We are back for Round 2 of our Holiday Shopping Guide! Today's all about the toddlers. Sure, they sometimes come with tantrums, but this age group is also so fun developmentally. This age group has so many new skills that begin to emerge. Here are some great toys for little ones in this age group:
Fisher-Price Little People 50th Anniversary Play ‘n Go Farm
This is another classic toy that helps children learn early vocabulary, prepositions (in/out, up/down, etc.) and provides opportunities for pretend play. This classic version does not make nosies, which gives children opportunities to make animal sounds on their own (and helps parents keep their sanity :)! Remember, when it comes to language development, sometimes having an opportunity to take initiative and vocalize independently is a positive thing!
Best for Ages: 1 year +
Skills Addressed:
prepositions
identification
object permanence
cooperative and turn taking play
Where to Buy: Here at Target
Think and Roll Board Game
This game’s soft game cube makes it a perfect choice for toddlers. Kids roll the cube, find a game card that matches the color they rolled, and then perform the action that’s listed on the card. Great for teaching about colors, emotions, body parts, movement, and a lot more!
Best for Ages: 18 months and up
Skills Addressed:
Following directions
Body Awareness
Identification
Turn Taking
Where to buy: Find it here, on Amazon
Wooden Knob Puzzles
Puzzles with big wooden knobs make great first puzzles for toddlers. The knobs are easy for to grasp and the pieces are larger than other puzzles, making placement easier. You can find a lot of varieties, but this shapes puzzle from Melissa and Doug is a great one! It works on basic colors and shapes, in addition to developing fine motor skills!
Best for ages: 12 - 24 months
Skills addressed:
fine motor
shape and color identification
grasping
hand eye coordination
visual perceptual
matching
Where to buy: here on Amazon.
Mega Bloks
Who doesn't love to build a good tower? Blocks are great for so many things: pretned play, fine motor skills, visual motor skills, and even hand strength! We love Mega Bloks because the size makes pushing and pulling the blocks together easier for little hands. Bloks are also great for practicing releasing objects into a container. You can even sort by color or size to work on identification skills!
Best for ages: 1 - 4 years
Skills addressed:
fine motor
grasping/releasing
bilateral coordination
pretend play
visual motor
eye hand coordination
color and size identification
Where to buy: here on Amazon.
Wishbone 3 in 1 Original Bike
This amazing product is a little pricier than other items on our list, but it is able to transition with your child through many stages of development. It is able to transform from a baby walker into a push tricycle and then into a small or large balance bike! What more could a kid (or a parent)?
Best for ages: 1-5 years
Skills Addressed:
gross motor skills
motor planning
bilateral coordination
balance
Where to buy: Find it here, on Amazon
Mr. Potato Head
This is a classic toy that appeals to pre-school age children and remains fun even for older kids. It provides great opportunities to learn and use early vocabulary words including body parts, clothing, prepositions (in/out, top/bottom, left/right, front/back, etc.), pronouns (Mrs. Potato Head is great too!) and colors. This toy also provides opportunities to practice turn-taking skills, discuss facial expressions, practice requesting, and reinforce correct facial orientation. Older children might enjoy adding pieces to the collection, such as branching out into occupations or characters (Darth Tater is a popular choice).
Best for Ages: 2 years +
Skills Addressed:
body awareness
fine motor skills
prepositions
vocabulary
turn taking
requesting
hand strength
Where to buy: Here on Target.com
Rody
Kids have so much fun with these! A great spin on the hippity hop, Rody helps to encourage balance, coordination and motor planning. Rody comes in so many different colors, you'll be able to pick out your little ones favorite!
Best for Ages: 24 months - 4 years
Skills addressed:
Motor planning
Balance
Coordination
Where to buy: here on Amazon
Wooden lacing beads
Wooden beads are such a classic and simple toy, but they are great for developing so many skills. Wooden beads come in so many different shapes, colors and themes, it should be easy to find some that match your child's interests! Lacing the beads helps to develop fine motor, bilateral coordination, hand eye coordination, and manual dexterity skills. Beads can also be used with sorting and matching activities to help with identification. For added fun, hide your beads in a sensory bin for some fun tactile exploration and visual perceptual skills.
Best for ages: 2 - 5 years
Skills addressed:
fine motor
hand eye coordination
bilateral coordination
manual dexterity
sorting
matching
visual perceptual
Where to buy: here on Amazon.
You can find our recommendations for babies on yesterday's blog post here. Be sure to check in the rest of the week for other age groups, and don't forget to share our posts with your friends for a change to win a $20 dift card!