How to Choose the Right Toys: Choosing Toys That Inspire Play and Learning

Toys are an essential part of childhood. Whether homemade or storebought, secondhand or brand new, toys do more than entertain–they help kids grow.

Think about some of your favorite toys as a child. How many hours did you spend engaged in building, imagining, and adventuring with those toys?

You may not have realized it, but connecting those tiny plastic bricks helped you learn reasoning skills. Caring for your virtual pet taught you responsibility and cause and effect. And finishing your first 100 piece puzzle made you into the great problem-solver and goal-setter that you are today.

Now you have the chance to provide those opportunities for the kid or kids in your life!

That’s why finding the right ones is so important. I hope this guide can help you discover how to shop for the right toys and build a toybox that will engage your child and extend playtime while helping your child to learn and grow.

How Toys Can Help or Hinder Playtime

Play is how children of all ages develop new skills both in how their brains think and in how their bodies move.

For a child, playing is learning.

Good toys can provide opportunities for kids to:

• grow self-confidence
• acquire vocabulary
• increase attention spans,
• stretch their imaginations
• develop skills needed later in life

Bad toys do not.

Bad toys litter floors and overrun yard sales. Bad toys sing and flash without inspiring. Bad toys get used once.

So how do you know which toys are good and which toys are bad?

Good vs. Bad Toys

If it sounds like we’re about to discuss the moral dilemma of the inherent goodness of toys… don’t worry, that’s not a thing. (I hope.)

Any toy can be a good toy for a child if it inspires learning, exploration, or discovery.

Great toys, however, have certain characteristics that lend themselves to create those opportunities more easily with the added benefit of being able to be played with in new, or open-ended ways.

But there are SO many good toys out there. My head is spinning just thinking of the sheer volume of toy options at the store and online.

I was overwhelmed, until I started thinking differently.

Buy Toys the Same Way You Buy Clothes

So, now that my husband and I have matured (some) and entered more of a professional stage of life, we started buying different clothes. As you may know, it’s difficult and extremely expensive to buy an entire wardrobe at once.

So we started out by getting some “staple” garments that could be used in multiple ways, you know, dark slacks, neutral shirts, black and tan shoes, etc. Once we had these pieces as the foundation, we knew we could wear them in all sorts of combinations, add other pieces as we were able, and they would all work well together.

And that’s when it came to me, “what if we bought toys the same way we buy clothes?”

Instead of just getting the most popular toy of the season, I decided to intentionally seek out different types of toys that would entertain and engage my kids, and not just for a season, but all year round. These toys would be the foundation of all the other toys that we would buy.

This Complete Guide Covers:

• Foundational Toys
• Characteristics of a Great Toy
• Toys by Age and Developmental Stage
• Safety Considerations

Foundational Toys

I believe there are some types of toys that all children will love regardless of age or gender. I call these foundational toys. They should be the first toys that you get, and they lay the foundation for so many different kinds of play for years to come.

Foundational toys should be:

• durable, and made made of high quality materials when possible
• played with again and again for years
• toys that never go out of style because they are not based on a fad!

I’ve come up with six categories of foundational toys. Each category addresses a key developmental process that kids go through.

Having a toy from each category allows your child to work on different skills as they become interested.

These are not the only toys that fit into these categories, but they are great options if you’re searching for ideas.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you buy through our links, we could earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only discuss products we love and think you’ll love, too. We’re glad you’re here and hope you enjoy!

1. Building/Construction Toy

Building type toys have been around forever, and for good reason. They don’t go out of style. Even the classic building toys you grew up with will still be loved by kids today. Kids desire to build and stack, knock it all over, and start again! Building toys will stretch your child’s imagination while working on fine motor skills needed to stack and fit pieces together.

These toys also can be used in combination with other toys. Build homes for stuffed animals or animal figures out of blocks. Construct bridges to cross treacherous rivers and large castles with towers for knights and princesses to live. The options are truly endless.

That’s why a good set of building toys is an essential first toy. Just make sure the kind you get is appropriate for your kid’s age because some of them come with small parts. Here are some of our guides to help.

Classic Building Toys Kids Will Still Love Today
Best Building Toys for Babies and Toddlers

2. Doll/Stuffed Animal to Act Out Play with

Toys can be friends as well as teachers. Dolls and stuffed animals help kids explore and learn about their world, and they are often the chosen travel companions on all of life’s adventures.

You can also use dolls and stuffed animals to teach your child how to interact with a newborn sibling, how to share with friends, or even how to communicate personal feelings through how a doll or stuffed animal “feels.”

Our doll and stuffed animal guide can walk you through several options.

3. Musical Toys

Listening to music together is a great way to have fun with your child. My family loves to turn up the volume on our bluetooth speaker as we dance and laugh together. 

