* This brand of egg shakers has a sharper sound than other brands I have used. Others sound a bit duller by comparison. * My only complaint about ordering is that I need teaching aids of a particular color, because I often feature color-recognition and naming of colors as part of the learning activity. Having a choice of colors would be a great benefit to me. * As an Early Interventionist, I provide practice of fine-motor skills for young children. Some ways I use egg shakers are: (1) At about 6 months old children can grasp an egg shaker by holding it against the palm with fingers and opposing thumb. Using the thumb is an important advance in grasping skill -- and children do involve the thumb as they practice holding/shaking an egg shaker. (2) At about 8 months children begin to practice dropping objects. This voluntary-release is an important skill. At about 10 months children can begin releasing egg shakers into a container. (3) By 12 months children usually begin to horizontally bang two egg shakers together. This provides practice for the child's bilateral and midline skills -- the midline being an imaginary line drawn down the middle of the child's body. (4) And, of course, older children, who have already gained the basic fine-motor skills, can simply use egg shakers to make music themselves, or to participate in a rhythm band with other children.