I don’t know about you, but it seems like lately I spend half my time searching Amazon for the perfect gift for my kids, or nieces and nephews, or my kids’ friends. It is enjoyable, but I have one major problem.
My problem is, I get sucked into hopping from one popular toy to another and looking at the reviews forever.
Suddenly two hours are gone from my day and I still don’t know what to buy.
So we at AFineParent.com decided to do the work for you!
Here is a list of the most popular gifts for your little ones, their friends, nieces, nephews, grandkids and more.
And the best part?
They are all from Amazon, they all have a 4+ rating from tons of reviews and most are available through prime shipping, so even if you are shopping at the very last minute, you might still be able to get them in time!
Many of these I gave to my own children. A lot of them I specifically picked because we use them in the primary class of my Montessori preschool. Some of these are “classic” enough that you may have played with them when you were little!
Editor’s Note: Also check out our other guides
Alright, here we go –
Toys that Encourage Creativity
Play Doh
Play Doh is one of those classic toys that will probably be around forever! It comes in so many colors that it makes it easy for kids to unlock their creativity. And Doh is fun for little hands to squish and mold.
- Builds muscles for fine motor control
- Allows for right-brained creative development
Kinetic Sand
Kinetic Sand had a wonderful texture that kids love on their fingers. It sticks together just like sand on the beach! It comes in a variety of colors and creates a slightly different tactile stimulation than Play Doh.
- Development of fine motor control
- Creative development
- Tactile stimulation
Costumes
Playing dress-up is one of my kids favorite ways to be creative. They can pretend to be different people. It allows them to express what a career in medicine might be like. Or to experience the power of being an indestructable superhero. It expands their ideas of who they are and what they can become.
- Builds self-esteem
- Develops problem solving techniques
Water Color Paints
In our preschool, the water color paints are always being used. The children love the novelty of creating a picture out of water and solid paint. The children find something meditative about running a brush across a blank piece of paper and have the color fan out behind it. It allows them to express themselves through a different artistic media.
- Develops creativity
- Builds fine motor control muscles
- Builds self-esteem
EMIDO Building Block Kits
This is a different kind of building block. For one it has little fingers sticking out of a hub that interlock with each other to be able to build differently shaped objects. This gives children more freedom to express the complex designs they are thinking up, which leads to more satisfying play.
- Develops fine motor control
- Develops problem solving skills
Wooden Building Blocks
A classic for a reason. These wooden building blocks are durable and come in many shapes perfect for stacking and building. Kids can design and develop their own houses and cities. They can build the blocks up in to towers they can smash down to the ground with great satisfaction. And then they can do it all over again!
- Develops fine motor control
- Develops problem solving skills
Dinosaur Toys
When my son turned 6 dinosaurs were suddenly all he wanted to talk about and play with. I think we had about twenty of these plastic dinosaur toys in our house. He used them for imaginative play, but they also helped him learn all about the field of archaeology and the concept of scientific names.
- Creative play
- Manipulative aid in learning bigger concepts
Musical Instruments and Drum Set
Creating music is one of the most imaginative things a child can do. This bag of percussion instruments and the drum kit is perfect for preschoolers who are just learning about rhythm and patterns. They can tap and pound out rhythms as they sing their own songs.
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops pattern recognition and creation
Farm Animals
Children like to play with things that represent the real world. It makes them feel powerful to be able to manipulate what they see around them in a way that is satisfying to them.
- Builds their self-esteem
- Develops problem solving techniques
VTech Little Apps Tablet
A little technology toy with a big learning and creative impact. There is an alphabet, a counting board, and a piano. This is perfect for keeping kids entertained in the car or stroller.
- Develop fine motor control
- Develop pattern recognition
Lincoln Logs
A classic that even your parents played with! The logs inter-link together to allow children to build houses, bridges, towers, and cities.