However, there is a difference between musical toys and toys that make sounds. (Sidenote: the Harman Kardon bluetooth speaker we bought 3 years ago continues to be one of the best purchases we have every made.) 

Generally, I can’t stand toys that make noise, because I find them, as a parent, so utterly annoying. And for the most part, these kinds of toys are not very good options.

That being said, I do love toys that kids can use to create music and learn a cause and effect relationship between pressing or striking an object and the sound it creates. Music and instrumentation has also been shown to stimulate brain development and enrich lives.

I want all music and sound to be intentional, however. I strongly discourage toys that make noises on their own, even without being touched. We have lots of musical toys that we love and that help our daughters be creative and learn to love music. Musical toys do NOT have to be annoying to teach your kids about music!

4. Real-Life Toys

Imitation is a key part of language and social development, so it’s no surprise that children are master imitators. It all starts when baby begins to mimic expressions, and continues as toddler copies Mommy putting her contacts on.

They learn how to act, good and bad, and do many things by imitating others. And they love doing it! (It’s also why we have to be careful of everything we say and do because it will inevitably be repeated at the worst possible time!)

Real-life toys, or toys that imitate the things found in real life, are perfect for kids because they get the opportunity to practice what they’ve observed in a safe and appropriate way.

When they see Mommy or Daddy cooking or working, they want to join in the fun and “help.” Any time my husband gets out his tools to assemble our latest IKEA purchase, it doesn’t take long for our 2-year-old to come running in the room with her wooden tool set to “help” Daddy.

Real-life toys will give a young child a sense of independence as they pretend to do grown-up things. Moms and dads will get a sense of peace (and relief!) as they see their child do these grown-up things safely and independently.

Here are some real-life toys we love!

5 Best Real-Life Kitchen and Food Toys

5. Gross Motor Toys

In an era where screens dominate, gross motor toys are becoming all the more important. Gross motor simply means that it involves big muscles and large movements such as walking, crawling, running, swinging, etc.

Gross motor skills pave the way for fine motor skill development. When a child can has the gross motor skills needed to sit, then she can work on the fine motor skill of holding a crayon. Other benefits for developing gross motor skills include increased hand-eye coordination, balance, strength, endurance, sensory processing, and body awareness.

Periods of physical activity help kids (and adults!) pay better attention and be more alert. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends kids get 60-minutes of physical activity every day.

With all of these benefits to gain, be sure to get some toys that encourage your child to keep moving!

6. Puzzle Toys

When it comes to building fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem solving skills, puzzles are hard to beat. This category includes more than just traditional jigsaw puzzles. Babies will benefit from simple in-and-out toys such as this fun Fill and Spill toy.

Toddlers will work on shape recognition, memory, and attentiveness in addition to the skills above just to complete a puzzle. As your child’s ability grows, so can the complexity and type of the puzzle, so puzzles remain challenging and rewarding.

I like the puzzles where the pieces can also be played with as standalone figures, like this sea creature puzzle that our daughter has been playing with for over a year!

She first loved naming all the sea creatures and playing with them outside of the confines of the puzzle board. However, she did and continues to get the greatest satisfaction from hearing the “click” of a correctly placed wooden piece sliding into place.

Check out the Best Puzzle and Problem-Solving Toys post for more.

Beyond Foundational Toys

If you have most or all types of the foundational toys already, where do you go from there? We mentioned one of the great things about  foundational toys is that they can be used in many ways and with lots of different kinds of toys.

If you want to ALWAYS be able to pick out the perfect gift for any child, take a look at the characteristics of a great toy!

Characteristics of a Great Toy

When thinking about getting a new toy, first think about what your child already has, and determine whether the newcomer is adding any value to the toybox.

Maybe you’re a grandparent, or uncle, or aunt, or neighbor (you get the idea), and you’re looking to buy a toy for a child, but you don’t know what toys they already have. As long as the toy meets some of the following characteristics, it should make a great gift for little Leroy.

We believe the best toys are those that fall into at least two (and usually more) of the following categories.

1. Toys Should be Durable

I put this one first, because if I am going to buy something, I don’t care about how amazing it is, and it could even check every other box on this list, but if it can only be used once before it breaks, it’s not worth it.

This is why I prefer toys to be made of solid, natural materials when possible. Now there are plenty of fun, safe, and great toys made of plastic, but if given the option, I would recommend the most long-lasting version.

Examples: Solid wood blocks, wooden animal sets, Tonka trucks

2. Toys Should Have Great Value

If you can’t afford a toy, you shouldn’t buy it. If you have to put it on a credit card to afford it, you shouldn’t buy it. That does not mean you should buy the cheapest toys, however. I’m talking about value. Take these stacking animals for example.

When we first got this Wooden Wonders Balancing Animals set for our daughter, we would just pull out the wooden figures and name all the animals. Then as our daughter learned the sounds the animals made, we added that to our play. 

