With the holidays upon us, I am getting lots of questions about whether or not Spielgaben is a worthwhile investment for homeschool families.
Let’s face it- Spielgaben comes with a huge price tag. I know I hemmed and hawed for years about whether or not to purchase a set for our family.
Today, I’d like to share our top five reasons why we think Spielgaben is a great investment… and we’ll discuss those cons, too. Wondering if Spielgaben is a good fit for your family? Keep reading…
Top 5 Reasons Why Spielgaben is a Great Investment
*Disclosure: We received a Spielgaben set at no cost in exchange for a review. We are honored to work with Spielgaben. This post is part of a monthly series featuring how we use Spielgaben in our homeschool. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can read my review of Spielgaben here.
Spielgaben is a high-quality learning resource for homeschoolers
As a school psychologist and homeschool mom to three kiddos, I am constantly on the hunt for high-quality, educational materials that encourage play and creativity.
Spielgaben fits the bill, without question.
Today, I’m sharing my top five reasons why Spielgaben was a worthwhile investment for our family.
And, if you’ve been thinking about getting Spielgaben for your family, keep reading! Spielgaben has a special offer for My Little Poppies readers!
1. Spielgaben is a high-quality set of hands-on manipulatives.
Those who know me in real life know that I am super-picky when it comes to toys. I honestly believe that children do not need oodles and oodles of toys. I have found that my children play more with less.
As an educator and homeschool mom, here’s what I look for when it comes to educational toys and materials:
- I want materials to be high-quality and durable. They need to withstand three high-energy kiddos.
- The best resources are easy to clean up/store.
- The materials should appeal to both boys and girls and multiple age levels.
- My favorite resources are open-ended and can be used in a variety of ways.
- I want it to be something that my kiddos can’t resist, something that they will play with over and over again
- The best educational toys work on a host of skills including:
- Verbal skills
- Early literacy skills
- Creativity and imagination
- STEM skills
- Social skills
- Collaboration/cooperative play
Spielgaben delivers on all counts. It offers countless learning opportunities for your children as they play, manipulate objects, and get lost in a world of imagination.
2. The Spielgaben parts are absolutely beautiful. It’s hard to keep your hands off of them!
The Spielgaben set is absolutely stunning. And not only is it beautifully designed, but it offers countless learning opportunities for your children as they play, manipulate objects, and get lost in a world of imagination.
3. With Spielgaben, everything stores easily making clean-up a breeze.
The Spielgaben set is housed in wooden drawers and is made from non-toxic and sustainable materials. Recommended for ages 3-12, Spielgaben includes 14 play sets to be used in sequence in a developmentally appropriate manner.
With Spielgaben, everything has a place.
My children quickly learned how to clean it up swiftly and easily! Even when they make gigantic creations, they are able to put everything back where it belongs and that’s important when you’re a busy homeschool family!
4. Spielgaben is perfect for open-ended play…
There are countless benefits to using these high-quality, open-ended materials:
- Children learn through play. It is often said that play is the science of childhood and Spielgaben offers a wealth of play opportunities.
- Open-ended, loose-part resources allow for creativity and imagination. With this set, the sky is the limit!
- Children will learn math and science concepts through exploration of solids of various shapes and sizes. Kids will be able to sort, compare, order, and pattern a variety of objects.
- Spielgaben provides countless opportunities to problem solve. This allows children to grow in confidence and to build those important logic and reasoning skills.
- Children develop language skills when they immerse themselves in play. They learn to express themselves and problem-solve.
- This set is designed to complement your child’s developmental level. The more you play with this set, the more you realize its limitless possibilities. This is a resource that will grow with your family.
I love walking into our playroom and finding a Spielgaben creation.
Here is a recent photo of wintry pawprints. Can you tell my kids are excited the snow has arrived here in New Hampshire? They LOVE winter animal tracking!
I’ve mentioned before that, on warmer days, we love to take parts of our Spielgaben set outdoors for sunshine and Spielgaben patio play.
5. … and Spielgaben can also be used for structured play!
The Spielgaben set comes with colorful and comprehensive play guides. The play guides provide tons of inspiration along with step-by-step instructions and photos to help you facilitate learning in the following areas:
- language
- mathematics
- imagination and creativity
- fine motor skills
- sensory play
- STEM skills
- … and more!
In addition to the play guides, the set includes inspiration cards and activity sheets for open-ended play and exploration.
And, if that wasn’t enough, the Spielgaben website offers links to countless learning examples from across the internet!
So, is Spielgaben right for your family?
That’s the trickiest question, isn’t it? Spielgaben is well-made, beautiful, easy to store, and it’s perfect for open-ended and structured educational activities and play… but is it a good fit for your family?
Here are the biggest cons when it comes to Spielgaben:
- The price point
At $499.50, Spielgaben is a super hefty investment! - The size
Spielgaben isn’t small! This set will take up a good bit of space in your learning area or playroom. - The weight
I mentioned how Spielgaben is a well-made set. Well, that means it’s heavy! You’re going to want to put it in a spot where you can access it easily. You won’t be able to move it from room to room without breaking a sweat.
I can’t tell you whether Spielgaben will be a perfect fit for your unique family. Only you can decide that.
I can tell you this, though…
I hemmed and hawed over the price tag for years. And now that I have a set, every time we use it I wish I had had the set when my kiddos were younger.
Here’s a special Spielgaben offer for My Little Poppies readers…
Are you looking for more gift ideas this holiday season?
Check out these holiday resources:
- 100 Educational Stocking Stuffers Your Kids Will Love!
- Holiday Gift Guides 2018: The Best Gifts for Homeschooling & Gameschooling
- Holiday Gifts: Homeschool Subscriptions Make the Most Awesome Gifts
- The Best Christmas Games {Holiday Gameschooling}
Learn more about Spielgaben
Check out these resources for using Spielgaben in your homeschool:
- Using Spielgaben in Your Homeschool
- Create Your Own Fidget Factory Using Spielgaben
- Super-Simple Hands-On Flag Study
- Hands-On Animal Study with Spielgaben
- Study the Four Seasons with Books, Play, and Spielgaben
- A Simple World Monuments Study with Books, Games, and Spielgaben!
- How to Pair Amazing Christmas Play and Fantastic Books
- Challenge Kids to Get Creative with Awesome Homemade Games
- Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Play and an Incredible Book
- How to Make Snow Days Fun and Educational
- Bring Books to Life with this Hands-On Flower Study
- How to Make Read Alouds Memorable with Amazing Hands-On Play
- Summer Picture Books and Hands-On Summer Play
- How to Celebrate July 4th with a Super-Simple Fireworks Study
- How to Make A Super-Simple, Super-Fun Rainbow Study
- Get Ready for Fall with Fantastic Picture Books and Hands-On Play
- The Best Halloween Books for Your Homeschool… Plus Spooky Hands-On Play!
You can follow Spielgaben on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
How did you fit your instruction sheets into a binder? Ours are too tall for a regular binder.
They stick out a little!
Wish the spielgaben company was easier to work with…I found a set for a reasonable price with no paper materials. I thought that I could order some materials from them ($200) worth). They will not let me buy the manuals or the workbooks! I guess my review is very different of the company- you need to buy new! Frustrating for a one income special needs family.
That IS frustrating, Kelly. I wonder if you can find copies used on ebay or another site?