- Promotes focus
- Develops fine motor skills
- Builds problem solving skills
Lego Duplo Blocks
These chunky inter-locking building blocks are great for little hands. They let kids build to their heart’s delight and they don’t fall over as easily as regular building blocks. And there are wheels so they can build cars as well as houses.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Allows creativity to flow
- Starts a love of engineering
Washable Dot Markers
We use these in our Montessori preschool classroom all the time. They can make dots or lines or whatever their heart desires. It’s paint, but not as messy!
- Develops fine motor skills
- Empowers creativity
Colorforms
Colorforms are more than just reusable stickers. They allow kids to develop their own stories with their favorite characters. They can solve a mystery or act out their own adventure.
- Develops story building skills
- Develops fine motor skills
- Empowers creativity
- Build self-esteem
Little People
There such a wide variety of Little People. Pilots, teachers, doctors, farmers, mommies and daddies. Little People act as an avatar for our kids’ imaginations. Kids get to be any of these people and make up pretend lives and careers for them, which empowers them to interact with the world around them in a more confident way.
- Develops self-esteem
- Develops a wider sense of the world
Toy Cars
Boys and girls both love to play with cars. There is something so fun about pushing a car along, running them up and over couches and tables. It’s meditative as well as creative and they can easily come along on an outing!
- Develops self-esteem
- Empowers creativity
Hand Puppets and Puppet Theater
Kids love to put on a show! Writing or imagining a play with puppets and its own stage is one of the more creative things a child can do. It reinforces story building and structure as well as having them dream up characters and a whole new world.
- Teaches story building
- Allows for creative expression of their world view
- Builds self-esteem
Lemonade Stand / Grocery Store
Make believe is one of the most important games a child can play. This little grocery store can be stocked with play food and allow your child to participate in the real-world activity of grocery shopping and selling. This make believe grocery store set up can also double as a lemonade stand that your child can set up outside and sell real lemonade.
- Builds self-esteem
- Develops a sense of how the world works
Pretend and Play School Set
Kids love to play school. I remember playing school as a child. I was a student and then I was a teacher. Playing school gave me an idea of what to expect at school and when I finally got there I confidently fit in. Even after starting school a lot of kids love paying it at home with all their dollies and dinosaurs lined up as students. It is so precious to watch them play and get a glimpse of their slowly budding world away from us.
- Build self-esteem
- Develops a sense of how the world works
Reusable Water-Reveal Activity Pads
A different kind of activity book for kids. This one only requires water in a pen for the activity book to work. No markers to get all over your kids’ clothes or back seat of the car. And it is just the perfect size to go anywhere with you. Tuck one of these in your purse, your car, the stroller, the travel kit and anwhere you anticipate you will need to whip out a quick, mess-free activity.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Engages creative activities for learning
Busy Box
This is a giant box of fun. It has all kinds of different materials that your child can use to make collages pictures or animals. Using different materials engages your child’s tactile senses as well as sparks their creativity into looking at the materials in their world differently.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Allows sense of touch to play a part in creativity
Toys that Encourage Learning
Pattern Blocks Puzzle
We use a version of these in our Montessori preschool. This type is magnetic so the pieces stay put on the board. Kids build pictures out of differently shaped blocks. It helps them to see the different patterns in their world.
- Develops problem solving skills
- Builds pattern recognition skills
- Introduces children to rudimentary math concepts
Magnetic STEM Blocks
A different kind of building toy. These two dimensional plates magnetically attach together to create three dimensional objects. Kids can make anything they can dream up and more!
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops problem solving skills
- Develops critical thinking skills
Gear Set
A unique toy! These gears interlock together so that when you spin one they all start turning. Your child can make your system into any shape they want and it includes fun interchangeable shapes like ladybugs and bees.
- Develops critical thinking skills
- Builds problem solving skills
- Develops fine motor skills
Stem Toy Club
This is a gift that keeps on giving. Every month your child receives a new toy that will help them develop a love of science, technology, engineering, and math.
- Develops critical thinking skills
- Builds problem solving skills
Binoculars
My dad had a pair of binoculars next to his favorite chair. If he saw and interesting bird or something far out in the field he’d pick them up and walk outside to take a peek. They are also my kids’ favorite toy at their grandparents’ house. They love to be able to see the hard-to-see things in their world.
- Develops a budding love of science
- Develops a love of nature
Abacus
The abacus is a counting and calculating tool that dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. The bright colors delineate the different numeric places and gives kids a visual and tactile understanding of mathematical concepts.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops rudimentary mathematical concepts
US Map Puzzles
Puzzles are a great way to teach problem solving strategies and develop grit. Kids like puzzles because of the sense of accomplishment they feel when they finish one. Map puzzles do all of that plus they teach geography. You can find them for the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America.
- Develops problem solving skills
- Develops pattern recognition skills
- Develops fine motor skills
- Introduces geography
STEM Engineering Kit
This STEM kit has large pieces that make it easy for little preschool hands to bolt and screw everything together to make things like cars, airplanes, helicopters, and aliens. It gives them the tools and the freedom to experiment with new ideas.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops STEM ideas
- Builds problem solving strategies
Jumbo Floor Puzzles
These 4 feet long floor puzzles let kids immerse themselves into a whole new world. It requires the same problem solving skills as other puzzles, but given the bigger size it requires kids to learn how look at the bigger picture and not focus solely on the small connections.
- Builds problem solving strategies
- Develops pattern recognition skills
Puzzles with Storage Box
These are large, wooden puzzles with easy to maneuver pieces that create pictures in bright, enticing colors. These puzzles can be done over and over and over again. The thick wooden material helps it last longer than puzzles backed only with cardboard.
- Builds problem solving strategies
- Develops pattern recognition skills
Lacing Beads
These beads come in different shapes and bright colors with a thick shoelace-like string. Lacing these beads onto the string requires concentration and fine motor skills. The kids in my preschool like to string the beads into patterns and then wear them as necklaces.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops pattern recognition
Mathlink Cubes
Mathlink Cubes are different colors with different shapes cut into each one so your child can make more complicated pattern sequences. You can use them to help teach base-10 math concepts and basic addition and subtraction concepts.
- Develops sequencing knowledge
- Introduces basic math concepts
Counting Bears with Matching Sorting Cups
Part of math is learning how to group like with like and recognize the differences between groups. This toy is a bright and colorful and cute way to learn these concepts. Children can make patterns, sort by color, or make a game of it.
- Builds sequencing skills
- Develops basic math knowledge
- Teaches color groupings
Counting Sticks with Number Cards
If you’ve ever been in a Montessori classroom you’ve probably seen something similar to this. These counting sticks and number cards help to teach the concept of numbers as a quantity. Once they have learned about quantity they can progress to learning about addition and subtraction in a concrete, tactile way.
- Builds sequencing skills
- Develops basic math knowledge
- Develops more advanced math knowledge
Kids First Amusement Park Engineer Kit
What a fun building kit! Kids can make their own Ferris wheels, carousels, see-saws, and any other amusement park rides they think up. And if they are having trouble getting started they can use the booklet of diagrams that comes with it.
- Develops problem solving skills
- Builds fine motor control
Toys that Encourage Reading
Sandpaper Letters
The first step in loving to read is learning to read. We use these sandpaper letters with our preschoolers. They allow the children to learn the phonetic letter sounds while they also learn them through touch and sight.
- Stimulates the sense of touch
- Develops the ear to hear letter sounds
- Develops fine motor skills
Phonetic Reading Blocks
Once they have learned their letter sounds it is easier for children to start to sound out short, simple words. These reading blocks rotate around a center dowel to create new words with the same vowel sound. Children are empowered to try out new words on their own and soon they will be reading simple books.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops the ear to hear letter sounds
- Builds self-confidence
Alphabet Magnets
Alphabet magnets are wonderful for preschoolers! They are sturdy and easily maneuverable on refrigerators or on the metal board that comes with this set. Children can play with the letter sounds and spell words that interest them.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Builds self-confidence
- Supports curiosity
Word Puzzle
I bought these word puzzles for my own kids. It gave them a tactile guide on how to spell simple words. They did them over and over again and then they took the letters and started to spell out their own words!
