I know some families have already begun holiday shopping. With the enticement of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, it’s hard to pass up the great deals everywhere. The toy industry is inundated with so many options that it can be overwhelming to navigate. Here is my list of great toy options for this holiday season. All of these toys are not only fun, but also addresses developmental play skills, fine motor strength and skills, visual motor processing and coordination skills, and cognitive development. I will break down the list by developmental age, but please know that you as the adult must use your best judgement to determine if a toy will be safe and manageable for your child. All of the toys listed are affiliate links for Amazon, which means that I will receive a small percentage of the purchase with no additional cost to you. As always, thank you for your trust and support, and I hope you will follow me on this blog with email notifications for new posts, as well as follow me on my Facebook or Instagram accounts. Now…let’s get started….
Newborns-1 yr old: The best thing for newborns is tummy time. Believe it or not, tummy time not only develops strength in the neck, arms, and core, but babies vision is also developing and becoming more mature. Once a baby is able to roll in both directions (tummy to back and back to tummy), tummy time can progress to supported sitting. While in sitting, babies are learning to grasp, bring things to their mouths and midline, and challenge their core strength with balancing their bodies in an upright seated position. Here are some great toys that can be used to encourage tummy time and supported sitting.
Toddlers (1-3 yrs old): The toddler stage name is derived from “to toddle”, which means to walk unsteadily, like a child of this age. This is an exciting time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. Boundaries and limits are tested and toddlers are also learning that they have a choice and voice to indicate their preferences. Although the parenting struggle is real during these years, the toddler years are also the most rewarding and fun as your little one experiences an explosion in language, learning, and personality development. These are the years that gross motor, fine motor, and visual motor skills are refined through play. Here are some great developmental toys and games for the toddler in your life.
Preschoolers (3-5 yrs old): This is when things really get fun with your little one. While preschoolers should still be playing with developmentally appropriate toys, most play during this stage is geared toward “pre-academic skills”. Pre-academic skills are foundational for learning that include:
- being interested in books and enjoy being read to
- understanding that letters and numbers are symbols that mean something
- being able to retell basic parts of a story
- identifying letters of the alphabet and its sounds
- matching forms and letters
- demonstrating an understanding of simple math concepts
- scribbling
- completing simple/complex sequences
At this age, most kids are influenced by commercialized products and toys. However, here are lesser commercialized toys and games that are developmentally appropriate for the preschool aged kiddos that promote pre-academic skills in a fun way. The amount of toys and games that are available for this age group is huge, so these are just a small sampling of what I like and would use at home or at work in my preschool.
This stuffy can be warmed up and has a soothing lavender scent for a great sensory treat.
I love play houses for kids, but this one caught my eye as your kids can incorporate their imagination and construction skills to build the playhouse.
Check out the series of “Poke a Dot” books!
Nothing is more fun than getting more mail…this subscription is for preschool aged kids.
Check out the whole “I Spy” types of books!
Kindergarten and Elementary Age: The possibilities for toys and games really expand for this age group and up, mainly because there are no longer any safety concerns with small toy parts. Most toys are still identified by an age recommendation primarily for the level of difficulty. Kids in these age ranges enjoy technology based computers games and apps that are educational for the most part. Also, you’ll find many more mass marketed and branded toys, such as Barbie, Nerf, Legos, and anything Disney related. Here is just a small sample of toys that caught my eye that aren’t mass marketed.
A fun toy for STEM fans!
Nothing beats a good ol “I Spy” book to help train eyes to visually scan and attend to details.
This was one of my kids faves when they were younger. It’s cute to see kids fine motor skills really refine with this activity.
This game has almost a 90% rating of 5/5 stars from over a 1,000 reviewers. Check out this card game out as an alternative to Uno.
I don’t know any child who doesn’t think getting their own mail isn’t cool. A magazine subscription to an educational kids magazine is a great way for kids to learn something new every month. Seeing their own mail is also a good motivation for young elementary school kids to learn their address.
I’ve always wanted a window seat for my daughter, but I was never able to find anything as cute as this when she was younger. Here is a great reading nook that also serves as a bookshelf/organizer for your kids books and toys.
I hope you enjoyed my short list of “OT Katie” approved toy list. Don’t fret if you’ve already completed your holiday shopping…just save this list in your back pocket for future birthdays and holiday gifts next year. I had such a great time perusing Amazon for these great toys and games. Thanks for checking out my list and feel free to post any questions or other awesome toy ideas!! Also, don’t forget to “follow” me on my Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and please subscribe to my blog for immediate notice when new blog posts are published.
OT Katie Yoon 