It’s that time of year where you may be thinking about gifts. Great toys make strengthening fun, but are also versatile through the months and years. As a mom of two little ones, I love to get the most bang for my buck. While you’ll see a bunch of different toys in this blog, bubbles are my ultimate go to for all ages. But, I wouldn’t be keeping it real if I didn’t mention that the best toys of all are always the wrapping paper and boxes! Never underestimate the power of these. So think twice before throwing it all away and save them for a rainy day.
0-3 months: Oball, rings, black and white cards, rattle, see touch feel books, mirrors
Oballs encourage babies to bring their hands to the middle. This is a milestone we hope to see around the 3 month mark.
Black and white books/cards are great for babies. At a young age, we see contrast colors the best. This can help with neck range of motion and encourage your little one to look left and right.
See, touch, feel books are great books to start reading to your child at an early age. It can provide sensory input to keep your child’s interest. This can also provide different sensory stimuli in tummy time. Older kids will continue to enjoy this book.
Mirrors are great to provide motivation in tummy time. Try placing it to the left or right to encourage neck rotation.
Rings and rattles are great to help your child develop grip strength. Look for toys that are about the diameter of your finger.
3-6 months: play mat, stackable cups, water mat
Play mats are great for hand eye coordination at a young age. Your little one will start swatting at toys around 4 months. This mat is great for tummy time and can encourage pivoting (moving in a circle) and reaching. It is even great for when your child is learning to sit.
Water mats are a great way to work on tummy time. Since it’s a soft and dynamic surface, it will help work on weight shifts that are needed for reaching. It is also great once your child learns to sit to work on sitting balance.
Stackable cups are a staple. You can start working on object permanence and stacking at a young age. But you can also use it as a toy in obstacle courses. This is also a fun one to use in the bathtub.
6-9 months: activity table, piggy bank, alphabet wheel
The activity table is one of my favorites. This is not only great for when your child starts standing, but a good one to use for tummy time, kneeling, and supported sitting. Pro tip: Take the back two legs off and try the different positions with your little one.
Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo is another versatile toy that I love. This is great to encourage reaching in tummy time, but also great for when your child is new to sitting. This is also fun to use during the preschool years for letter recognition. Try having your preschool or Kindergarten age child spin the wheel then find items that starts with that letter in your house. Bonus points if they have to climb the stairs to find an object.
Poke a Dot books are great to help keep your child’s interest in books, especially if they are on the move! This is a great way to encourage finger isolation. I love to introduce this as a child is beginning to sit by themselves.
This is one of my “go to” toys once a child starts sitting by themselves. It’s great for object permanence. I also love it for teaching body parts (eyes, nose, mouth). It is also great for teaching words such as “in,” “open,” and “close.” Older kids even love this one and it’s great to incorporate into PT sessions or play as they get older.
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9-12 months: push toy, water table, Squigz
I most commonly use a Push Toy for my pre walkers. Once your child can do this on carpeted surfaces, try taking it outside and letting them walk further distances. This is also great to place in front of your infant during tummy time to encourage them to reach while on their tummy. You can even use it to practice kneeling. Toddlers will even enjoy pushing this around even after they learned to walk.
A water table was one of the best investments I made as a mom. Try this once your infant is able to stand with support. They will love splashing in the water! This will also help encourage them to start taking steps with support (cruising). This will last you well into the toddler and school age years. It’s the gift that keeps giving!
My favorite way to use Squigz are when practicing to stand. Stick them to a vertical surface, like a fridge or wall. Standing at a vertical surface is a little harder than a couch because they can’t rely on their arms as much. Then have your child pull them off. You can start working on arm strength and balance (be sure to be near your child initially, they may need help with this or loose their balance).
The possibilities are endless with Squigz. Once your child knows colors, you can have them pull off a certain color. Or even have your preschooler make patterns. You can even have your child build with them by sticking them together. This is another great one for the bathtub. I mean, talk about versatility!
12-18 months: Rody, slide, play kitchen
I love to use the slide as early as 18 months to work on strengthening. The playground may be too crowded or still too challenging for your toddler. This is a great way to get some energy out and work on stairs.
Rody is such a fun toy and comes in many colors and shapes. I start using this after 2-3 months of independent walking. It’s a great way to introduce jumping (expected around 2 years). Initially, this does need direct supervision as the littler ones may need some help. Kids up to 5-6 years old enjoy this toy too (make sure to check the weight limit).
Talk about gross motor galore! So many opportunities here for strengthening. Have your child stand up from the ground or squat to the ground to pick up food items. Encourage them to lift on their tippy toes and reach over head. You can even throw a pillow under their feet to work on balance and call it their cooking mat.
2 years: Magna-Tiles, stepping stones
Okay, no offense to the other toys, but Magna-Tiles are the holy grail. This will buy you some peace and quiet to drink your coffee in the morning. Infants love to knock these down, toddlers start to build simple structures, then this just builds as your child gets older. I even enjoy building with these once the kids go to bed ?
Bored with your current set? Take them outside to your garage door. Bad weather? Try the fridge. This blew my mind and opened up an entire world of play for my kids.
Stepping stones are one of my favorite ways to spice up an obstacle course. Try breaking these out if it is too cold, hot, or even raining outside. This is a great energy burner.
3 years: Zingo, candy land, tricycle, stomp rocket
Obstacle courses are my jam. I love setting the dispenser at the beginning and the card at the end. Having the child take the pieces through an obstacle course then placing it on their card. Zingo is also fun when working on standing balance. Try placing a pillow under your child’s feet and challenge them to a game of Zingo. What a great way to boost their vocabulary as well!
Candy land is a great introductory game to board games. It is also a great one to use for standing balance. I also love to use this when kids are older for exercise motivation. Assign an exercise to a color. If they draw purple, they need to do the exercise prior to their move.
Around 3 years old, your child will be able to start pedaling a tricycle. There are many options, but I love training wheels. You can try a tricycle earlier, especially if it has a push/steering handle in the back.
The stomp rocket is great for encouraging jumping and single leg balance. I usually introduce this at 3 and continue using it into adolescents. You can even hide the rockets and have your child look for these prior to blast off to prolong the fun.
4 years: scooter
I tend to start with a scooter that has 3 or even 4 wheels then progress to the two wheeled scooter around 4 years old. This is great for endurance, balance, and strength. It’s also a great way to get outside!
Kindergarten and elementary ages are great years to introduce a variety of games. Some of my favorites are Pop up Pirate, card games (Uno, War, Go Fish), Hi Ho Cherry-o, and Connect 4. I love to incorporate these into physical therapy sessions, but they are also great for problem solving, turn taking, sequencing, and following multi step directions.
Thanks for tuning in and happy shopping to everyone! What are some of your favorite toys? Drop us a message if we missed any of your staples.
*Please note that all toy images were sourced from various online retailers.
LAUREN A SAGER says
Love this article!! Great toy suggestions!
Jenna Harcher says
Thank you, @lasager96@gmail.com! We’re so glad you appreciate!