- Develops fine motor skills
- Builds problem solving skills
Self-Correcting Spelling Puzzles
My husband had these growing up. These cards are each their own little puzzles. Kids can learn the words by the letters and by the picture of the word.
- Develops pattern recognition skills
- Develops problem solving skills
- Develops fine motor skills
Bob Books Set 1: Beginning Readers
There are several sets of these Bob Books. Each gets progressively harder as their skill level improves. Each set comes with five or six book and uses a limited number of letters so your child can practice their sounding out skills one set at a time. I used these with my kids and now our Montessori preschool uses them. These really work to help build their reading confidence!
- Builds confidence
- Develops pattern recognition skills
- Develops letter sound recognition
Moveable Alphabet
Now this one you will find in every Montessori Preschool. This one has print letters, but they are also available in cursive. And they are made of sturdy wood. There are multiple copies of each letter so that children can start spelling more complex words or words with double letters in them like “pizza.” Plus the consonants and vowels are in different colors to help children see the difference in the sounds.
- Builds confidence
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops tactile recognition of letter sounds
Alphabet Slapjack
This is a good game for starting to help your child learn their capital and lower case letters. They are bright and colorful so they hold your child’s attention. Plus they are small enough to stick in your purse or bag so you have a go-to game for when those errands are getting a little boring for your little one.
- Teaches capitalization
- Develops fine motor skills
Meet the Sight Words – Level 1
This game teaches children how to recognize those words they are always seeing in their favorite books. Learning those sight words make sounding out the big or new words feel like they take less energy, which can build their confidence and self-esteem.
- Builds self-esteem and self confidence
- Develops reading proficiency
Swat a Sight Word Game
Another game that teaches children to recognize high frequency words. With this game you swat the words as you say them out loud. It makes learning words fun and dynamic!
- Builds reading confidence
- Develops reading proficiency
- Builds self-esteem
AlphaTales Box Set
Little kids want books! And they want books they feel they can read. These are some very easy reading books that are funny and full of adventure that you can read to your child. Plus there are other activities to do inside the book on their own.
- Develops reading proficiency
- Builds connection between the parent and child
- Develops fine motors skills (if you have them turn the pages)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
One of the best ways to instill a love of reading in your child is to just sit and read to them. And telling them funny stories makes reading fun. This story is particularly funny and is a great addition to your collection of children’s books.
- Develops fine motor control (if you have them turn the pages)
- Develops a love of reading
Nate the Great – A series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Children also love mysteries and puzzles. Nate the Great is a wonderful first mystery. You follow pancake-loving Nate around as he tries to help his friend find out where her picture disappeared to.
- Develops fine motor control (if you have them turn the pages)
- Develops a love of reading
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
This book is such a wonderful journal of the imagination. You travel along with Harold as his purple crayon takes him on a night time adventure. Have a purple crayon at the ready! My kids wanted to draw their own adventures after we read together!
- Develops fine motor control (if you have them turn the pages)
- Develops a love of reading
Toys that Encourage Independent Play
HABA Town Maze Magnetic Game
This is such a great toy to bring along on a car ride. Your child holds a magnetic pencil to guide metal spheres around a little town maze. There are twists and turns that will keep your child busy for hours.
- Develops fine motor control
- Builds attention span and focus
Magnetic Drawing Board
I think we had at least two of these. Maybe even three. One for each car and then one for the house. They just loved to be able to draw pictures and then have them magically wiped away to draw again. We took them into restaurants and on every summer road trip.
