More: 5 Must-Have Summer Toys When shopping for a new toy for your child, it is important to be aware of what they are interested in. Looking at the list, there are a lot of gadget toys that claim to be interactive and that will entertain your child for hours, but we all know, kids can lose interest in toys fast. Ask yourself these questions first: What do they gravitate towards most during the day? What are their tried and true favorite toys? Some of their favorites will probably end up being open-ended toys, because of their versatility. Open-ended toys are ones that can be used in multiple different ways, various settings, and usually carry through many age groups. For example, my kids ages two and five still love blocks, Legos, art supplies, and outdoor toys.
Top Toys for Babies
Playskool Poppin’ Pals Pop-Up Activity
This toy is ideal for babies ages nine months old and up. These pop-up toys were always a favorite with my babies, the element of surprise is very intriguing for them. This toy helps to develop motor skills as well as cause and effect. $21.38
Melissa and Doug Turtle Ball Pit
This is ideal for sitting babies and older. Having a place for your baby to sit up on their own helps strengthen their gross motor skills, while keeping their attention with colorful balls to reach and grab for, which helps develop fine motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination. This toy will also be a favorite once your little one begins crawling, because they will enjoy the challenge of getting in and out of the ball pit on their own. $58.90
Top Toys for Toddlers
Melissa and Doug Twin Babies
These dolls are perfect for toddlers ages 18 months and older. These dolls are wonderful for both genders and are fantastic for dramatic play, which is extremely helpful in building language, understanding sequence of events, as well as being able to make sense of the world around them by acting out events they have seen and experienced.$26.99.
Lego DUPLO Town Tropical Island
The DUPLO Lego sets are great because the pieces are larger, opening the age group up to toddlers and is deal for two-year-olds. Building Legos are wonderful for fine motor strengtheners, as well as hand-eye coordination. In addition, building is fantastic for boosting cognition and problem-solving skills. My daughter, who is five years old, still loves building with her DUPLO sets. $59.99
Melissa and Doug Pizza Counter Play Food Set
Great for ages three and up, this play food set comes with 34 pieces and can help your children immerse in a ton of dramatic play, from restaurant play to house. Because of the versatility, it will also span numerous age groups. $41.35
Top Toys for Big Kids
Crayola Color Chemistry
Good for ages seven and up, this sounds like a great hands-on family activity that will help spark interest in the STEM world, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. $24.99
Educational Insights Artie 3000 Coding Robot
This is a very cool coding robot perfect for a variety of age groups. Not only does it code, but once you program it and it performs its code, it then draws it out on the paper, which adds an additional visual image to the cause and effect of the programmed code. Not to mention, you can then color your very own code! Did I mention this toy was Mensa approved? Yup! Apparently, the American Mensa gave this little robot an honorary member, because it sparks curiosity in coding for children across all learning levels. $62.99
Monopoly Voice Banking
This takes and old favorite and puts a new spin on it, and is perfect for all age groups starting at eight years old. Board games are wonderful to help create fun family traditions as well as tighten family bonds. This is a classic game with some new fun elements of voice recognition and electric aspects. A great version to add to family fun game nights! $29.97
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is definitely a large ticket item, but the reason I included it is because you and your family will be able to get countless hours of entertainment amongst various age groups. Nintendo is such a family friendly company, making it the best family gaming station. In addition, playing video games has some wonderful cognitive building benefits of needing to think and act quick in solving puzzles and persevering in trial and error. Gaming is also great at helping to strengthen fine motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination. $299.00 Looking for more toy ideas for your kids? Check out our breakdown of the Top Toy Subscription Boxes and Toy Shares. Pin it for later to reference when you’re doing your holiday shopping or looking for a birthday gift:
