Our daughter loves playing with her LEGO Friends before bed. Being a bit of a neatfreak, it used to annoy me to be picking up tiny blocks all over the bed late at night (and as any LEGO parent knows, stepping on blocks that might have fallen off the bed, no matter how small, is really really painful). To ensure little blocks and characters don’t end up on the floor or all over the bed, we created the ultimate LEGO tray.

Here’s what you need:

• White LEGO base plate (I love Toy Kingdom – their email messages after purchase is sooo sweet, and delivery is super fast)
• White melamine tray (I used the 38cm wide x 29cm high one from Takealot)
• Double-sided tape (get enough to go around the whole tray, so at least 1.2m)

When you have all the items, you can lay your base plate inside the tray. You’ll notice that the plate is about 4 rows too wide. You can easily cut this with normal kitchen scissors (and if you want to be fancy, you can sand the edges with a bit of sandpaper). Now you’re left with an extra 4-row x 30-row piece that you can use with your other LEGO, or stick on a notice board, or put magnets on the back and use it for a funky fridge magnet. (The LEGO Dots range is perfect for cute crafts like that).

Attach the double-sided tape to the back of the baseplate (go along all the sides – if you use small pieces, the blocks have a way of sliding in under the baseplate and it’s near impossible to get them out again). Position the base plate to one side, so that you can use the open area for extra blocks. Remove the tape and stick it to the tray.

Let me know what you think of this idea, and be sure to share photos of your trays. If you prefer one already made, they are available to order from our SHOP.

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Now that our children are at the age that they are able to play together for short periods of time, we are always on the lookout for more gender neutral toys that they can share. 

I’ve always wanted to encourage my children to choose the things they like, and not what society expects of them (while writing this my three-year-old son is donning sparkly purple nail polish). Inevitably they get gifted (or choose themselves) toys that are “ for girls/ boys only” and that is also fine.

Here are some of our favourite finds (available locally) that boys and girls can play with:

Thornewood Large Rainbow Stacker

I first came across Grietjie and her family’s website when I was looking for a rainbow stacker for our son’s first birthday. Since then I have purchased many of these as gifts, and also lots of other things from their site. Everything is lovingly handmade, painted with non-toxic paint, and lasts for years. Their site also offers great advice on Hands-on Learning, and Learn to Play.

Rainbow stackers encourage open-ended play, but if you want to see some cool examples of how they can be used, head over to my Rainbow Stacker Pinterest board.

Image source: Thornewood Treasures

Djeco Games Little Collect Board Game

Our kids both went through a bunny stage (and no, we didn’t give in, we’re not that weak)… so we got the next best thing: this very cute bunny game, Little Collect.

You use cards and collect carrots, peas and bunnies, and the one whose board is full first wins. Simple, right? Except when we first started playing our then 2-year old (admittedly the game is for 2 ½ – 5-year-olds), didn’t quite get it, and started handing out bunnies to everyone. Note: It’s for two players only.

Image source: Takealot

Name Puzzles

Another family-run business that produces beautiful wooden toys and decorations. I love anything personalised, and these name puzzles are so gorgeous and helps children recognise and “feel” their own names.

Image source: DreamHeartsSA

Sensory blocks

These sensory blocks encourage early childhood sensory exploration, and it’s one of my personal (and the kids’) favourite open-ended toys. Our son spends hours building cars and houses, and he loves putting them by the window so the colours make different shadows. This set is available from Monte Lion, one of my favourite local Montessori online toy stores.

Image source: Monte Lion

Magplayer Magnetic Tiles

One of the more expensive toy options out there, but well worth the investment! We bought the children a MagPlayer set for Christmas last year, and it’s one of the toys they keep on choosing to play with often. They come in bright or pastel options and have extra shapes available to buy separately. What I love about them is they store pretty neatly, and encourage open-ended play. Each set comes with a booklet that explains the benefits, and shows some examples of what to build.

Image source: Takealot

Let me know what your go-to gender-neutral toys are. For more ideas, head over to my Gender Neutral Toys Pinterest board. I’ve already started compiling my gift list for Christmas, and would love some more recommendations!

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