- Develops fine motor control
- Allows creative expression
Boogie board
This is such a neat gift! I wish they’d had these when my kids were little. This is an electronic notepad that comes with different drawing tools they can use to write or draw. It doesn’t need to be charged so it lasts for days and days!
- Develops fine motor control
- Allows for creative expression
Spirograph Jr.
I bought one of these for my niece when she was four. The frames and templates let your child make such neat patterns and pictures as they move a pen or pencil across the page. She not only made pictures for people, she also experiment with overlaying patterns onto each other, which can lead to more advanced pattern recognition.
- Develops pattern recognition
- Develops fine motor control
- Allows for creative expression
Trains
These magnetic trains were my oldest son’s absolute favorite toy. He would bring them with us everywhere and they kept him occupied for hours at a time. They magnetically fit together to make hooking up long lines of cars easy. Plus they inspire kids to learn about the real world of trains through books, movies, and by visiting museums.
- Develops pattern recognition
- Introduces kids to rudimentary scientific concepts
- Develops fine motor skills
Baby Doll
Children are instinctive nurturers. Both boys and girls like to pick up a doll, cuddle them, feed them, and pretend to take on a grown up role. A baby doll is particularly helpful when teaching your child how to care for a new baby brother or sister that is on the way. It gives them a chance to participate in the care and nurturing of their new family member.
- Develops empathy
- Builds self-esteem
- Develops fine motors skills
Mr. Potato Head
Every time I see a Mr. Potato Head I think of Toy Story. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed changing his facial expressions and pretending he could talk. Kids can learn all about parts of the face as they use their creativity to move eyes and noses and arms from one place to another.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Teaches about facial anatomy
- Teaches about facial social cues
Sit and Spin
This is another toy we have in the preschool. Kids can spin themselves around and around on this, giggling all the way. We bring it out during rainy recess times and when we have kids that need an outlet for their energy in a small space.
- Develops gross motor skills
- Allows for energy release when running or going outside isn’t an option
Stamps
Here’s why I love stamps. They let kids who don’t have a lot of artistic skill succeed in making complex art. They can choose different inks or color in the picture. They can use several stamps to make a whole scene. There are even stamp letters so children can explore spelling and writing in a new way.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Allows for creative expression
- Builds self-esteem
Creative Kid Flakes
Kids love to build. These creative flakes also let children create. They are flat with many slots that let the pieces interlock so they can make anything their minds can think up.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Allows for creative expression
- Introduces engineering concepts
- Develops problem solving skills
Button Art
This is a fun picture making kit for little kids. The children match up the colors of the buttons to the colors of the squares and then snap the buttons into place. This makes a piece of art that is tactile in nature and not just visual.
- Allows for creative expression
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops pattern and matching recognition
Doll House
Doll houses are like your child’s porthole into a different world. They can pretend to be any person inside that house. They are empowered to make decisions and have careers and design their world.
- Builds self-esteem
- Allows for creative expression
Lite-Brite
The Lite-Brite was a toy from my childhood. I loved plugging in all the different colors of plastic into the grid and making a glowing picture I could even see in the dark. It guided my creativity, but it also let me be creative all on my own.
- Allows for creative expression
- Develops fine motor skills
- Exposes to basic scientific concepts
Toys that Develop Practical Life Skills
Learn to Dress
Part of growing up is learning how to dress yourself. It’s really hard to learn how to button a shirt or zip a jacket when you are wearing it. This dressing toy let’s kids practice how to manipulate buttons, zippers, and buckles where they can really see them.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops coordination
- Builds self-confidence
Cleaning Set
Little kids like to do what adults do. And using the same kinds of tools adults use validates that what the kids are doing is important. It’s important and valued by the family. This also encourages them to take care of the house and their environment.
- Builds self-worth
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops fine motor skills
Screw Block
Kids love to do this because it feels important to them. Nothing feels more adult than using a tool to fix things. It also encourages the development of the muscles needed to twist the wrist. Kids need to know how to make the movement to open jars or turn door knobs.
