I was getting ready to purchase this tracking toy that helps indirectly prepare children for reading (since they follow the balls or cars from top to bottom, left to right–well, preparation for languages that follow that structure). But since Matt and I are desperately trying to save money for the house we’re trying to build, I asked myself if Henry really, really needs it. 

I recently bought him several other wooden toys, and he definitely enjoys playing with them. However, he doesn’t gravitate toward them, even though they are easily accessible on low shelves. Instead, he wants to interact with new things that he finds in the environment–a