My Favorite Toys for Toddlers
The toddler years are a great time to introduce your little ones to fun toys, these are my list of my favorite toys for toddlers.
We try to limit battery operated or noisy toys in our home. We love toys that promote imaginative play.
For Christmas, we purchased An Alphabet Foam Mat for my little Princess. They boys were more excited about opening the girt then she was, when the boys played with it, they took all the pieces apart and hurled them at eachother. The end pieces or “nunchucks” were the only pieces allowed to be used in their “battle” because the larger mats hurt, lol.
We finally had a playdate and our friends daughter helped my daughter put it together in alphabetical order, they then took it apart and mixed it up before putting it back together. The little then shouted out a letter and they would run their, my daughter just followed her. This was when I realized what a great eduational toy it was, prior to that, I had seriously considered returning it because it was such a huge mess, since the boys just threw around all of the pieces.
I love Melissa and Doug Puzzles, they are so durable and have survived through the hands of my two boys, now that’s tough. I love that they are quality made and there are a wide range of products that get even more creative each time I see them. My son’s favorite was the car puzzle that had a tow truck with a magnet at the end of it to lift up the car puzzle pieces. So cute for your little one who loves cars.
Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards can double up and be use for math as well as a toy. We use them for patterning in math but my little one likes to match up the shapes onto the pictures.
Wooden Blocks are a great stacking toy and as you can tell I’m a sucker for wooden toys instead of the cheap plastic ones. They are durable and last forever. Which is totally important in this house since things are easily destroyed.
A wooden train set is a huge hit in our house for my boys and my little princess as well. And it looks like I have a wood theme going on here. I prefer wooden sets to electric because they eat batteries. I hate toys that require batteries because they get left on or they just get played out until the batteries run out. Batteries are expensive and I refuse to constantly stock up on them to power one toy over and over again. Not in this frugal home.Â
A Baby Doll gives your little one a chance to play the part of momma or dadda and really develops their nurturing side. They can feed or change the baby and as a plus, if you’re expecting another one, it helps to ease that transition for them.
DIY Craft box – stickers, paper, bingo dabbers, crayons, markers, dry erase books, a white board. You can find all of it at the dollar store and they will bring so much fun to your little one, at least for a short period at least with those short attention spans.
You can check out my post on fun toddler activities that we use to keep my little one busy while I homeschool the older children as well for other ideas.
Another great resource for parents of toddlers is Every Parent Can Teach Their Toddler, it’s a great resource put together by 20 bloggers.
I love Melissa and Doug Puzzles, they are so durable and have survived through the hands of my two boys, now that’s tough. I love that they are quality made and there are a wide range of products that get even more creative each time I see them. My son’s favorite was the car puzzle that had a tow truck with a magnet at the end of it to lift up the car puzzle pieces. So cute for your little one who loves cars.
Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards can double up and be use for math as well as a toy. We use them for patterning in math but my little one likes to match up the shapes onto the pictures.
Wooden Blocks are a great stacking toy and as you can tell I’m a sucker for wooden toys instead of the cheap plastic ones. They are durable and last forever. Which is totally important in this house since things are easily destroyed.
A wooden train set is a huge hit in our house for my boys and my little princess as well. And it looks like I have a wood theme going on here. I prefer wooden sets to electric because they eat batteries. I hate toys that require batteries because they get left on or they just get played out until the batteries run out. Batteries are expensive and I refuse to constantly stock up on them to power one toy over and over again. Not in this frugal home.Â
A Baby Doll gives your little one a chance to play the part of momma or dadda and really develops their nurturing side. They can feed or change the baby and as a plus, if you’re expecting another one, it helps to ease that transition for them.
DIY Craft box – stickers, paper, bingo dabbers, crayons, markers, dry erase books, a white board. You can find all of it at the dollar store and they will bring so much fun to your little one, at least for a short period at least with those short attention spans.
You can check out my post on fun toddler activities that we use to keep my little one busy while I homeschool the older children as well for other ideas.
Another great resource for parents of toddlers is Every Parent Can Teach Their Toddler, it’s a great resource put together by 20 bloggers.
Great list! those are all definite must-haves. We have the foam mats (just squares not letters) and sometimes we use them to make boxes and shapes. my girls love that! Nice linking up from #UBP14.
Fantastic list! those people are all clear must-haves. We’ve the actual memory foam pads (just squares certainly not letters) along with occasionally many of us rely on them to produce containers along with styles. the young ladies adore that will!
Wonderful methods! Let me add that for the llttie guys in the background…have them “write” their piece on a recorder. Telling stories is a great prerequisite to jotting them down.