If you’ve adopted from China you probably hope to keep a connection to Chinese culture for your child. In your mind, you’re planning themed dinners for every Chinese holiday, taking weekend trips to the nearest Chinatown, and studying Mandarin together every single day. But, you get busy. It’s not easy. And, you don’t need anything else to feel guilty about.
I’m passionate about helping kids explore different cultures through play. I guess you could say I’m a toy industry insider, though not exactly a veteran. I’ve attended trade shows and met quite a few folks making beautiful products.
Here are my quick picks for fun, educational toys that encourage curiosity and respect for Chinese culture, as well as language and geography. If you’re looking for a toy that will sneak a little learning into a summer day, bridge the gap on a snow day, make a delightful birthday present, or shine as a holiday gift, give these a look.
- World Village Playset China: a multifaceted playset for discovering Chinese culture with creative play.
- Uncle Goose Chinese Language Blocks: Classic blocks with an international twist.
- Chineasy: Intuitive Chinese language learning. Chineasy Tiles help kids play to learn Chinese.
- Early Lingo Chinese (Mandarin): A playful approach to learning Mandarin.
- 4D Cityscape Shanghai Puzzle“: Detailed puzzle of historical and modern Shanghai. The shipping is high on their website, so I’m sending you to Amazon.
- Asian Dreamland music CD: They don’t have a music CD that’s all China, but I’m such a fan, I’d recommend Asian Dreamland because it’s sure to be a hit.
- GeoPuzzle Asia: Puzzle pieces are the shape of the countries. They also have the WorldWise Asia Card Game.
- I love paper dolls and here’s a really cool Pinterest board of Asian Paper Dolls:
- And, here are a few sites that carry multicultural toys:
That’s all folks! Please comment to let me know what you think and to let me know of toys that you love.
You can also check our Gift Guide for International Adoptive Families and Countries for Kids boards on Pinterest.
Revised and updated for 2018
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