Last Updated on February 19, 2022 by admin
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I’ve already mentioned in a few different posts how popular these metal garden tools were for the toddlers at my house.
Both of my kids used the miniature rake for the leaves and the hoe and shovel in the mud and snow when they were little. However, the biggest downside to those tools in the hands of a toddler who loves proprioceptive input (related: what “sensory toys” really mean) is that there’s a bit of risk for injury if they’re using them (aka swinging them in the air) around other kids. The metal makes the tools much more effective and therefore much more interesting, but it also makes them more dangerous.
One similar tool to these metal garden tools that is very attractive to toddlers for the same reasons — but is a bit less risky — is a child-sized push broom.
When they were toddlers, my kids used the Schylling push broom shown here to brush leaves and seeds off the patio and driveway, and to even brush light snow off those spaces sometimes. It can also be used indoors. Typical kitchen brooms require a bit more coordination to work properly than a push broom does, which gives this model an advantage for 2-year-olds.
A push broom has several benefits:
- It satisfies kids’ desires to imitate grown ups
- It can satisfy a sensory need for “heavy work,” especially if they’re pushing snow or heavier piles of leaves
- It may actually result in your toddler helping you clean up a bit!
You can also get these benefits with a child-sized mop. I wish I would have thought to buy a child-sized mop when my kids were toddlers. Schylling also makes one: You can buy it on Amazon for about $20.
You can also buy a push broom as part of a set of other kid-sized tools. Just make sure to store tools like this indoors to keep them from falling apart more quickly, especially if they’re of the wood-and-metal variety.
