Small Balls and Bowls

Kids love balls of all sizes and nothing brings more delight than sorting, organizing, or just rolling 18 little balls. The open play possibilities are endless with this, ranging from loose parts play to early math and grouping. This is the one set you'll be bringing out again and again as your little ones develop and grow.

THE SKILLS

Can little balls and bowls teach math?

You bet they can.

Little ones as young as one can start to grasp the concept of grouping and organizing. Start simple with only two colours, then work up to the three primary colours, and then add them all in. Our one-year old* loved just dumping the balls into a shallow bin (IKEA Trofast!) and rolling them around, listening to the balls clatter and clack as they ricochet off each other and the sides of the bin. She then worked her fine motor skills by picking them up with her fingers (pincer grasp!) and putting them back in the bag one by one. At 13 months, she could do a simple (guided) colour match of red balls to red bowl, blue balls to blue bowl, and yellow balls to yellow bowl. The bowls themselves make for a great stacking activity.

Two-year-olds will love the challenge of working the scoop; half the fun is in chasing the balls around with it. Perhaps they'll get it or perhaps they'll just pinch the balls and drop them into the scoop before transferring into the bowls. Either way, it's a lot of fun. Extend the play (and help develop executive functioning in the brain - a key component to academic success later on) by turning the bowls upside and putting a ball or two under and asking your child to remember where it (or they) are as you move the bowls around. Bonus if they remember what colour the bowl was!

Our three year old loves dumping all the balls out on the rug and creating simple shapes like circles, triangles, squares. She still loves sorting and organizing them and will frequently be drawn to this activity for quiet time or early in the morning. Sometimes she matches the colours and other times she deliberately puts them in different bowls.

Four year olds can build on their counting skills by grouping the balls by colour (3, 6, 9, 12) or "partnering" the balls (red and green) to count in twos.

The set pairs perfectly with our flower sorting tray, and the balls fit in any of our ten frames and the hundred board.

Follow us on Instagram as we post play ideas. This is a popular set to use with preschool and kindergarten activities.

THE IMAGINATION

Are the balls colourful berries that you're picking on a magical forest adventure? Powerful gems or orbs that are hidden around the cosmos, waiting for that intrepid explorer to fulfil her destiny and battle the almighty? Decorations for the dolls' house during the holiday season? Rainbow deer poop? Tiny planets? Lanterns that light a path? Maybe the inverted bowls are stepping stones across a raging river or perhaps two of them facing each other form a space pod that's racing to save the world.

The only thing limiting the possibilities of open play is the imagination. Good thing yours is limitless!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This set comes with 18 balls that have been coloured in groups of 3 for the 6 colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Each ball is 7/8 inches in diameter. They are larger than an average marble but smaller than a ping pong ball. Think: a touch bigger than a red grape. They are a choking hazard for those under 3 years old. Please always supervise your children closely when playing with this set or any of our toys and use your best judgement for when to introduce small items.

The bowls are 2.5" wide by 1 & 1/16" high. They are roughly larger than your soya sauce dipping bowl when you go out for sushi, though that depends on what kind of sushi you eat. I once was given a bowl that was almost a small cereal bowl; they're definitely smaller than a cereal bowl.

The balls and bowls have been hand painted in environmentally conscientious water-based paint. As a result, the wood can rise and feel rough in areas. This offers a true sense of wood to the child and helps him or her connect with the natural aspect. While we strongly encourage imaginative play the bowls are not food safe, so tea parties are best done with wooden or felt food instead of nuts and raisins (sorry!). Everything has been lightly sealed with our blend of organic beeswax and organic oils. Spot clean only and then reseal with a natural sealant.

This set comes with a wooden scoop. The tongs can be purchased separately as an add-on item.

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A note about wooden toys: Wood is a natural material and as such, has various unique markings. Variations in wood grain, color, knots, or texture are all natural occurrences in these hand-crafted wooden products. These unique variations and markings are proof of quality, not defects. Enjoy the markings that make your toy unique!

*WARNING: Please note the balls are 7/8 inches and pose a HIGH choking hazard. They are not for little ones who still explore with their mouths. Never leave your child unattended when playing with this toy.