A few months later she started really enjoying sorting the animals. Then we used little boxes to make homes for the animals to play in. Fast forward another couple of months and she began getting pretty good at stacking and balancing, so we would stack these animals on top of each other as the original game was intended.

Now these animals were a little bit more expensive than a plastic version would have been.

But considering the amount of different ways we were able to use the toys, they have had incredible value to us, and they still somehow look new.

Examples: Wood animal sets, magnetic building tiles, wooden food sets, durable building sets

3. Toys Should Be Able to Be Used in Multiple Ways

Toys that actually get played with are the ones that can be used in different ways depending on the situation. Choose open-ended toys that inspire creativity. You can think about this as toys that will grow with your toddler into childhood.

I think we’ve all had the experience of getting a toy that was fun for a day and then just kind of “lost it’s shine.” When you thoughtfully choose the right toys, revisiting previously loved toys after your child has gained new skills will often spark an entirely different way to play with it. It’s been so much fun to watch our toddler play with toys that were put away for a time and see what she does with them!

Examples: Wooden toy set, dolls and stuffed animals, cars and trains, durable building sets, wooden puzzles with removable pieces (without knobs)

4. Toys Should Encourage Problem-Solving

Play allows kids to learn and practice new skills over and over again. Toys that give kids a chance to figure something out on their own, or with a bit of help from you, really will build their problem-solving skills, self-confidence and help them to become logical thinkers.

These toys often help to develop fine motor skills, cause and effect relationships, and understand how things fit together as well. These toys should be challenging without becoming too frustrating.

Examples: Puzzles, shape sorters, play-dough, nesting dolls or cups

5. Toys Should Inspire Creativity and Imagination

Toys that allow kids to view the world in new ways should be a welcome addition to the toybox. Around 2 years old, your toddler might be able to pretend a yellow block is actually a chunk of cheese or a wooden circle is a cookie.

Around 3 years old, your child’s imagination will begin to soar. They will be able to make up their own stories and take on the role of another, such as a knight, or a doctor, or a princess. Look for toys that your child can use to act out their stories and nurture their imagination.

Examples: Dress-up clothing, occupation accessories (toy stethoscope, police badge, flashlight), dolls and stuffed animals, action figures, play kitchens, wooden food sets

6. Toys Should Help Kids Develop Vocabulary and Language Skills

One of the best ways to build new vocabulary is by showing multiple examples of the new word. If you’re working on color words, for example, choose toys that are colorful or that can be sorted by color and as you play with these with your child, talk about color! Or you might be ready to start teaching letters. Do an alphabet puzzle together! Choose toys that develop vocabulary and language skills.

Examples: foam floor mat with letters, animal figurines, play food, dress up dolls

7. Toys Should Encourage Physical Activity

Young kids love showing off how fast they can run, how high they can jump, how far they can roll, and so on! These activities help to develop gross motor skills as well as boost self-confidence and give a healthy sense of achievement. Look for toys that encourage your child to master their current physical skills and develop new ones.

Examples: All kinds of balls, tricycles, bicycles, scooters, swingsets, bouncers

8. Toys Should Encourage Cross-Generational Play (Adults and Kids Together)

Although adults are able to “play” with most toys, some toys are more geared toward playing together as a family. Older toddlers will begin to be able to play simple board games which do not require a lot of reading to understand. A couple classics come to mind right away in Candyland and Chutes and Ladders.

You could also play parachute like you may have in gym class with this parachute or you could make your own by using a bedsheet. (See our post on how we had a blast with a bedsheet parachute.)

These types of games help develop logical thinking, rule following, and help kids understand and deal with “winning” and “losing.”

Examples: Simple board games, wooden stacking animal set, parachute

Summary Checklist: Questions to Ask Before Buying a Toy

1. Is it durable? Will it stand up to years of play?
2. Does the toy provide good value in terms of cost and longevity?
3. Can it be used in more than one way?
4. Will this toy encourage problem-solving? Will it be challenging, yet not frustrating?
5. Does this toy stimulate creativity and imagination?
6. Will this toy assist in developing vocabulary and language skills?Will it stimulate learning?
7. Does it encourage my child to be active?
8. Would I want to and be able to play this with my child? Will this help our family play together?

Toys By Age and Developmental Stage

We’ve gone through foundational toys and the characteristics to look for in good toys, but I know sometimes it’s nice to look at what toys are appropriate by age. The links to shop are by no means comprehensive, but are there to give you a starting point.

Young Infants (0-6 months)

Look for toys your infant can reach for, grab, shake, and put in their mouths. Their eyes are drawn to bright and primary colored items and people’s faces. They are fascinated by what their hands and feet can do, and they’ll turn their heads in an attempt to find the object making sounds, and actively try to put everything in their mouths.

