When choosing items to put on this gift guide, it was important to fine toys that works fine motor development, encourages creative and imaginative play and encourages sensory play and exploration. It’s also important to find toys that will appropriately challenge a child but not to the point that they become frustrated and want to give up. The best kinds of toys for toddlers and preschoolers are those that have more than one use as it will encourage problem solving skills. Toys that have more than one use will also help young children become more imaginative and creative in their play and also learn how to be more flexible thinkers…..all important skills that will help them both developmentally and socially. If you are looking for something more specific for your child, please feel free to email me at otmeghan@gmail.com and I will help you find the perfect gift for your little ones.
1. Spin and Sprinkle Water Lab Bath Toy-many of the kids I work with have a hard time with bath time and the only thing that gets them through it is being distracted with bath toys. There are a lot to choose from out there but I am loving this one from Yookiddo. This small water lab is simple but has a lot of great features that will make bath time much more enjoyable for your little ones. Attach the water to the tub via suction cups, fill the test tube up with bath water and then pour it into a funnel. Your child will be amazed by the spinning googly eyes, the spinning dial and how the the water sprays out of the holes in the pipeline. There are so many occupational therapy skills that can be worked on while playing with the water lab such as improved hand-eye coordination, improved fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and teaches children about cause and effect.
2. Mini Dry Erase Wipe Clean Activity Board-these reusable activity boards were created by the founder of Jaq Jaq Bird when trying to find a way to engage her young children in more creative play and decrease the amount of screen time they had. Each of the doodle books has 8 blank pages, comes with the brands crayons (Butterstix) and has a built in storage pocket for the Butterstix or their Wishy Washy markers. This is small enough to throw in a bag to take for on-the-go entertainment and the blank pages can be easily cleaned using a damp paper towel or baby wipe. This is a great way to encourage creativity and imagination skills, work on developing graphomotor and drawing skills, encourages grasping and manipulation skills and works on visual motor and visual perceptual skills.
3. Squigz-a long time favorite of mine that is also a big hit with the kids. I love how versatile they are and can be used on a variety of non-porous surfaces. Squigz are flexible, suction-cup toys that are made from 100% food-grade silicone (so you don’t have to worry about kids putting them in their mouths) that can stick to each other, on tables, windows and mirrors. They can also be used to keep kids entertained while they are getting bathed. Squigz are great for working on increasing grasp strength, improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages bilateral and hand-eye coordination, encourages creativity and imagination skills and works on improving spatial reasoning.
4. Easy Twist Animal Builders-made with tiny hands in mind, this 4-piece twist animal set allows toddlers to create different animals by twisting together animal body parts. The set includes 4 animal rods with 3 body parts that you can spin on. You can create a giraffe, zebra, bear and tiger or kids can get crazy and mix and match the body parts. This is a great toy to work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages bilateral and hand-eye coordination, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on coordination and problem solving skills.
5. Toddler Circuit Busy Board-I was on a family vacation this past summer and whenever I go to a new place, I must check out any of the local toy stores to see if I discover anything amazing. This year it wasn’t at a toy store that I discovered one of my favorite new gift guide additions this year but instead when I was out to dinner and saw the family at the table next to me whose toddler was totally sucked into this circuit busy board. This screen-free busy board features a wooden board with a variety of interactive components such as light switches, buttons, keys, gears and so much more. It’s a great tool to work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, works on hand-eye coordination and encourages problem solving, motor planning and coordination skills. There are SO many to choose from if you type in Circuit Busy Board on Amazon so finding the one that is most appropriate for your child and where they are developmentally. And as I have already mentioned, this is a great way to keep kids entertained while traveling, out at restaurants or when you need some time to yourself to get stuff done at home.
6. Kiwi Co Pop-Up Shape Sorter-I think a good shape sorter toy should be part of every toddler’s toy rotation but finding a really good one can be tricky. I love this one from KiwiCo because it has a lot of fun features that will motivate little ones. This shape sorter features a shape sorter with chunky shape blocks, a hidden rocker mechanism that makes the blocks pop up and peekaboo people blocks that encourage social-emotional learning through cause and effect play. Little ones can work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, work on improving visual motor and perceptual skills, work on shape identification and matching skills and introduces kids to the concept of cause and effect.
7. My First Animal Puzzles-finding good “first” puzzles for kids can be hard but this set of 8 animal puzzles from Lakeshore is really great. The pieces are big and chunky making them great for little hands to pick up and manipulate. Each puzzle has 4-6 pieces that fit together with a fun scene on the colorful background. These puzzles are great for working on improving visual motor and perceptual skills, works on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and encourages problem solving, organization and planning skills.
8. Play Tab Go-when Fat Brain Toys introduces a new product, I am almost always intrigued to see what it is. This was the case when they launched the PlayTab Multi-Sensory activity board and it has not been a disappointment. The PlayTab activity board is a magnetic wooden board that can be customized by attaching different tiles that encourages fine motor development. There are 12 different fine motor tiles to choose from such as ball mazes, a color wheel, switches and so much more. The tiles themselves are also magnetic and can stick to a variety of surfaces. This year I still highly recommend the PlayTab activity board but also am loving that they have the PlayTab Go which allows you to take the tiles on the go and can attach to a stroller or high chair to keep kids entertained. It is made of a flexible, durable case that holds two tiles that can be swapped out as. you like. The PlayTab is a wonderful for developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and works on developing problem solving, motor planning and coordination skills.
9. Play To Go Activity Sets-Melissa and Doug really knows how to make quality toys and when I saw these Play To Go activity sets, I knew they would be a perfect addition to this years gift guide. This set includes 2 play kits, Cake and Coookies and Ice Cream, and come packed with play food and accessories for on-the-go creative play. All of the pieces easily fit right into the jar making it great for a screen free on-the-go entertainment option. In addition to encouraging creativity and imagination skills, these play sets also work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye coordination, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills, encourages independent play skills and works on language development.
10. Potato Head Pet Tato-Tots-we have a whole bunch of different Potato Head toys at my gym and they are always a big hit with the kids. Whether it be the original Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head or our mini ones that can be dressed up as characters from Toy Story and your favorite superheroes, they are one of the most highly played with toy at the gym. When I saw this set I immediately thought about how much our kids would love it. This set comes with 4 mini potatoes with over 25 parts and pieces such as wings, beaks, eyes, etc. to turn them into animals. One of the best things is that it comes with a storage case so you can not only keep everything in one place, but makes it great for taking on the go to keep kids entertained while traveling or out to eat. There are so many occupational therapy skills worked on while building your potato heads such as improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, works on problem solving skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, works on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills and helps with focus and attention skills.
11. Ms. Rachel Stacking Surprise Houses-with Ms. Rachel being a staple in almost everybody’s home who have young kids, I thought this would be a great addition to this year’s gift guide. I am a big believer in finding educational toys that will motivate children and I have found that beloved characters are always a win. This 9-piece stacking toy includes 3 colorful houses with removable roofs and 2 objects that start with the letter that’s on the house. Stacking toys are great for working on improving grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye coordination, works on motor planning and organizational skills and works on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills. This stacking house set also introduces kids to learning letters.
12. Hoot the Fine Motor Owl-this toy from Learning Resources is designed to help toddlers develop fine motor skills through a variety of activities. Kids work on developing a pincer grasp by spinning Hoot’s eyes, work on increasing grasp strength by squeaking Hoot’s nose, work on improving hand-eye coordination by dropping the colored coins into the slot and practice scissor skills to make the coins fall out of Hoot. Kids can work on color and number recognition while manipulating the coins. This toy is also great for working on encouraging bilateral coordination skills, encourages problem solving skills and introduces kids to cause and effect.
13. Sensory Play Jar-I couldn’t love this sensory jar from Glo-Pals more. It’s great for an on-the-go sensory tool/calm down jar if you have a child who has sensory sensitivities. One of the things I like about this jar is that it is totally customizable. You fill up the jar with water and you can either add their fun filler theme packs or use little figurines or crafting materials you have lying around at home. There are many benefits of sensory jars for toddlers and preschoolers, especially those who may present with sensory processing challenges. They promote self-regulation, encourage focus and can provide both a visual and motor calming impact when kids are feeling big feelings or if they are feeling overwhelmed in any given environment. The actual making of the sensory jar is a great way to work on improving fine motor and grasping skills, encourages hand eye coordination and improves focus and attention.
14. Hope Learning Sensory Tray-I may be biased because I know the creator of this sensory tray, but I can say with 100% confidence that this is the best sensory tray out there! I have one at home, at work and have gifted it to so many little ones in my life. This unique sensory tray is a durable, soft sensory bin made from food-grade silicone and was designed with open-ended sensory play and exploration in mind. It can be filled with a variety of sensory materials including, but not limited to, water beads, playdough, kinetic sand, colored rice and so much more. I have even set it up with a bunch of crafting materials as an invitation for kids to use whatever materials they want to create ornaments, collages, etc.. Open-ended sensory play works on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages creativity and imagination, supports emotional regulation, encourages problem solving, focus and attention and encourages language development. The Hope Learning Sensory Tray can be cleaned in a dishwasher.
15. Plus Plus Big Activity Set (Farm)-I have loved Plus Plus Blocks for longer than I can remember and I was really excited when they developed the Plus-Plus Big Blocks for toddlers and preschoolers. I also love that in addition to their trademark tubes of blocks that they have introduced their themed sets which are great for my kiddos who love to build and create but can’t initiate ideas. This set includes 40 big plus-plus blocks, an green baseplate and an activity booklet that gives instructions on how to build a variety of structures like animals, barns, fences and other related structures. There are other Plus Plus Activity Sets to choose from: Learn To Build and Food. Plus Plus Blocks are great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, works on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages creativity and imagination.
