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Stumped by what toys are best for your child? My developmental toy guide outlines the best toys to support your child’s growth and learning at every stage.
As a parent, selecting the right toys for your child can feel overwhelming with the endless options available. Toys are more than just entertainment—they play a crucial role in supporting your child’s growth and learning at every stage.
That’s why I’ve created the toy guide that I wish I had as a new mom. I’ve broken each section down by age group and included what your child is learning, how toys support that development, and recommended a few highly rated toys that we love (or are on our list)!
0-6 Months: Sensory Exploration
At this stage, babies are tiny explorers using their senses to figure out the world. They start tracking objects with their eyes, recognizing faces, and experimenting with movement.
What They’re Learning:
- Recognizing faces, shapes, and colors
- Strengthening neck and core muscles during tummy time
- Exploring textures and sounds
Toy Suggestions:
- High-contrast cards to stimulate vision
- Play gym and tummy time mats with mirrors or crinkle fabric to encourage movement
- Rattles or musical mobiles to trigger auditory processing and hand-eye coordination
- Silicone teethers that are colorful and easy to grasp
>> Remember to avoid small parts and ensure fabric toys are washable and BPA-free for when toys end up in little mouths.
0-6 Month Toy Recommendations
6-12 Months: Ready to Move and Discover
Around this time, babies start sitting, crawling, and pulling up. Their curiosity increases as they explore their environment and understand basic cause and effect.
What They’re Learning:
- Fine motor skills, like grabbing and manipulating objects
- Object permanence (“Where did the ball go?”)
- Communication through babbling and gestures
Great Toy Ideas:
- Stacking rings, cups, or soft blocks
- Bead maze or activity centers with buttons, lights, and sounds
- Tissue box or object permanence box with ball drop, pegs, and coin bank
- Sensory balls or ball ramp
- Peek-a-boo toys or fabric books with flaps
>> Try incorporating games like rolling a ball back and forth or playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake at this age!
6-12 Month Toy Recommendations
1 Year: On the Move and Problem Solving
Your one-year-old is officially mobile! Walking, pointing, and discovering their independence, they thrive on problem-solving and imitation.
What They’re Learning:
- Problem-solving and memory through trial and error
- Basic language development (words and gestures)
- Hand-eye coordination
- Social interactions and imitation
Great Toy Ideas:
- Push-and-pull toys
- Shape sorters or peg puzzles
- Car ramp or push-and-go cars
- Building sets like Duplo or large magnetic builders
- Play kitchens or toolsets for imaginative play
>> Opt for open-ended toys that grow with your child or that they can use in new ways as they get older.
1 Year Old Toy Recommendations
2 Years: Creative Play Takes Off
Two-year-olds love imaginative play. They’re perfecting their motor skills and learning to express themselves in creative ways.
What They’re Learning:
- Pretend play, which builds problem-solving and social-emotional skills
- Gross motor coordination (jumping, climbing)
- Early math concepts, like sorting and counting
Great Toy Ideas:
- Play kitchens, food sets, doll sets, and doctor kits
- Blocks and construction toys
- Shape and color sorters and puzzles
- Ride-on toys and push carts
- Art supplies and musical instruments
- Learning toys with buttons, lights, and sounds that introduce numbers, letters, or animal names
- Water tables and sandboxes for outdoor play
Remember: Keep toys durable and easy to clean. Toddlers explore with gusto, and their toys take a beating!
2 Year Old Toy Recommendations
Coming soon
3-4 Years: Social Play and Storytelling
Preschoolers dive headfirst into imaginative worlds. They’re also mastering cooperation, language, and storytelling.
What They’re Learning:
- Social skills like sharing and turn-taking
- Fine motor control for writing and drawing
- Storytelling and language development
Great Toy Ideas:
- Pretend play sets, like farms, doctor kits, or puppets
- Craft kits with washable markers, paints, and modeling clay
- Building sets like Duplo/legos or magnetic tiles for problem-solving
- Costumes and dress-up clothes
- More complex building blocks and magnetic tiles
- Puzzles with 8-12 pieces and simple STEM toys
- Simple board games like memory-matching games
- Counting and sorting toys with numbers, shapes, or colors that encourage matching or sequencing skills.
Parent Tip: Engage in their pretend worlds. Role-playing with your child helps strengthen their communication skills and emotional intelligence.
3-4 Years Old Toy Recommendations
Coming soon
5-6 Years: Problem-Solvers and Adventurers
By kindergarten, kids are thinkers and creators. They love challenges that test their budding critical thinking skills.
What They’re Learning:
- Cooperative play and teamwork
- Literacy and number recognition
- Strategic thinking and planning
Great Toy Ideas:
- Board games like Candyland or memory games
- STEM toys like beginner robotics or simple coding kits
- Art supplies, from watercolors to modeling clay
Pro Parenting Tip: This is a great time to encourage outdoor play. Toys like jump ropes, hula hoops, or kid-sized sports equipment help kids build physical skills while socializing.
5-6 Years Old Toy Recommendations
Coming soon