Best toys for young infants (0-6 months):

• Rattles
• Soft books: Black and white pictures are easiest for newborns to see; touch-and-feel books are great for 4-month-olds!
• Linking rings: For hanging things from the play gym or side of the crib; our youngest loves playing with the rattle hung with the linking rings
• Teething toys: Sophie the Giraffe is a squeaky fun classic!
• Crinkle paper: Pop it in your purse for easy entertaining
• Textured balls
• Unbreakable mirrors: to make tummy time a little more bearable
• Play gyms: This one’s gotten rave reviews and will get played with beyond 6 months!

Older Infants (7-12 months)

This is the time babies start to crawl and scoot around, pull themselves up, and even begin to walk. They can recognize some words and may be able to identify body parts. They can intentionally take objects and put them in containers and take them back out.

Best toys for older infants (7-12 months):

• Baby dolls or stuffed animals
• Toys that roll
• Water and bath-time toys: Please AVOID bath toys with holes where water can get trapped and cause mold to grow!
• Nesting toys: There’s a ton of ways to play with these!
• Balls
• Walkers and other push and pull toys: Our toddler still wants to take this out to walk with it!
• Board books
• Large soft blocks: Use these to teach color names too!
• Toys with recorded songs: This was our getting-in-the-carseat toy; the only one that would make her stop crying!
• Activity cubes: There are 6 different sides to play with!

1-Year-Olds

One-year-olds are definitely on the go now. They are learning to walk more steadily during this year and can even start climbing some stairs. They enjoy listening to stories and naming known animals, colors and anything else they know how to say. They normally play next to other children, but usually do not interact with other kids when playing.

Best toys for 1-year-olds:

• Board books: Lift-the-flap board books are great for curious minds!
• Toys that play songs to sing and dance to: I like Fisher-Price because they make the least annoying songs 😉 This one has cute songs, though our toddler won’t stop saying that she doesn’t have a tail when instructed to “Wag your tail!”
• Baby dolls and stuffed animals: I get teary seeing my baby cuddle her baby doll 🙂
• Wooden blocks
• Large simple wooden puzzles
• Large and small balls
• Wooden vehicles
• Animal figures
• Push and pull toys
• Toys with parts that do things (switches, knobs, levers, dials): Busy boards or busy baskets are great for this age as well

2-Year-Olds

A toddler’s language development is rapidly progressing at this age. They can normally accurately describe colors and shapes and may be able to recognize numbers and letters by name at this point. They have improved control over their hands and fingers and like to do things with small objects.

Best toys for 2-year-olds:

• Wooden puzzles (4-12 pieces)
• Wooden train set
• Wooden blocks and magnetic tiles
• Things they can sort by color: These bees are so cute! Great for fine motor and learning color names.
• Balance bikes and other ride on equipment like the Wheely Bug (tricycles better at age 3+): Don’t forget your helmet!
• Picture books with more detailed illustrations and stories
• Pounding and hammering toys
• Dress up clothes

3-6-year-olds (preschoolers and kindergarteners)

Preschoolers and kindergartners have a more developed language than toddlers, and they like to talk and ask questions. The have longer attention spans and can solve more difficult challenges. They really like explore their physical abilities and work on their growing motor skills. They love playing games now, but hate to lose!

Best toys for 3-6-year-olds:

• Puzzles with 12-20+ pieces
• Wooden blocks and magnetic tiles in larger quantities to build larger structures: Pick a block system and expand it!
• Objects to sort by size and color
• Realistic animals or doll house with figurines
• Bicycles and tricycles
• Play instruments like xylophones, maracas, tambourines, and can even start playing piano and other real instruments

General Toy Safety Guidelines

As with all objects for young children, remember some basic toy safety guidelines.

• Make sure toys do not have any sharp parts or splinters in wooden toys.
• Painted toys should be painted with non-toxic, lead-free paint.
• Toys should be able to be easily cleaned and disinfected when necessary.
• Electric toys should be “UL Approved.” Be sure to check the label!
• For children under 3, make sure there are no small parts that could become lodged in a child’s throat.
• Be sure to routinely check and remove damaged toys as they can become dangerous if not in good repair.
• You can check for a list of toys that have been recalled by visiting www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/
• You can call the CPSC at 800-638-CPSC to report a toy you believe is unsafe.
• Always err on the side of caution if you believe a toy may be unsafe and do not allow your child to play with it.
• Plastic bags and wrap may cause suffocation and should be removed from shipping and packaging materials before allowing a child to play with the toy.

Resources
CDC on Physical Activity

The Importance of Gross Motor Development in Early Childhood by Peaceful Valley Montessori Academy

Why Puzzles Are Good for Your Child’s Development by Child Development Institute

AAP Tips for Media Use for Children

Why Mimicry is Important for Your Toddler and How to Use It