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Guidecraft Educational Toys and Kids’ Furniture

@guidecraft_official

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🌱 Empowering childhood since 1966
🪵 Inspired by nature, art, & child development experts
🌿 Innovative play-based learning toys & kids’ furniture

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Everything that’s special about the beloved Mud Kitchen didn’t happen on accident! The Designer of the Acadia Collection, David, shares his favorite mud kitchen details with us in this special exclusive. What other products would you love to know more about? by @guidecraft_official

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4 days ago

Inspired by the bold colors and expressive shapes of Kandinsky, little artists can explore how lines, circles and color work together to tell a story. Through open-ended process art, children have the freedom to experiment and create while building confidence along the way! Read more about this specific project using the link in our bio!#processart #kidscrafts #playbasedlearning #artbasedlearning #guidecraft by @guidecraft_official

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24 days ago

The best learning spaces aren’t designed around furniture, they’re designed around children. When children can easily access their surroundings, they naturally become more confident, curious and engaged in their learning. That’s why thoughtful classroom furniture is about so much more than staying organized. It helps create purposeful learning zones, keeps materials within reach and gives children the freedom to explore, create and take ownership of their space. As you get your classroom ready for the new school year, it’s worth thinking beyond shelves and storage bins. That’s exactly why we put together our blog, 10+ Back to School Organization Tips Using Smart Classroom Furniture, filled with practical ideas to help you create thoughtful, child-centered learning spaces. Check out the link in our bio to read the full blog! #guidecraft #earlychildhooddevelopment #When children can understand and maintain their environment, they begin taking ownership of it. Returning materials, organizing shelves and caring for shared spaces become meaningful routines that nurture responsibility and respect for their community.Dedicated creative spaces with accessible materials allow children to move freely from idea to action. When supplies are organized and within reach, they spend less time waiting for help and more time experimenting, making and expressing themselves. Child-height furniture and thoughtfully organized storage empower children to make choices, access materials on their own and confidently navigate their environment. These small moments of autonomy help build confidence and decision-making skills every day.When books, toys and learning materials are visible and within reach, children are naturally drawn to explore. Accessible environments invite questions, discovery and self-directed learning without relying on constant adult guidance. by @guidecraft_official

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The new toddler blocks are officially settled on our unit block shelf! Both little 2 and big 5 are loving them, and they work perfectly with all of our other unit blocks. What are they? Well they are unit blocks, just doubled to make them chunky! These heavy blocks are short and wide designed to meet the needs of toddlers. They stack easily for little hands, and give toddlers opportunity for heavy work. Toddlers crave heavy work to meet sensory needs and support the proprioceptive system. This is when their muscles and joints feel resistance from weight and send grounding feedback to the brain. This input regulates their nervous system and helps them understand where their body is in space as well as how it moves through space. Pretty cool, right? What's even cooler is my friend, Sami from @everydaywitheandj actually designed them! Grab them as a small set or part of a larger set from @guidecraft_official with code bri10. #unitblocks #blocks #toysforkids #kidstoys #toddler by @guidecraft_official

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Play expert @carlybedard says “When adults explore, create and wonder, children will naturally want to join in!”As adults, we have a responsibility to key into our own playful side so we can inspire meaningful play from the children around us. By becoming literate in play ourselves, we can model play and create something really valuable for everyone. #guidecraft #learnthroughplay #earlychildhood #openendedplay by @guidecraft_official

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Turns out the potting bench moonlights as a lemonade stand on a hot afternoon 🍋The kids cleared it off and scrubbed it before setting up shop with fresh squeezed juice, fruit ice cubes, and mint they picked themselves.This pairs perfectly with the @guidecraft_official outdoor seating set. Comment INFO for links and a discount code.#GuidecraftPartner #MarthaStewart #OutdoorPlay #SummerFun #PlayBasedLearning” by @guidecraft_official

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Toy rotation is a Montessori-inspired strategy of toy management that involves storing away most toys and intentionally switching out a small selection at regular intervals. Having fewer items available leads to less mess, faster cleanup, and deeper play. It renews interest in toys your child already owns, and enhances focus, creativity, and independence. Bri Gelotte, M. Ed, of @teacher.mama_ has designed a unique system of toy rotation that is based on 7 different categories of toy including:1. Solve: this includes any puzzle or clear closed ended toy2. Build or Create: this includes open-ended toys used to build something3. Push or Pull: this includes any type of car, truck, wagon, or train fits here4. Music or Sensorial: this includes any toy that stimulates or refines a sense5. Text Connection: this means a book and play item that connect in theme6. Task-Based: these toys encourage completing a task but are open-ended7. Discovery: anything you want! For more ideas, check out the link in our bio to read the rest of Bri’s blog on toy rotations by @guidecraft_official

