If you find yourself asking, “What age-appropriate toys should I get my preschool-aged child this holiday season that will foster their development and be educational for them?” Then you have come to the right place!
Many toys make annoying sounds, take up space, and worst of all, don’t encourage the child to play but rather are designed to entertain them. However, the right toys can help aid a child’s cognitive development in multiple ways.
Why have toys such as rattles, blocks, and dolls stood the test of time? As technology advances, you would think old toys like these would be tossed aside for shinier and brighter items. Yet, most babies today own these items. It is because these simple toys encourage problem-solving, imagination, creativity, and sensory exploration.
I am a former preschool teacher with an education in Early Childhood Development and now homeschool my preschool-aged children. Here is a list of toys I purchase for my children and for anyone in my life who has a baby or young child.
Infants to 6 months
$10.74
Ideal for grabbing, rolling and even cramming into their mouths. That’s what learning looks like at this age!
$19
Not only do they help soothe teething woes, but the bubble popping design makes them a tactile delight as well.
$15
The rattle is made to perfectly fit those tiny hands so your child can stimulate their sensory development as they watch, listen to and handle the rattle.
$11.99
Who says peek-a-boo takes two?
7 months to 1 year
$15
Use all your senses to read this interactive book, developed with help from children and designed with every young reader in mind. High contrast images and tactile features like a shoelace, fun textures and a scratch-and-sniff ice cream make this book a fun sensory adventure.
$25
This little friend helps babies and toddlers develop gross motor and coordination skills.
$18.99
Easy for little hands to manipulate, this colorful sensory ball encourages them to experiment with holding, squeezing, dropping, rolling and chasing—skills that help develop hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills as well as baby’s sense of cause and effect and spatial awareness.
1 to 2 years
$12.99
Simple and fun, this colorful puzzle is a full sensory experience. Each pet features a different soft fabric while the mirror in the middle is perfect for peek-a-boo!
2 to 3 years
$33
Your little foodie can use the set to wash, chop and create yummy fruit and vegetable dishes, then they can clean up in minutes by putting everything back in the included wooden storage crate.
$20
Zoom it around, take it apart and put it back together! This sweet wooden ice cream truck is one they’ll come back to again and again.
3 to 6 years
$16
The extra-thick pieces are easy for little hands to hold, making this a screen-free activity the whole family can enjoy.
$50
Brightly colored and smoothly sanded wooden blocks connect with mess-free glue circles to help them hone their 3D building skills.
$56
With long arms and legs that are perfect for toting her around, this adorable fabric doll is as stylish as she is loveable.
$18
Delicate, colorful and distinctive, Julia Groves’ illustrations introduce little ones to the animals that live in this endangered habitat.
$55
Get the band together with this super fun set. Including a tambourine with cymbals, guitar, harmonica, trumpet and a clapper there’s plenty of toe-tapping music to be made.
When it comes to toys and children, less is more. Chances are they will have more fun playing with your car keys and trash than that fancy designer rattle.
