Children holding apple juice boxes with cartoon characters on the cover of a children's book titled "Apples to Apples Junior".
Box of learning resources spelling puzzle cards for children aged 4 and up, featuring animal images and corresponding letter tiles.
Riddle Moo This! board game box with cow and horse characters, game pieces including colored buttons, scorecards, and game cards.
A children's sight word game set includes a game box, four plastic wands in blue, yellow, red, and green, and various sight word cards with colorful fish illustrations.
Educational craft items including laminated papers with colorful foam letters spelling "Double Sided Magnetic," stacked foam erasers, a dry erase marker, and a drawing of a girl and a cat on paper.
Toy alphabet and letter stamps with a whiteboard displaying the words 'Apples' in colorful letters.
Book cover titled "What Your Preschooler Needs to Know" with a cartoon cow, children playing with blocks, and a purple 'P' in the top left corner.
Crayola Scribble Scrubbie unicorn toy set with daily markers, unicorn figurines, a pretend bathtub, and rainbow-themed backdrop
Pink children's smartwatch with a color touchscreen display showing icons for camera, video, games, and a smiley face, with a pink silicone band.
A pink pig-shaped coin bank with a smiling face, green handle, and a red coin slot. Multiple colored coins are lined up in front of it.
Wooden strawberry-shaped toy with holes, a green nose, a green leaf, and blue and green strings.
A baking set with colorful cupcakes, decorating tools, a cupcake-shaped candle, oven mitt, and mixing bowls.
Ice cream cones, an ice cream container, an ice cream scoop, and an ice cream bar with a red handle.
Wooden toy cake with colorful candles and slices arranged on a blue tray
Colorful pretend flowers in a pink and purple toy pot.
Wooden crate containing plastic fruits and vegetables, including a pear, apple, orange slices, lemon, kiwi, and watermelon, with a toy knife.
Toy baking set with miniature cupcake molds, an oven mitt, a rolling pin, a spatula, and pretend icing and decorations.
A toy cake with pink and white swirl design, a candle on top, and one slice cut out, placed on a silver serving tray with a cake server nearby.
Four colorful walkie-talkies in purple, blue, green, and yellow, with matching lanyards, batteries, and USB charging cables.
Wooden toy kitchen shelf with toy food and utensils, including bread, cheese, meat, ketchup, oil, and condiments, arranged for pretend cooking and sandwich making.
Wooden pizza box with pizza slices and toppings, some slices on a green plate, and pizza toppings scattered around.
Children's wooden toy food set with fruits, vegetables, and a crate
A collection of Japanese sushi, including nigiri and rolls, along with sushi-making tools like a knife, rolling mats, and dipping sauce.
Colorful children's toy with animal illustrations, a rainbow, and a smiling sun, labeled 'Animal Rhymes Storytime,' featuring a bear, cat, dog, and fox.
Open LEGO DUPLO set with various colorful bricks and a red toy car.
Toy ice cream counter with colorful plastic ice cream scoops, cones, and toppings, along with pretend money, a striped paper cup, and a small black cup.
Colorful children's toy that looks like a toy microphone with buttons and animal figures.
Toy kitchen oven with toy food items and accessories in front of it.
A tub of Homestyle Ice Cream with two scoops in ice cream cones, an ice cream scoop, and a small ice cream container in the background.
Pink teapot toy with a smiling face, purple heart-shaped heart on top, and rainbow tail, accompanied by colorful toy cups and a pie-shaped playset with moon, star, and heart designs.