My sister in law texted me this morning and asked for some toy recommendations for her little ones. She has 3 kids ages 4 and under and between Covid and winter they are feeling cooped up and over all the toys they have. Which I totally get and I'm sure a lot of us out there are feeling the same way. I hung up and started thinking about it and began texting her things like a madwoman. In the chance that you're in need of a toy refresh like her I thought it would be great to put down our favorite toys for toddlers and preschoolers into a blog post. I tried to range the things to the ages of her kids - 1, 3, and 4 but most can be for older as well.
Sensory Play Doh Kits - I have gotten some kits from this cute Etsy shop. I like the mini kits because they're easy to pull out at any time and don't make a mess. I use these trays to keep all the pieces together. I'm thinking of getting this one for Valentine's Day.
Doctors Kit and Veterinarian Kit - These kits are great and my kids have played with them for years.
Puzzles - This Mudpuppy one has been our favorite for a few years. The giant Melissa and Doug puzzles are great for younger kids. We loved the dinosaur one. The Melissa and Doug box of puzzles are great because they come with 4 little puzzles and they're easy to take on the go. As my kids got older they liked the harder Ravensburger ones. This Frozen one is one I want to get for Penny.
Duplos - Great for younger kids.
Wooden blocks - We really love this rainbow set. Great to build towers, buildings, bridges, tunnels. Luke liked to use them on this gathre mat with matchbox cars.
Sticker books - The Usborne sticker books are great for younger kids. My kids now love these Paint by Sticker books.
Board Games - The best for really young kids is Monkey Around. Pop the Pig is a lot of fun. The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel is another one that's great for little kids. Seek a Boo is a fun one too that you can adapt in different ways for kids.
Magnetic Safari Animals - These are so fun for toddlers.
Magnatiles - These will be on every and all of my lists.
Melissa and Doug Ice Cream set - This set was played with for years. My kids loved it and when life was normal and kids came over for playdates it was always the most played with toy.
Arts and Craft supplies - The best supplies for toddlers and preschoolers I think are: dot markers, dot stickers, roll paper, puffy stickers, and paint stix. These giant Omy coloring posters are great to lay out with crayons. And we love all things Ooly.
And for the youngest munchkins we loved stacking pegs, stacking cups, and these squeaky eggs.
I'm sure I'll start thinking of more after I post this but I have to stop here.
What toys do you recommend?
xo Kate