Noah's new workbench
One of Noah's birthday presents this year happened to be a wooden workbench from the brand Melissa & Doug. His grandparents kindly bought this for him and, as I had never really come across the brand before, I felt just as excited as Noah was to see it all in action!
I have always had a bit of a thing for wooden toys. I don't know if it's because they remind me of the kinds we had as children or just because they seem to last better and look a lot more realistic. Either way, the quality of this bench and the beautifully painted finishings really impressed upon me. It's both unfussy and easy to use making it a great toy for little ones to get to grips with.
This bench came with all the usual bits and pieces like screws, hammers, saws and even a handy vice to hold wood in place while Noah 'works' on his creation. It's a great toy for promoting imagination and creative play and for a three year old boy, perfect to explore the repetition of putting pieces together and taking them apart again!
After we set this bench up, Noah and his cousins got to work with making their little masterpieces and there was room enough for three little ones to stand around and busy themselves with their play. Seeing his curiosity spike and his concentration hone in on this bench really inspired me to think about the kinds of ways we engage Noah with creative learning. He is definitely an independent thinker and often loves to quietly sit by himself, imagining all kinds of games.
Whilst educational purpose isn't always at the forefront of my mind when I purchase a toy for Noah, I do love the opportunity this provides for Noah to develop key skills like hand/eye coordination and his fine motor skills. Naturally, it encourages him to be physically still and concentrate for a while which in itself seems a bit of a feat as he normally likes to spend his time charging around at top speed.
We had a lot of fun on the day of his birthday party and I thought I would share some snaps of Noah and his cousins Raph & Etta getting to grips with this shiny new toy!
Incase you wanted to have a closer look, I've linked to where you can purchase this bench through Melissa & Doug here.
I hope you're all having a fab week so far!
Love,
