The best toys for young children

It’s not about the toys

First of all, and I know this post is about toys, but I want to say–It’s not about the toys! The most important thing in your child’s life is you. More than toys, they need your love and respect. They need you to carry the question of who they are for them until they are old enough to carry it themselves. (This thought is from Sharifa Oppenheimer’s wonderful book, Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children). I used to tell the parents in my parent-child classes that a child would be better off with a bunch of plastic toys in a loving home than with all the perfect, often expensive, Waldorf toys in a home where the child is not loved and accepted for who they are.

And also remember–not too much! We live in a time of too much stuff. When my daughters were born, stuff poured into the house. Much of it was nice, but it was just too much. Stick with a few well-chosen things. If you have other stuff that is too good to get rid of, store it and save it to switch out or to bring out on a rainy day or to put in a get-well box that only comes out when your child doesn’t feel well.

But, with that said, it is nice to have nice toys around the house–so here goes.

Toys for babies

Babies first toys are their own bodies. They spend those early months getting to know their bodies, discovering their hands and feet, learning how to control their movement. Just being with you and having time and space to move freely is their best toy.

At around 6 months, you can introduce a few simple toys like cotton scarves–Emmi Pikler recommends these as a first toy. The child can move it and make all sorts of different shapes and will see them best if the cloth is a solid color. Don’t use silk at this age, as if it gets wet, it can stick to a child’s face.  You can give them other things, too. Just make sure they don’t have sharp edges or pieces that could be swallowed–and make sure they are things your child can safely put in their mouth, because that’s where they’re going. Balls of different shapes and sizes are great–especially ones with holes so the child can grasp them. Try stacking cups, metal or wooden bowls, colanders, pots and pans, wooden spoons or other safe kitchen utensils, and teething rings–just one thing at a time to start with, then maybe two or three at most at a time.

Toys for Children from 1 to 3 years old

Dolls

Around this time is a good time to introduce a special doll–one made of cotton and wool, or other natural materials is recommended. Your child may not take care of it like a baby yet unless they are around a baby. But they might just like having a doll around as a companion. Rudolf Steiner speaks of dolls as being in the image of the human being. For this age, I prefer a one-piece bunting doll, like this:

Save the dolls that can be dressed until the child is a little older–at this point, they’ll probably just undress them.

A word about natural materials

Mostly I would recommend toys made of natural materials for the child. These are more pleasing to the senses and provide more sensory input. Plastic is certainly useful and sturdy, but it all feels the same, pretty much. It also doesn’t give as much variation in weight. Wood, metal, fabric all have different textures that nourish the child’s senses. (For more on this, see my post on the four foundational senses.)

5 best toys of all time!

Here is a great article on the 5 best toys of all time. And guess what they are–sticks, cardboard boxes, dirt, cardboard tubes, and string (just make sure the string isn’t too long and keep an eye on them until you’re confident they know what to do and what not to do. I’ve seen little ones wrap it around their necks–never a good thing!

Other toys

Your child will still like most of the toys they already have–but if they lose interest, give them away or at least put them away. In addition, your child will like baskets that they can use to fill with stuff and then dump. These can also be used for storing toys. They will especially like a big laundry basket that they can fit into themselves. Wooden blocks are fun. Tree blocks are nice–you can make them yourself with a saw and some sandpaper–your child can help with the sanding–or you can buy them.

Other good toys include stones or chestnuts, thick shells, a scoop or shovel, a pushcart or doll stroller, and a rocking horse.

Water and sand–either separately or together provide hours of fun. You could get a small plastic under-bed storage box to keep sand in to play with inside–just be ready to do some sweeping and close it up if the sand starts to fly. You could get a sand table, too, but a plastic box works just as well and is easier to store.

Toys for children from 3 to 7 years old

The age of imaginative play

A lot of the same toys your child has been playing with will continue to bring joy and learning as your child enters fully into the world of imaginative play. Now more than ever, open-ended toys that the child can use their imagination to make into all sorts of different things will serve them well.

Some things to add to their playthings

At the early end of this range, your child will enjoy wooden or small fabric animals and human figures. A doll bed makes a nice addition, as does a play kitchen, although it’s not necessary.

Your child will begin to enjoy building things on a large scale–out of cushions, under a table or in a big box. Some large sheets, blankets, or pieces of cotton or silk fabric are great for building with. Playstands are very nice, with play clips. If you’re handy, you can find instructions to build them–I was never that handy, though.

Children this age will also enjoy playing dress-up. Silk scarves can be used for all sorts of costumes–cotton and wool, too. Old fun clothes that you don’t wear anymore or get at a resale shop are great, too. Hats are very fun. Again–keep it simple and not too much.

Dolls can be more formed, now, and children will enjoy dressing them as well as undressing—maybe. Simple puppets and marionettes are fun. Many children will also enjoy a couple nice cars and/or trucks (again–not too many–they tend to mysteriously multiply)

A sewing basket

And you can get your child a simple handwork basket. They will love to sew with a needle, thread, some scissors and bits of fabric. You will have to use your own judgment as to when they can use this unsupervised. When I taught mostly 3-year-olds, they had to sit by me when they were sewing. Some of them could do it and others weren’t ready. Mostly they were happy just playing with the sewing stuff rather than actually trying to make something. But you might be surprised at how able they become very quickly.

Art supplies

Having crayons and paper available. At first, you might want to give the child crayons only when you are there to supervise. When you feel sure that your child won’t eat them or color on the wall or furniture, they can become part of what’s available all the time.

Watercolor paint is great, as are finger paints. In the Waldorf school, we do wet on wet watercolor painting with the little ones–more on that coming soon.

Home-made clay or beeswax is good for modeling.

Treasures from nature

Your child will find all sorts of treasures outside. Some of these can be brought in and placed on the nature table. They can also be used for play or for crafts projects. Washing them either before or after they come in can be part of the fun.

Toys to avoid

Above you have seen some ideas for age-appropriate toys. I certainly haven’t covered every possibility. Use this post as a starting point, using your heart and imagination to give your child toys that will delight them.

Here are some categories of toys to avoid (from Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne):

1. Broken toys
2. Developmentally inappropriate toys
3. Conceptually fixed toys–like characters from movies, etc.
4. Toys that do too much and are prone to mechanical failure
5. Very high stimulation toys–think flashing lights and sirens
6. Toys you find annoying or offensive–the ones you can’t stand
7. Anything that claims to give your child a “developmental edge”

A word about storage

It’s better to store toys on shelves rather than in a toy chest. I still remember liking to take everything out of my toy chest and climbing inside. I thought it was great fun, but my Mom didn’t. Children can find what they’re looking for better if it’s in sight and stored in a tidy way. Baskets are great for storing groups of things together either on shelves or on the floor.

In Conclusion

A few simple, well-chosen toys will keep your child happy. If you are able, you can splurge on something more expensive. Also, be sure to check on e-bay or ETSY, at yard sales and resale shops for those nice wooden toys you just have to have. But your child can be perfectly happy with just a few basic things. So don’t stress about it. And keep it simple!

 

As always, thanks for stopping by. Let me know what your favorite toys are.

The links to Amazon above are affiliate links–the others are to companies I like.

xoxo