(Fisher-Price $7.89) Sometimes we forget that new is not always better. This basic gear toy is so-o-o- basic, you wouldn’t think it was an all-time favorite of sitting up babies. First take the shape sorter lid away...just forget about it. That said, this is an ideal toy for repetitive rounds of filling and dumping. What’s more, those blocks are designed for little hands to grab...they have no top or bottom. Pieces dropped in the bucket make a pleasing sound and they are also

(eeBoo $23.99) Patterns are everywhere. Learning to recognize patterns helps children with reading and math skills and learning to recognize a sequence of patterns. With this game, children are encouraged to look for what comes next in a repetitive pictorial sequence. They manipulate pieces of a pattern that fit into sequence trays of varying length and complexity. The game comes with 60 illustrated tiles, one tray for tile placement, 40 cards that are printed with three leve