The best toddler toy for the child depends on their age. The toddler has varying motor skills, and the toy needs to be designed to match the child’s skill level.
Always check toy labels for the recommended ages! Some of the toys displayed on the shopping pages are not appropriate–please read the recommendations listed beside the toys or on the package.
Occasion: Birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Get Well, Valentine’s Day, Easter
(about 1 1/2 years)
The child likes to be on the move and enjoys toys he can push and pull. She likes to mimic what adults around him/her are doing. The child likes toys he/she can manipulate.
Active toys
Vtech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker -9 mos to 2 years
Push/pull toys
push toys with handles
Pull toys (for steady walkers)
Trains, trucks, and cars (large-sized for small hands)
Ride-on toys
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe
From about 1 1/2 years
Wagon (low, open, and child can fit into)
A small rocking horse (handle rather than reins, knee height)
Ride-on toys propelled by feet (four or more wheels and non-electric)
Outside toys
Tunnels
Balls
Large balls ( 1 3/4″ minimum. Do not buy anything they can easily fit into child’s mouth )
Manipulative Play
First Builders Big Building Bag
Lightweight stacking blocks (15 to 25 pieces)
Solid wood blocks (check out the recommended ages)
Large hollow blocks
Large plastic blocks
Nesting cups (round with few pieces. At 1 1/2 years, can use other shapes)
Stacking toys and rings
LeapFrog LeapBuilders ABC Smart House – Insert the 20 double-sided learning blocks into the interactive Smart Star to hear sounds and phrases that introduce letters and numbers. 2+
Pop-up toys (operated by pushing a button or knob)
Puzzles (3 to 5 pieces with knobs)
Snap beads
Stringing beads (large beads–at least 1 3/4″ or bigger if the child can put easily into his mouth. Fewer than 10)
Number counting board (1 1/2 years or older. 1-5 with large pegs)
Pounding/hammering toys
Shape sorters
Disney Minnie Mouse Inflatable Playland Ballpit – 6 mos to 24 mos
Make Belief
Toy phones
Play tools (hammer, drill, pliers)
Dolls (soft body or all rubber. No hair or moving eyes or limbs. 5-6 inches.)
Doll accessories (bottle, blanket)
Simple doll carriages
Stuffed toys (Watch for choking hazards–no bows, bells, buttons, whiskers. Very soft with thin limbs. Check out age recommendations)
Simple housekeeping toys for 1-3 years
Cooking tools for 1-3 years
Manufacturers
Dora, Sesame Street, Barney, and Blue Clues items for 1-3-year-olds.
Fisher-Price toys for 1-3 years
Playskool toys for 1-3 years
VTech toys for 1-3 years
Sand and Water Toys
Simple floating toys
Small pail and shovel
Sponges
Older than 1 1/2 years:
nesting tub toys
funnels
colanders
Learning Resources Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog -18 mos+
Toddler toys that play music
Cymbals
Drum
Xylophone
Rhythmic toys (make noise when shaken)
CDs
Nursery rhymes
Lullabies
Rhythmic children’s songs
Toddler videos
“Barney” series
“Winnie the Pooh”
“Beauty and the Beast”
“Arthur” series
“Giggle bugs”
“Baby Songs”
“Thomas the Tank Engine”
Toddler books for 1-year-olds
Stiff cardboard
Vinyl
Cloth
One word
Read to a child: (about 18 mos.)
“Anybody at Home” by H. A. Rey
“Cat in the Hat Dictionary” by Dr. Seuss
“The Golden Song Book” by Katharine Wessels
“Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown
“Look At Me Now” by Watson, Switzer, & Hirschberg
“Mother Goose”
“The Rooster Crows” by Maud & Miska Petersham
“Chicken Soup and Rice” by Maurice Sendak
“The Runaway Bunny” by Margaret Wise Brown
“Pat the Bunny” by Dorothy Kunhardt
VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Launch and Chase Police Tower -1 to 5 years
Two-year-olds
Always check toy labels for the recommended ages! Two-year-olds prefer action toys. Between 2 1/2 to 3 years has good hand coordination and enjoys playing with small objects.
Active play
As mentioned above, one-year-olds plus
Riding horses
Wagons
Pull toys with strings
Push toys that look like adult equipment-vacuums, mowers, etc.
balls
1-piece rattle & roll cart
about 2 1/2 year
tricycles and other pedal toys
Manipulative play
As mentioned above, one-year-olds plus
Color or picture dominos
Simple lotto matching games
Cubes for lacing, hooking, buttoning, etc.
Make-believe
As mentioned above, one-year-olds plus
Playhouses, farms, etc.
Child size equipment-stoves, refrigerators, workbenches, etc.
Large trucks
Cars with removable figures
Play22 Wooden Train Set 12 PCS – Train Toys Magnetic
Simple trains with simple coupling, no tracks
Simple planes
Outdoors
As mentioned above, one-year-olds plus
Small backyard gym equipment
Sand and Water Play
As mentioned above, one-year-olds plus
Nuby Octopus Hoopla Bathtime Fun Toys -18 mos+
Bathtub activity centers
Creative
Sidewalk chalk
Non-toxic clay
Crayons
Coloring books
Finger paints
CDs
Marches by Sousa
Folk songs by Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger
Baroque music
“Play Your Instrument and Make a Pretty Sound” by Ella Jenkins
YOTTOY Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus Soft Toy -or use it as a pillow. 12 mos+
Toddler books for 2-year-olds
“Let’s Be Enemies”
“A Flower Pot is Not a Hat”
“Are You My Mother?” by P. D. Eastman
“Blueberries for Sal” by Robert McCloskey
“Caps for Sale” by Ezphyr Slobodkina
“The Carrot Seed” by Ruth Kraus
“Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson
“Curious George” Margaret & H. A. Rey
“Harry the Dirty Dog” by Gene Zion
“Play with Me” by Marie Ets
“The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats
“The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter
“There’s a Nightmare in My Closet” by Mercer Mayer
“Who Knows the Little Man” by Walburga Aflenberger
“Corduroy” by Don Freeman
“Noah’s Ark” by Peter Spier
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