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops wrist muscles
- Builds self-esteem
Scissors Skills Activity Book
- Develops fine motors skills
- Develops specialized coordination
- Builds confidence
Play Dishes
Kids love to play pretend, especially when it involves the real things that mom and dad use, too. Play dishes are a great way for kids to experience and experiment with real life. And then they learn how to help for real!
- Builds confidence
- Develops a sense of place in the family
Gardening Tool Set – Big Tools
- Builds confidence and self-esteem
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops a sense of contribution to the family
Little Gardener Tool Set
In the spring when I am starting to plant the seeds in my garden my kids are right there wanting to help. This gardening set is made of real metal, just like mine. So they can plant things, just like me. This ability to do real work builds their confidence. Plus they are more likely to eat the healthy vegetables they help to grow!
- Encourages healthy eating habits
- Develops their self-confidence
Work Tools for Kids
These tools can be used along side mom or dad as they are building or they can use them to inspire their own imaginations as they build skyscrapers or log cabins. It has everything a kid could want as they construct what they can think up.
- Develops fine motor control
- Inspires creativity
- Builds self-confidence
Cash Register
One of my fondest memories is playing store with my brother. We had our own cash register and we would gather things from around the house and sell them to each other. We learned about how to change money and bonded with each other as we giggled over buying Mom’s carrots from fridge.
- Teaches how to count money
- Encourages collaborative play
Toys that Encourage Cooperative Play
Tea Set
Children love to play games with their parents that pull them into the child’s world. Having a tea party is a wonderful way that children invite their parents into their world. Whether you have real food and drink or just pretend, moments like this help to build connection between you.
- Builds connection
- Builds self-esteem
Bean Bag Game
Kids love throwing things. Bean bags are easy for little hands to hold and grip and toss. They can try to throw them overhanded or underhanded, which develops gross motor skills. Playing with them also helps children learn about taking turns.
- Introduces social norms
- Develops gross motor skills
Alphabet Go Fish
Games are such as great way to build connection. You sit around together, talking, taking turns, and having fun. Children also learn about following rules and boundaries for behaviors in a safe and nurturing way. This game teaches children the basics of playing cards and it helps them learn their letters!
- Develops fine motor skills
- Introduces social norms
- Builds connection
Candyland Game
Candyland is such a great game! Children don’t have to be able to read or even know their numbers yet. You simply move your piece to the color on the card you draw from the deck. The game is just the right length for short attention spans and it gives you and your child a chance to cheer each other on as you try to make it to the castle.
- Teaches matching and pattern recognition
- Introduces social norms
- Builds connection
Chutes and Ladders
For children that are learning about numbers and also learning grit, Chutes and Ladders is the game you should be playing. You spin the arrow on a spinner and count your piece forward. But careful! If you land on a chutes you slide backwards and have to start over again!
- Teaches counting
- Builds connection
- Develops grit
Busytown
This is a great game for children that need to learn about working together instead of competing against each other. The kids work together to find different things in Busytown to move your pieces across the board.
- Builds connection
- Introduces teamwork concepts
- Develops attention to detail
First Orchard
This is another teamwork game. Together you all pick the fruits off the trees before Raven can make it to the end of his path. First Orchard also teaches colors and counting.
- Builds connection
- Introduces teamwork concepts
- Teaches colors and counting
Count Your Chickens
Another cooperative game that teaches children how to collaborate to make decisions and problem solve. It also lets kids practice their counting skills in a low-stress, fun way.
- Builds connection
- Introduces teamwork concepts
- Teaches counting
Hoot Owl Hoot
Another great game for pre-reading children. You work together to get the little owls to fly back into their nests before the sun comes up and it’s morning.
- Builds connection
- Introduces teamwork concepts
- Teaches color matching
Pancake Pile-Up! Relay Game
A different kind of game for kids that don’t typically like board games. Everyone gets a card with a stack of different kinds of pancakes. Then you have to stack the pancakes in the game to match the order in which they are stacked on the card by memory. Kids are learning sequencing as well as building their visual memory skills.
