Toy Spiel

Every year I get asked for toy and gift recommendations from clients. They are mostly looking for what toys will make their children a genius or something (um, so obviously, we still have work to do). But I mean we do talk A LOT about the importance of play, so i'm here for it.  

ANYWAY. I do have lots of thoughts on toys and I do have toy recommendations, so I figured this year I would just write it all out. 

But first, a super super short spiel about toys. 

Let's start by throwing it back to Jean Piaget when he said, “Play is the work of childhood.”
He surely wasn't wrong and all the new brain science that we have now gives him 2 thumbs up for his accuracy. And because play matters, toys matter (okay fine i'll say of course we don't NEED toys, but I mean - they are quite important! And not hard to get). Toys are the tools for that work – and unfortunately they are not all created equal.

We want open ended toys. Basically, the less the toy does, the better (there’s always exceptions, of course). But basically we want toys that kids really have to use their own imagination and creativity (and patience and problem solving) to really do the “work” themselves. And that work is promoting brain development and building important life skills. It really is important, and it really does matter. Toys that have batteries to talk (I especially don't like the ones asking you "educational" questions), make sounds, and light up, are often advertised as educational because that appeals to adults (and for good reason - we want what is best for our kids) but i'm here to say that open ended toys are FAR MORE educational than those ones. And they will probably be played with 100x time more often as well. I mean how many times are we really expecting a child to want to play g. Those toys are there to entertain your child. We want the child to use the toys to entertain themselves

Also, you don’t need many toys. Quality is so much more important than quantity (in fact, even a lot of good quality, open ended toys can be overwhelming to have out all at once). Less is definitely more when it comes to toys (has your child ever played with the one random toy at the doctors office for 40 minutes, but are “bored” at home in a room full of toys?).

Here are some examples of open ended toys that will yield hours of play. Promise.

1.       1. Something that builds. Wooden unit blocks and magnet tiles are my personal favorites. But train tracks, mega blocks/duplo/lego, keva planks (especially as they get older), marble runs and zoob builders are also great options. Endless possibilities for creative expression – plus it’s laying a foundation in math, spatial reasoning and it’s pretty much a science lab. Woof. And you thought they were just playing…

       2. Figures. A safe bet I always suggest is generic animals. (We have the Safari Ltd. toobs and then bigger, Schleich animals). Cars and vehicles or people and characters are open ended and fun, too. What will promote the best play is really dependent on the child. Some kids love animals, others love trains or cars; if you cater to their interests, they will do the rest. (And putting the figures with the building toy pairs better than cheese and crackers). 

AlAlso, in my opinion the more general the figure, the better. We love wooden peg people because they can literally be whatever– it’s really easy to adapt them to whatever is on their mind and their recent experiences, which is how kids play (also painting them is a fun, creative outlet for me). 

I have personal feelings against characters, but I am coming around to them. And they definitely CAN be open ended (they’re just not my preference). I do think some characters are better than others. For example, if your child loves Paw Patrol or Daniel Tiger, those characters MAY promote more play than toys from a specific Disney movie. Paw Patrol is an ongoing show, so each episode the child sees those characters saving the day in a new way, highlighting community helpers and problem-solving. Daniel Tiger is a preschool tiger dealing with lots of different real-life problems and experiences, easily relatable to kids. On the other hand, Belle from Beauty and the Beast has a very specific story. Each time you watch the movie, she does the exact same thing. It takes MORE effort to take a Belle figure and change up her thoughts, adventures and actions than it would a generic person figure. (Note: some kids can definitely have very open-ended play with Belle and other characters. If your child loves and plays with their character toys, great! Some kids do more easily than others.)  But if your child LOVES Tangled but they don’t truly PLAY with their Rapunzel figure, this may be why. They may love Rapunzel, they may even say it’s their favorite toy – but it may not be promoting the play a generic figure would. They may have a harder time moving from the Tangled storyline (and even though kids love and need repetition, nobody wants to act out Tangled every single day). Also Rapunzel won’t be there favorite forever – the more generic, the more it can be and the longer it will last. 

3.       3. Somewhere to “do” small world play. Like a dollhouse, treehouse or barn, for example. (Looking at you, 1990’s Fisher Price Loving Family Dollhouse – that was my jam as a kid!)
This one is especially fun if figure play is your child’s thing. It’s a “home base” for play. Some other examples include Fisher Price Little People, Calico Critters or Lil Woodzeez.

 Another way to do this is to provide a more “loose parts” approach. Collect things for your child to put together to make small worlds or environments themselves. Wooden or bottlebrush trees, a wooden rainbow, play silks/fabric, felt pieces, tree blocks, logs/sticks, wood pieces (rings, chips), etc. I found some large wooden circles at Hobby Lobby and painted one brown, one blue, one yellow – and they have been turned into “habitats” for the animals (natural sorting!) and have also been used with the blocks to make a “Tortuga” for the Kratt brothers to get to the animals safely and quickly. The wooden blocks, wooden rainbow and semi circles have created many dollhouses for the peg dolls. It adds an extra fun and beneficial element to the building/figure play.

4.       4. Something to Promote Pretend Play. Dolls or stuffed animals, a doctor kit, play food and dishes, etc. These provide opportunities to “try” different roles and act out situations from their everyday life– such rich social emotional learning takes place. Dress up costumes are another GREAT one. Firefighters, police officers, knights and kings, hair dressers, superheroes, etc. Old Halloween costumes or play silks or even just pieces of fabric are so open ended and can be so, so much! (And again, the more general the better if you want it to last!)

