August 14, 2025
Kathy Eugster
As parents, it can feel overwhelming to walk into a toy store (or scroll through one online!) and decide what’s best for your child. Flashing lights, catchy jingles, and trendy “must-have” toys can be tempting. However, not every toy supports your child’s healthy growth and learning.
Children play and use toys to make sense of the world. The toys you choose can support different areas of development for your child: physical, cognitive, creative, emotional, and social skills. By offering a balanced mix from a variety of toy categories, you’ll help your child grow into a curious, capable, and confident person.
Things to consider:
- Toys do not need to be elaborate, expensive, or fancy.
- Open-ended toys or toys that can be used in many different ways will encourage creativity and imagination.
- Children like to use toys to practice behaviors or represent family members and to replay situations they have observed or experienced in real life.
- It is a good idea to include a few items from each of the key toy categories in your toy setup. Keep in mind also that some categories of toys may be more attractive to your child than other categories during different stages of development.
The following are some key toy categories to keep in mind when choosing toys for your child. You don’t need a mountain of toys – just a thoughtful variety across the following categories.
Construction and Building Toys
Examples:
- wooden or foam blocks in different sizes, shapes, and colors
- LEGO or DUPLO
- magnetic tiles
- stacking cups
- marble runs
- train tracks or roadways
Developmental Benefits:
- Improves fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination
- Encourages problem-solving and planning
- Sparks creativity and imagination
- Introduces early math and engineering concepts
Tip: Choose sets that allow for open-ended building, rather than sets that must be built only one way.
Pretend Play and Role-Playing Toys
Examples:
- small or miniature people and animals, puppets, dolls, or stuffed toys:
- representing families
- from different time periods
- doing different jobs
- from fantasy worlds
- buildings and vehicles for the miniature characters such as dollhouses, castles, forts, cars, boats, airplanes, and emergency vehicles
- real-life toys such as play kitchens, play store, doctor kits, tool sets
- dress-up clothes and props such as costumes, old clothes, hats, magic wands, masks, jewelry, wallets
Developmental Benefits:
- Encourages empathy by exploring different roles and perspectives
- Promotes creativity and flexible thinking
- Builds language and storytelling abilities
- Strengthens social skills through role-play and turn-taking
Tip: Store items in separate bins for easy access so kids can easily create their own scenarios.
Art and Creative Expression Materials
Examples:
- crayons, markers, paint
- empty boxes, egg cartons
- safety scissors, glue, tape
- stickers, fabric pieces, string
- clay, Play-doh
- craft kits
Developmental Benefits:
- Enhances fine motor control and dexterity
- Encourages self-expression and emotional release
- Builds focus and persistence
- Promotes creativity
Tip: Provide a designated art space such as a small table or flat surface and expect a little mess- it’s part of the process!
Books and Literacy Toys
Examples:
- board books, picture books, early readers, activity books
- children’s fiction and nonfiction, audiobooks
- alphabet puzzles, magnetic letters
Developmental Benefits:
- Expands vocabulary and comprehension
- Strengthens listening and attention skills
- Sparks imagination and curiosity about the world
- Builds a foundation for school success
Tip: Read aloud to your child daily, even after your child has learned to read independently.
Music and Rhythm Toys
Examples:
- drums, xylophone, toy piano
- shakers, noise-makers, bells
- recorders, whistles
- recorded or live music
Developmental Benefits:
- Supports auditory discrimination and listening skills
- Encourages rhythm, coordination, and memory
- Enhances development of nervous system and emotional regulation skills
- Builds cultural awareness through different musical styles
Tip: Listen to a wide variety of recorded or live music and encourage singing along and dancing together.
Puzzles and Problem-Solving Games
Examples:
- jigsaw puzzles
- matching games
- logic puzzles
- strategy board games, card games
Developmental Benefits:
- Develops patience, persistence, and concentration
- Strengthens spatial reasoning and visual memory
- Encourages logical thinking and planning
- Supports cooperative play when done with others
Tip: Keep puzzles and games organized by storing in separate labelled bags or boxes.
Active Indoor and Outdoor Play Equipment
Examples:
- indoor active play: foam or soft balls, bean bags, balloons, indoor basketball or bowing sets, pool noodles, pillows
- outdoor active play: tricycles, scooters, balance bikes, skipping ropes, climbing frames and other playground equipment
- indoor or outdoor messy play: sandbox or sandtray, water table or tub
Developmental Benefits:
- Builds gross motor skills and coordination
- Promotes overall physical health and fitness
- Encourages risk assessment and resilience
- Provides opportunities for outdoor exploration and sensory play (for example with sand, dirt, water)
Tip: Outdoor play isn’t just for sunny days – dress for the weather and enjoy year-round.
STEM and Discovery Toys
Examples:
- science kits, magnifying glasses
- coding robots
- nature exploration tools
Developmental Benefits:
- Encourages curiosity and a love for learning
- Introduces science, technology, engineering, and math concepts
- Promotes critical thinking and experimentation
- Builds confidence through trial and error
Tip: Let your child choose activities or experiments and make predictions on the outcome before testing them.
What About Digital and Electronic Toys?
Digital toys are toys that contain digital or computer technology. These toys may look similar to traditional toys or they may look completely different. Many parents are cautious about play with screens or digital toys in the early childhood context, but there are potential opportunities for learning, creative, and playful experiences for children with digital activities.
It’s important to understand the difference between digital play and screen time. The distinction between digital play and screen time lies in the nature of the activities engaged in and their potential impact on a child’s development. Digital play is generally more interactive and can offer educational and other benefits, whereas excessive or unsupervised sedentary screen time, especially on passive, non-educational content, can have potential negative consequences for children.
Please see the following for more information on digital play: Children’s Play and Toys in the Digital Era
Final Thoughts
When you give your child the right tools for play, you’re giving them the building blocks for a lifetime of healthy development.
But remember, it’s not the number of toys you have that is important. As their parent, YOU are the most important toy for your child!
You may want to consider this:
If you are interested in learning more about parent-child playtime, please see my book, Play Skills for Parents: Connecting With Your Child Through Play.
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Copyright Kathy Eugster, MA, 2025.
Please feel free to pass on this article to anyone you think might find it useful.
Contact me at: keugster@telus.net