When a child is a toddler, he or she turns into a little explorer who learns by doing. By letting them play, they can learn and practice new skills at their own pace, based on what they are interested in. This means that the things and toys that toddlers have access to can have important effects on their development. The best toys for toddlers are those that teach them something and are also fun and interesting. 

It might seem easy to buy toys for toddlers since you can just go to a store or buy them online and have them sent to your house. But if you go to a store or look for toddler toys online, you will find a huge selection. What criteria should you use to determine which one is ideal for your kid? How do you know which ones are good enough to buy? If you’re looking for ideas, you’ve come to the right spot. Here are the top five toys you can buy right now for toddlers.

1. Interactive book

Lift-the-flap books, touch-and-feel books, and other types of hands-on books are all types of interactive books. These books will keep little hands and minds busy for hours. They have sound buttons, flaps that can be lifted, and great textures.

Using interactive books, you can get your preschool-aged kids excited about reading and make story time fun. When kids can do something with a book, they get very excited about it.

With these fun, interactive books, you can make story time more fun for your preschoolers. Interactive picture books are those that ask the reader to do something or interact with the story.

2. Cleaning Toy Set

Even though there’s no way to know for sure that your kids will be able to clean up all messes with these fun toys, cleaning sets allow for real-world play, which Natasha Burgert, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician in South Overland Park, Kansas, says will strengthen their social skills and critical thinking.

With the Kids Cleaning Toys for 2–4 Year Old Boys & Girls, kids can do chores just like Mom and Dad. The cleaning set comes with real tools that work. It helps kids learn to be responsible and boosts their self-esteem. Playing house is a fun way for kids to learn to be creative and take care of themselves.

Hands-on pretend play with the toddler toys play cleaning set helps kids develop fine motor skills, gets them up and moving, and encourages creativity and imagination.

3. Block and Construction Playset

There’s no question that building blocks and other construction toys are a big part of how kids’ minds work. Even though the shapes are simple, there are a lot of ways to put them together, which can keep you busy for hours.

They help kids learn about their world by making copies of the buildings and things they see. The fun keeps going as they make up new stories or act out scenes from their favorite cartoons.

But preschoolers, toddlers, and babies can learn more than just how to be creative. Building things is also good for your child’s brain.

Playing with blocks and building things helps kids improve their focus, sense of space, ability to recognize shapes, problem-solving skills, social skills, and more.

Toy blocks teach kids how to solve problems and learn about the world around them, whether they play alone or with a sibling. During play, kids might ask, “How high can I build the tower before it falls?” or “How can I stop it from falling?” or “What shape block should I use next?” When things don’t go as planned, they’ll use critical thinking to figure out how to make things better.

A child’s toy box isn’t complete without building blocks and construction toys.

4. Sports toys and equipment

Using sports toys and gear is good for kids in a lot of different ways. It builds up good character traits, moral principles, and good values. It helps kids feel physically and mentally good about themselves. Sports are a good way to improve a child’s sense of self-worth and confidence. 

Sports toys encourage children to get outside, move around, and get some fresh air. Most kids today are happy to stay inside and play with technology, play computer games, and watch TV. This means that they don’t get to talk to people outside their homes or get fresh air. 

Studies have shown that kids do better in school if they play sports. When you work out your body, you also work out your brain, which makes you smarter. When kids are active, they burn calories and use up their energy. This helps them stay in shape, avoid becoming overweight, and get rid of toxins in their bodies.

5. Doodling

When kids draw on a blank sheet of paper, their imagination and creativity can go as far as they want. Drawing also helps kids improve their fine motor skills because they learn to control how they hold and move their fingers to show what they want to say.

Around 12 to 18 months, toddlers start to like to scribble because it is fun for their senses, lets them play on their own, and gets them moving. Writing helps with hand-eye coordination, muscle strength, and emotional release. Most of the time, the movements are big, and the child is more interested in making marks than in drawing things.

Encourage your toddler by giving them compliments and asking them about what they are drawing. If you can, get involved in the drawing activity by making shapes with them and building their social skills. Don’t try to turn their art into an object or pattern. Instead, let it be a pretty page of scribbles.

How To Choose Toys for Toddlers

Now that you know the top five toys for toddlers, let’s talk about what you need to think about when choosing toys for your toddlers. Here are some tips that could be helpful:

1. Pick toys that can be used in different ways by toddlers.

Toddlers like toys that they can take apart, put back together, put in, add to, pull out, and build up. So, it’s best to pick toys that your toddler can play with in a lot of different ways. For example, you could give your child wooden blocks or plastic blocks that fit together so he can build bridges, roads, cars, and more. Toys like these can help your toddler learn to be creative, think logically, and solve problems. 

2. Choose toys that your toddler can grow with.

Some toys are only fun for a few days for kids, especially toddlers, and then they don’t want to play with them again. So, when you choose toys, choose ones that are fun at different stages of development. You could, for example, give your toddler small plastic animals, which can also help him or her develop his or her imagination. Your toddler can still use those toys to act out a story he makes up as he gets older. Trains, stuffed animals, and dollhouses are some other examples.

3. Look for toys that will help your child learn to solve problems and explore.

You should also look for toddler toys that let your child figure things out on their own or with little help. These kinds of toys will help them learn how to think in a logical way and figure out how to solve problems. Shape sorters, puzzles, blocks, cups, and playdough are some of the best examples.

4. Let your child play with toys that look like things in the real world.

Toddlers are getting better at figuring out how things work in their world. Things like light switches and remote controls could be among these things. Also, they like to play with “real things” like cell phones and other gadgets. So, you can find toys for them to play with like these. These will help them learn about space and get better at using their hands. Toy keys, toy phones, plastic dishes, musical instruments, child-sized mops, and dress-up clothes are just a few examples. 

5. Find toys that will help your child get ready to learn to read.

Toys like magnetic alphabet letters, books, and art supplies can help your toddler learn to write and read early on. You can also use catalogs, menus, or magazines from the real world to help them get used to letters, text, and print.

6. Pick toys that will get your toddler up and moving.

Toddlers need toys that help them develop and improve their physical skills as well as their ability to think and solve problems. This will help them get stronger and feel better about themselves and their bodies. Balls, scooters, tricycles, basketball hoops, pull toys, wagons, gardening tools, and bowling sets made of plastic are some examples.

7. Think about toys that encourage play between kids of different ages.

Most toys are fun for both kids and adults. But there are also toys made for adults to play with. When your child is at least 3 years old, you can play board games with them that require them to remember things. These games also help kids learn to match, count, and listen. They also help kids learn language and how to get along with others.

Conclusion

However, you should not take your part for granted. You are ultimately responsible for your toddler’s fascination with the mobile because it was you who hung it, activated it, and prompted your toddler to move toward it. You are the one who taught your kid how to stack those blocks. And when you read a book, color a picture, or paint with your kids, you give them the one-on-one time they need to feel loved and secure in your presence.

Even though toys might be helpful, it is the parents’ job to help their children grow and learn.