One more thought – less is definitely more. Sometimes when there are too many to choose from, they become more of a collection than something that promotes real, deep play. (If you don’t want to get rid of toys that are still loved, but find this to be a problem, look into toy rotation). 
(For instance, toy food can be fun and promote real play. But how much do we need? (there is not a right or wrong answer as all children are different). Having too much can definitely get in the way of play and creativity. Playing with toys is messy and that's often a good thing, but there is definitely a point where it's too much. When that point is reached, play will be hindered. What other toys could be repurposed as pretend food when needed (we have shape sorting rings that are donuts, pancakes, cookies, etc. and other wooden loose parts are great fillers for pastas and salads). That kind on-the-spot-creativity is great for brains! And just like that, open ended toys are like the gift that keeps on giving. 
 Another example is toy figures. We do have a bin of Disney characters but they don’t get a lot of play – for both of the reasons stated above. One, because there are so many it’s overwhelming when they get dumped out so it's not conducive to real play. And two, because it’s harder to look past their story lines to do small world play with them. That said, they do dump them out and sort them by movie, and they have definitely built Disneyland and other “homes” for them with blocks or magnet tiles – with separate houses or floors for heroes, villains, sidekicks, animals, etc. And they are fun to use in activities (letter sounds especially!)). But they are not chosen nearly as much as the more generic items. 

I'm not here to demonize toys. What works for one child may not for another. We all have different personalities and interests. But there's some things to consider when buying gifts this year. 

Woof. That was a lot of talk about toys. 

But wait, there's more!

With Christmas on so many people’s minds, here is another list of categories. This one is “non-toy-but-also-really-fun-and-promotes-hours-of-play-and-learning” items.

1.       1. Art Supplies: construction paper, tempera paint sticks, watercolors and STICKERS are my personal favorites. But of course crayons, markers, pipe cleaners and beads (and so many others!) are great, too.

2.       2. Sensory Materials: SENSORY BINS AND PLAYDOUGH ARE LIFE. Guys. I have such strong feelings about this one, it’s a little alarming. I'll maybe be back with more sensory-bins-are-everything words; but for now, get a small tote with a lid at Walmart or Target and fill it with dry beans, rice, oats, flour, rocks, even just water – then add some scoops (and other small toys/loose parts if you want to (small animals or construction trucks, glass gems, sticks, etc)) and… boom! Watch and be amazed.  Also playdough – put together a “kit” (again just the dough and animals would be enough – but you can go as simple or complex as you want). Then there's Kinetic sand? Water beads? Mad Matter? All the best. (Combine a sensory material with your small world play and your mind will be blown!)

3.       3. Books: I don't even know where to begin, so let's just keep it simple. Usborne Lift the flaps and Flashlight books are so fun, as is the “Big Book of “series by Yuval Zimmer. All of which are nonfiction. Nonfiction can be so fun for this age! For picture books, we love everything by Julia Donaldson and Chris Van Dusen (and a million other people!)  If you want more book recs, I’m here for it. Books are a great gift! 

4.       4. Games!!! I mean, how could I not? Games are my very favorite. Some littles are not into games and that is a-okay! But some are.
For super littles ones we love Seek a Boo and ThinkFun Roll and Play
For the older toddlers anything by Peaceable Kingdom (Hoot Owl Hoot, Feed the Woozle, etc.), Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Frankie's Food Truck Fiasco,  Pop the Pig, Hiss, or Yeti in My Spaghetti.
For preschoolers, Outfoxed all the way! Also anything from Peaceable Kingdom (Hoot Owl Hoot, Race to the Treasure), Sequence for Kids, My First Castle Panic or a Story Telling Game (we love Eeboo’s Lion in My Way and the Fairytale Spinner Game, as well as Tall Tales – (which does have lots of little figures, so go for the one of the others one’s if you’re not into that)).
For next level up: Sleeping Queens, Sum Swamp, Guess Who, Dragonwood.
We have so many more young children's games (haha), but there's a good start! 

5."Activity-Esque:” This one I am adding especially for those toddlers. Toddlers love a good 

6. Gross Motor Play: Balls, small or large trampoline, balance beam, gymnastics mat, Nugget, sports equipment, skip-it (you guys, it's still a thing!) basically anything that makes you want to move your body. 

5.     7. Subscriptions: Who doesn’t love getting things in the mail? Most of these may be more suited for the kids on the older end (4-7 year olds) of the spectrum. There are so many awesome subscriptions out there.
Some are letters such as: Writings from the Wild (written from the perspective of an animal), Letters From Afar (written by fictional Isabelle who travels the country and writes of her adventures – also the illustrations are beautiful!), Francis the Goat (animals), Charm Post (geography with a mythical/magical emphasis) Miss Maisy's Tasty Travels (geography with recipes!), Polar Pen Pal (geography and culture of the Arctic) Wild Child Chronicles. There is also Post From the Past and Heritage Letter which are history letters that may be better suited for Elementary students. I'm sure there are even more now, too!
Some are Magazines: Nat Geo Kids, Zoo Books or Highlights.
But there are also so many activity boxes such as: baking subscriptions (opening a new recipe and ingredients each month), Universal Yums (open snacks and treats from a new country each month), Little Passports (another geography one with lots of activities and information from a new country each month).
Another activity box with so many options is Kiwi co. They have different boxes for different ages (from birth to teenagers – and even some I know adults get for themselves haha). They are STEM inspired but have different themes, like tinker, maker, doodle, etc. The ones for the under 5 crowd have Montessori type toys that encourage problem solving and exploration.
Similarly, LoveEvery is a subscription just for babies and toddlers. They send Montessori-inspired toys for your youngest ones every quarter. 
(You could also create your own subscriptions to gift with books, games, etc). 

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