One Toy, So Many Uses

I really enjoy going toy shopping for the twins. As I wrote in an earlier post, I'm a really picky toy shopper. Like most parents, I'm always looking for toys which give me the most bang for my buck. Something that the twins can use through many ages and help in their development. I always do a lot of research before buying a toy. It's really rewarding whenever I'm able to choose the right one among the many possibilities out there. An example of this is a set of stacking and nesting cups.

Stacking and nesting cups may seem simple at first. Ours is a set of 10 plastic cups in different colors. Very basic, right? But aside from stacking and nesting, which help develop hand-eye coordination, these cups can be used in many other ways, which encourage a child's creativity and imagination.

The first thing the twins did when I showed them the cups was clap two together to make sounds. Later on, they also started using them as pretend hats, a nose (small red cup), an ice cream cone (with a sensory ball or block as the ice cream) and a telephone.

I also taught the twins how to play peek-a-boo with them and showed them how to clink two cups like when we toast and drink. They also enjoy playing our made-up game called "shopping." I would give them each a paper bag and they would pick up the cups that I scattered in their play area and put them inside their paper bags. But they always have the most fun whenever I would build a tower in front of them which they would knock down.

The cups have holes in them too so they can be used for water play by filling them and watching the water trickle out.

As the twins become older, I'm sure we can find more ways to play with the cups like memory games which can be done by placing cups over small objects and asking them to recall where each object was. Or sorting games wherein they place tiny objects in the same color cup.

I'm pretty positive this toy will grow with the twins. They find it fun and entertaining. It also provides them with skills practice which is very important. The cups are also made of durable plastic and have survived being chewed, banged and thrown on a daily basis. As a bonus, they're really compact and easy to store and pack, making them convenient to take along.

All in all, stacking and nesting cups are really a great toy investment. And the best part is there are a number of affordable stacking cups out there. I've seen stacking cups from P199.75 to P650.00. So even if your child only plays with them for a year (although I doubt this because they're so versatile), it will come out to only P1.78/day for hours of fun! And that is getting your money's worth, if you ask me.

Fancy a (stacking) cup? We bought our set from Toys R Us.

What games do you play with your stacking cups? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below.

If, like me, you're always looking for best value toys that will provide your children with opportunities to learn, join me on Instagram where I highlight some of the cool toys I find.