Arts and Music Toys Guide

With arts and music, children express their imagination and develop their creativy. Studies have also shown that art activities promote intelligence. Painting activities require an easel. An easel is great to have in a child's bedroom. Kids can not only use it to paint but also to write words or numbers just like in the classroom. Easel usually come with a chalk or markers or both. We prefer chalk just like at school because it is easy to use and easily washable. The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel (ages 3-8) uses both chalk and markers. It has both a chalkboard and a locking paper roll holder.

Painting activities also require a painting set. There are many kinds of painting sets that you can get. Younger children should start with a simple set with watercolors that are easy to wash. A simple set would contain a few colors, a painting brush and a palette.

More advanced sets such as the Darice 80-Piece Deluxe Art Set (ages 5 and up) include more colors (oil pastels, watercolors, etc), painter's accessories, a portable case used to paint outside and an instruction book on how to mix colors. There are also books that you can get that teach painting and all the various techniques involved in painting.

Musical instruments is another way for children to express their creativity. Younger children can start by learning the xylophone. We recommend the Basic Beat Glockenspiel which has non-removable bars and produces a beautiful sound.

Toy Wonders Toy Violin

The violin is a beautiful musical instrument. For younger children, there are toy violins where kids slide a bow across one string which plays nice tunes. For older children, there are violins such as the Barcelona Child Violin which are hand-carved and made of maple wood giving them a beautiful sound. The Barcelona violin comes with a hard case, bow, rosin, bridge and extra strings. Just make sure you pick the right size violin.

The piano is a great instrument to have at home. Electronic pianos sound great, require no tuning and are easy to play. There are also an excellent way to teach music theory to children. The Casio CTK-2100 is a great choice. It has 61 keys, 400 different tones, 150 rhythms and accompaniments, and comes with headphones, a stand and a power supply.


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