Top Row
Mr. Potato Head – This is a total classic that’s still as popular with the little ones today as it was decades ago. My littles especially like him in the car on long road trips.
Sand & Water Play Table – I posted about our family playing with this table here and received a bunch of emails asking where I got it. It seems you guys were impressed as I was by all the fun moving parts as well as the lid (so important if you have a bunch of trees with falling debris like we do).
Dough Tools – I recommend a Play Doh play set on the Art Supplies page but I wanted to mention these here because my kids did so well with these particular tools when all the others were still a little hard to manipulate.
Middle Row
Lacing Beads – These can be used in lots of different ways (lacing, sorting, or just putting into containers), all of which are excellent for fine motor development.
Play Kitchen – After a lot of research we bought this play kitchen for our 3 year old son and 18 month old daughter last Christmas. We like the overall look, small footprint, and gender neutral color. Our kids have loved everything about it.
Classic Doodler with 2 Stampers – This is another staple, such an easy and mess-free way to get in lots of drawing time. My kids really like the shape magnets on this one but we also have this smaller version that we always bring along when traveling.
Bottom Row
Balance Bike – I didn’t even know what this was until I became a parent but once all of my son’s friends got one we figured he needed one too. The concept behind this is so cool. The bikes are pedal-free and basically the kids decide on their own when they feel stable enough to lift up their feet and glide. My son didn’t pick up his feet until he was almost 3, my daughter was barely 2 when she first tried it and picked up her feet immediately. The beauty of it was each kid got to move at their own pace.
Wooden Cutting Food – We got our first set of this cutting food nearly a year before we got our play kitchen. I was surprised how early the kids picked up on the cutting motion and we all thought the velcro made a cool cutting sound. This toy was great for fine motor development.
Duplo LEGO Set – These are a great size for introducing little hands to LEGOs. We like the manageable size of this set and the container for easy clean up.
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