- Develops memory skills
- Develops sequencing skills
- Develops gross motor skills
Sum Swamp
Sum Swamp is a math game that doesn’t feel like a math game. You have to make your way safely through the swamp by doing basic math operations. Best of all, while it is a competitive game, it is a game that makes you excited for the success of others.
- Builds connection
- Develops basic math skills
- Builds self-esteem
Toys that Encourage Healthy Eating
Kitchen Step Stool
Kids love to cook with their parents. This particular step stool is perfect for kitchen work because it has sides to it that prevent the kids from falling and hurting themselves. This gave me the confidence to let my kids start shredding lettuce and peeling potatoes, which encouraged them to start eating the foods they helped make.
- Builds self-confidence
- Encourages trying new foods
- Builds connection
Kid’s Kitchen
Preschoolers love to imagine themselves doing the things we do. It’s how they learn about social norms and life roles. And a play kitchen is a perfect example of a toy that let’s children explore all of those norms and life roles.
- Encourages imagination
- Allows playful interaction with social norms
Pretend Food
What is a play kitchen without pretend food? Kids can assemble different foods together and make their own meals, just like they see you doing every night in your own kitchen. When they recreate the meals you are creating they are demonstrating they are learning about healthy eating.
- Encourages imagination
- Teaches about healthy eating
Kid’s Kitchen Pots
I used to love to take my mom’s pots and pans out of the cabinet and pretend to cook with them. She did not love it as much I did however, because then she’d have to wash them before she could use them for that night’s meal. So, she bought me my own pots and pans! It added to my ideas of what cooking was and influenced how I cook today.
- Teaches about health eating
- Encourages imagination
Slice & Toss Salad Play Food Set
Salads are a hard thing for kids to like. But there is a secret. The more you let kids help with preparing food the more likely they are to try it and like it. This play salad prep set is a great way to introduce kids to lettuce and all the other things that go into salads. And they might even want to give lettuce a chance.
- Teaches about healthy eating
- Develops fine motor skills
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers on Up
There is nothing like cooking with real food to get kids excited about eating healthy. But sometimes it’s hard to find recipes that are easy and basic enough for preschoolers. This cookbook is full of them! It takes you step by step through each recipe and it is simple enough for children to do with minimal parental help.
- Builds self-esteem
- Builds connection
- Encourages healthy eating
Mom and Me Cookbook
This is more than just a cookbook. It is an instructional guide on what cooking is. It has a photographic glossary of different cooking terms and cooking tools. Each recipe has tons of pictures which makes it great for kids just starting to read. Plus the recipes are definitely kid favorites!
- Encourages healthy eating
- Builds self-esteem
Mama and Me Apron Set
Another tool that makes cooking fun is an apron! And what is more fun than a parent and child matching aprons? Nothing.
- Builds self-esteem
- Builds connection
- Encourages healthy eating
Toys that Encourage Outdoor Play
Basketball Set
We recently bought one of these for our preschool and it has been a hit! The kids love to challenge themselves to try and get that basketball into the hoop. And when they miss they just pick the ball and try again, which teaches some major grit.
- Develops gross motor skills
- Builds grit
Dome Climber
We also have one of these on our preschool playground. The kids love to climb on it and swing from the bars. They sit inside it and pretend it’s their clubhouse or sit on top of it and view the world around them.
- Develops gross motor skills
- Builds grit
- Develops connections
Water Table
Kids love to play with water. This water table comes with a whole pirate theme that encourages kids to explore how water flows through different kinds of containers.
- Encourages scientific exploration
- Develops fine motor skills
Balance Buckets
These balance buckets allow children to challenge themselves in a safe, yet very satisfying way. They balance on platforms and then take big steps – or jumps – from one platform to another. Each successful jump builds their confidence as they develop their gross motor skills.
