Choosing the Right Toys for Toddlers that are Educational and Fun
Discover how to select toys for toddlers that blend education with playfulness. Our guide on choosing the right toys for toddlers helps you find the perfect balance of fun and learning, ensuring your little one enjoys their toys while developing important skills.
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Toddlers are little explorers who learn by doing. Play gives children fantastic opportunities to develop and practice new skills at their own pace by following their unique interests. The toys and playthings children have available can shape their development in meaningful ways.
But choosing the right toys for toddlers can be daunting.
Here are some ideas for selecting toys that will grow with your child, challenge them, and nurture their overall development, including their thinking, physical, language, and social-emotional skills.
What is the Most Appropriate Toy for a Toddler?
When choosing the right toys for toddlers, selecting items that cater to their developmental stage and interests is crucial. Toddlers love to take apart, put back together, pull out, put in, add on, and build up. Toys that are “open-ended” allow them to play many different games with them. For instance, wooden blocks or chunky plastic interlocking blocks can be used to make a road, a zoo, a bridge, or a spaceship. These toys spark imagination and help develop problem-solving and logical thinking skills.
Examples:
- Blocks
- Interlocking blocks
- Nesting blocks or cups
- Toys for sand and water play
Look for Toys That Will Grow with Your Toddler
We all have experienced buying a toy that a child plays with for two days and never touches again. To avoid this, look for toys that can be fun at different developmental stages. For example, small plastic animals can be enjoyable for a young toddler, making a shoebox house for them, and for an older toddler who can use them to act out stories.
Examples:
- Plastic toy animals and action figures
- Toddler-friendly dollhouses
- Trains and dump trucks
- Stuffed animals and dolls
Search for Toys That Spark a Child's Imagination
During a child’s third year, creativity really takes off. They can take on roles (like a king or queen) and imagine that something (like a block) is actually something else (like a piece of cake). Look for toys that they can use as they develop and act out stories. Pretend play builds language and literacy skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to sequence events.
Examples:
- Dress-up clothing
- Toy food and plastic plates
- Action figures and stuffed animals
- Trains and trucks
- Toy tools and “real-life” accessories
- Large cardboard boxes
How Do You Know if a Toy is Suitable for a Child?
During a child’s third year, creativity really take Choosing the right toys for toddlers involves selecting toys that encourage exploration and problem-solving. Play allows children to practice new skills repeatedly. Toys that let kids figure something out on their own or with a bit of coaching build logical thinking skills and help them become persistent problem-solvers. They also help develop spatial relations, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills.s off. They can take on roles (like a king or queen) and imagine that something (like a block) is actually something else (like a piece of cake). Look for toys that they can use as they develop and act out stories. Pretend play builds language and literacy skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to sequence events.
Examples:
- Puzzles
- Shape-sorters
- Blocks and nesting cups
- Art materials like clay, paint, crayons, or play-dough
Seek Out Toys That Encourage Children to Be Active
Toddlers are physically active and enjoy practising new skills. Look for toys that help them practice current physical skills and develop new ones.
Examples:
- Balls of different shapes and sizes
- Tricycles or three-wheeled scooters
- Plastic bowling sets
- Child-size basketball hoop
- Pull-toys
- Wagon to fill and pull
- Gardening tools
- Moving boxes for tunnels
Look for Toys That Nurture Cross-Generational Play
While adults and children can play almost anything together, some toys are designed for adult participation. Early board games involving memory or simple board games that do not require reading are fun for all ages to play. Board games encourage counting, matching, and memory skills, listening skills, and self-control. They also nurture language and relationship-building skills.
What are 3 Items Toddlers Like to Play With?
Your little one can benefit greatly from simple household items, sometimes even more than store-bought toys.
Plastic Cups
Toddlers can fill them with water, sand, blocks, or play dough, stack them, or build towers. This helps practice fine motor skills, colour recognition, and spatial awareness.
Bottles
Clean bottles can be used for sand or water play or as musical instruments when filled with small items and sealed. Decorate them with ribbons and glitter for added fun.
Cardboard Boxes
A cardboard box can become anything in a toddler’s imagination— a house, a car, a bus, or a hiding place. Boxes of all sizes provide endless play opportunities
Should I Rotate My Toddler's Toys?
Implementing a toy rotation strategy can solve the problem of having too many toys and too little space. Divide toys into groups and allow access to only one group at a time, switching the toys periodically. This keeps the toys fresh and interesting, leading to better quality play and more learning. Fewer toys also build concentration skills, encourage focus, and boost creativity. The anticipation of new toys makes every month feel like a birthday.
What Toys Should a 1-Year-Old Have?
Toys for Problem-Solving Skills
These toys set up challenges for your 1-year-old to solve, promoting fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities.
Examples:
- Stacking/sorting building blocks
Toys for Social and Language Skills:
These toys enhance interaction between you and your child, promoting communication and bonding.
What Toys Should a 2-Year-Old Have?
By age 2, toddlers are exploring and mimicking the world around them. They need toys that keep them busy and help them learn to sort, build, and identify objects.
Examples:
- Play Kitchen: Encourages pretend play and creativity.
- Miniature Workstation: Perfect for mimicking parents.
- Art Station: This should include paper, nontoxic crayons, pom poms, glue sticks, washable finger paint, and an easel.
Choosing the right toys for toddlers involves considering their developmental stages and interests. Opt for toys that grow with them, spark imagination, encourage exploration and problem-solving, and nurture physical skills.
Simple household items can be just as engaging as store-bought toys and toy rotation keeps playtime fresh and stimulating. With these strategies, you can ensure that playtime is fun and educational for your toddler.
We've put together some helpful articles about childcare and daycare in New Zealand
Developing Social Skills in Childcare: Why Group Play Matters
Meet the Team: An Interview with Lu Li, Toddler Room Team Leader
Helping Your Toddler Adjust to a New Sibling
Meet the Team: A chat with Sudha Sharma, Mount Roskill
Natural Materials in Early Childhood Education at BBELC
20 Hours ECE NZ: How the Childcare Subsidy Works for Parents in Auckland
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