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Meet Emily! She’s our director of social media and the person you chat with when you message us here on Instagram! In this new series we are inviting kids to interview the team at Guidecraft starting with some of our team members in the New York office. We’re not sure what our kids will ask, but we’re sure it’ll be fun!Let us know what questions you think our kids should ask our team next, and follow along so you don’t miss an interview - you never know when we’ll reveal a behind the scenes secret at the Guidecraft office! #learningthroughplay #childcentered #childcentereddesign #playbasedlearning by @guidecraft_official

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The other day, I came across my kindergarten report card.One of the things it evaluated?Fine motor skills.It made me stop and think.I remember kindergarten as a place where we played, built, painted, cut, glued, climbed, shared, and spent hours strengthening our little hands.And somehow… we turned out just fine.Somewhere along the way, we decided that preparing children for kindergarten meant preparing them for first grade.Today, I meet more and more five- and six-year-olds who arrive at our Learning Center with underdeveloped fine motor skills. They struggle to hold a pencil, control scissors, or manipulate small objects, not because they aren’t capable, but because they haven’t had enough opportunities to develop those skills.Play has quietly disappeared from many early childhood classrooms.Screen time has increased.Open-ended materials have been replaced with worksheets.And even handwriting is slowly being replaced by keyboards.I can’t help but wonder…When did we stop believing that play was preparation?So here’s my challenge.🗣️🗣️Let’s make fine motor play the new trend.If you’re a parent, teacher, or therapist, share a video of a fine motor activity, tag me, and use #FineMotorForKindergartenLet’s fill social media with the experiences that truly prepare children for school.One simple activity at a time.💛 P.S. Watch this child’s hands closely. See how they’re working? That little shake is effort. That is hand strength being built. This is exactly what preparing for kindergarten looks like.Featuring @guidecraft_official Discovery 🌈 -> comment RAINBOW for link by @guidecraft_official

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The stages of block play are fascinating! Studies show that no matter what age children are introduced to blocks, they follow the same stages in the same sequence. Once you know what to look for, you’ll start seeing it play out right in your own home.Stage 1: Carrying and TransportingThe very first stage is all about getting acquainted with the blocks themselves. At this stage, blocks generally aren’t used for construction, but they might end up in a pile far from their shelf. Stage 2: Stacking and RowsThis stage is full of repeated movements and organization. Kids are experimenting, organizing, and learning through the rhythm of repeated movement.Stage 3: BridgingBridging is when a child places two blocks apart from each other and balances a third block across the top.Stage 4: EnclosuresIn this stage, children will use blocks to create a contained space. Think rooms, fences or a pen for toy animals. Stage 5: Patterns and Symmetry At this stage, children will begin placing blocks with an eye for balance and symmetry, creating patterns and adding decorative touches to their structures. Kids at this stage love having accessories to work with. Stage 6: Naming StructuresChildren will begin giving their structures names related to their function in dramatic play. The building becomes a setting and the play takes on a whole new dimension.Stage 7: RepresentationThis is when children begin to build with specific real-life structures in mind. This is the most advanced stage of block play and it’s a sign of just how much thinking and processing is happening through play. by @guidecraft_official

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We’re going to have a very happy birthday girl this weekend 🥰Unbox our new @guidecraft_official with me while I tap a little about open ended play and unit blocks 🤓Come back for part 2 and 3 coming soon… I have to unbox while the girls are away! #momcontent #toddlermom #screenfreekids #independentplay #blockplay by @guidecraft_official

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🎶 🖍️ It's so simple and they LOVE doing this! This musical expression art activity was such a hit in our home. I actually used to do it in my classroom all if the time, and the children constantly requested it. Just throw on some music and give them some crayons! Paint, markers, or any other tool would work too. With ages 2 and 5, I went for crayons. Invite them to listen carefully to the music- rhythm, tempo, lyrics, etc. Invite them to express how that makes them feel on the paper. You choose the music, I offered a wide variety of songs. Some slow, some fast, and some silly! The vertical surface makes this even more fun because it encourages large body movements, crossing the midline, and wrist dexterity.The easel attachment for the sensory system by @guidecraft_official is exactly what our playroom (aka living room) has been missing! (Bri10) works on anything in the store! #playbasedlearning #playbasededucation #artforkids #activitiesforchildren #activitiesforkids by @guidecraft_official

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