- Develops gross motor skills
- Builds self-confidence
Pogo Jumper
So much easier than the traditional pogo stick! Kids stand on the block and then start jumping, activating the springs inside to allow them to jump higher. It promotes kids’ development of gross motor skills and balance.
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops balance
Stomp Rocket
I bought stomp rockets for my boys and for birthday presents for all their friends. You put the foam rocket onto the stand and then stomp onto a big plastic pedal to force air through a tube and put the rocket up into the air. Kids actually start to learn the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration – That’s physics!
- Exposure to basic physics
- Develops gross motor skills
Large Dump Truck
There is something magical about having a truck that can help your kids haul anything they can imagine. Not only does this little truck offer great opportunities for play, this is also a great ally for parents who want to make cleanup time a fun game. Try saying “You think your dump truck can take all those legos to the lego box before my BIG grownup hands can pick up all the thrash?” and watch them go 🙂
- Encourages imaginative play
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops fine motor skills
Playground Balls
These are the same kind of balls you used to play kickball with in elementary school. The larger size makes it easier for kids to be able to kick them and pick them up for a two-handed throw, which develops their hand-eye coordination.
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Develops balance
Tricycle
I don’t think you can walk by a park without seeing at least one tricycle. Being able to work the pedals and propel yourself forward is such a great feeling! It builds confidence and self-esteem and gets them ready for a big 2-wheeler.
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Builds confidence
- Builds self-esteem
Balance Bike
These balance bikes are so popular in Europe. It allows the preschools to have the same sitting position as a big bike, but without the pedals to distract them from learning about how to balance themselves on two wheels.
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops balance
Ring Toss Game
I remember playing ring toss back in the day with glass soda bottles. This is so much safer! The wooden dowels are attached to a wooden support board. The rings are nice, big rope circles that are easy to toss.
- Builds connection
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops grit
T-ball Set
Baseball is one of those sports that every kids wants to learn. The hardest part of learning how to play is hitting the ball when it is pitched to you. The solution is using a tee. This t-ball set comes with light-weight balls and a plastic bat. It makes it easy for them to feel successful and to keep practicing their hand-eye coordination until they can hit the ball as it is pitched.
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Develops grit
Swing
Swings are a playground favorite. They are so popular they are often always in use. The solution is to have your own in your own backyard. Swings are great for practicing complex coordination and developing gross motor skills.
- Develops body coordination
- Develops gross motor skills
Nature Exploration Kit
Part of being outside is exploring the nature that is around you. This kit comes with binoculars, a compass, a magnifying glass, a light, and a net. They can capture bugs or pick up leaves and get a closer look at them. This kind of exploration of nature is one of the first experiences with science that children have.
- Exposure to basic science
- Develops an appreciation of nature
Sand Table
Sand is so much fun to play with. It feels neat when you let it run between your fingers. When it is wet it can stick together and make towers or walls. A big sand table like this enables your child to build their own civilization. Or to bury their dinosaur toys and excavate them like a real archaeologist.
- Exposure to tactile stimulation
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops problem solving tactics
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is so much fun for the whole family or for something like a birthday party. This scavenger hunt is cards with descriptive words on them and then you go outside and find objects that match the adjective (like rough, furry, soft).
- Develops powers of observation
- Introduces adjectives
Bubbles
To our preschoolers bubbles are magic. They are a liquid that suddenly becomes a sphere that is almost lighter than air. And they want to see us make them and then try themselves. This is a wonderful basic science lesson that is such fun they don’t even realize they are learning!
- Introduces basic scientific concepts
- Builds connection
Self-Sealing Water Balloons
On a hot day my kids love a water balloon fight. What they (and I) don’t love is trying to tie those darn balloons! These little miracles self-seal which means they can fill the balloons themselves. This kind of independence helps to empower them and lets the fun happen a little faster.
- Builds self-confidence
- Develops gross motor skills
- Develops fine motor skills