Parenting Cocoa Corner

Give the gift of preschool readiness skills in this year’s stocking stuffers! Your little ones can learn while playing with the Holiday Preschool Puzzle Pack from Learning Resources. This pack of 4 puzzle card sets includes two- and three-piece puzzles that help kids master early spelling, counting, shape, and number skills through brain-teasing puzzle play.

Each puzzle features full-color illustrations and fun holiday puzzle shapes, including an ornament, star, stocking, and tree. Designed with little ones in mind, each puzzle is self-correcting, making it easier for kids to puzzle out the right answer. The Holiday Preschool Puzzle Pack makes an easy stocking stuffer for kids—split up the puzzle packs among four different stockings, or give the entire set as one larger gift! The path towards new preschool readiness skills has never looked so festive!

Curl up with some hot cocoa! This cozy set is perfect for little ones looking to warm up on chilly days. The carafe, mugs, and chocolate container create the perfect recipe for imaginative play. Stir in as much chocolate as you like and top it all off with some fluffy marshmallows. Fresh-baked cookies are the perfect snack to enjoy with your toasty beverage.

Santa's Cookies Set

Get into the holiday spirit with this imaginative set of toy Christmas cookies just for Santa! Kids can add a touch of realism to winter role play with Santa’s Cookies from Learning Resources. This 12-piece set of fun play food includes everything kids for pretend baking fun, from cut-out cookies to a rolling pin, spatula, baking sheet, and more!

When their play Christmas cookies are ready, kids can serve them up to Santa with a plate, glass of “milk,” and write-and-wipe note that helps build essential imaginative skills. The perfect addition to any toy kitchen set, this play cookie set also helps kids master hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills with pieces that are just right for little hands. Each amount of play food wipes clean when playtime’s done and is durable enough for years of holiday play kitchen fun.

Reach in and feel all the textures! Help the fuzzy dog find all the bones he hid in his doghouse. All bones are textured and made of rubber or cloth and feature smooth, silky, scratchy, bumpy, ridged, and more textures. Grasping, exploring, and manipulating the different textured bones leads students to further develop their ability to use their fingers and hands purposefully and improve manual dexterity.

Rise & Shine Diner

Wake up and smell the imaginative learning fun! Kids start their day with restaurant pretend play every time they serve up pretend breakfasts from the Rise & Shine Diner from Learning Resources. This deluxe diner playset includes 23 play food versions of all your morning favorites, from waffles and pancakes to fried eggs, fruit, and more, as well as the, pretend utensils needed to “cook” and “eat” them!

Though this realistic play food looks good enough to eat, it’s even more fun to serve—the Rise & Shine Diner’s restaurant playset comes with everything kids need to open their play diner, including a write-and-wipe menu, placemat, and guest check that add a touch of authenticity to play restaurant role play. Each piece of play food wipes clean when playtime’s done and is durable enough for years of play restaurant fun.