The Top 10 Developmental Toys for Infants and Toddlers

The season of giving is here. Many of us are wondering what to give our kids. Or if you are like me, what are we going to give them that they will actually play with and possibly learn something from? Well I have compiled a list of what I believe are the top 10 developmental toys perfect for infants and toddlers. ​

1. High Contrast Toys, Books, & Cards. These are the perfect gift for our newest members of the family, specifically infants 0-3 months old. High contrast toys and books are beneficial because these images are visually stimulating and can help the baby’s retina send signals to the brain making their brain development stronger. 
2. Sensory Balls: These may seem simple but they actually do a lot for development and are a favorite for infants and toddlers. Sensory balls can encourage your child’s fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, visual tracking, and are great tactile stimulation. 
3. Rattles:  Rattles grab a baby’s attention for many reasons. They can help with auditory stimulation, encourage grasping skills, promote gross motor development, foster hand-eye coordination, and even promote independent play.
4. Cause and Effect Toys: Learning cause and effect is an important part of child development. Cause and effect toys can encourage learning and social development. Some examples of cause and effect toys are: pop up toys, pound a ball, car ramp track, music toys (drums, keyboards, shaker eggs, etc), and pull back cars. 
5. Blocks: Stacking toys encourage the development of fine motor skills, and encourage concepts like math and problem solving. Bonus these are popular with babies and toddlers, so a great longevity toy as well! 
6. Shape Sorter: Besides the obvious of teaching your child shapes and colors. Shape sorters also strengthen their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and are great for language development as well. 
7. Puzzles: Puzzles are a great way to encourage cognitive development such as problem solving, as well as hand-eye coordination, and building focus and patience. Use phrases such as “turn it,” “flip it,” and “slide it,” to encourage language development and aid them in solving the puzzle.
8. Figurines: Figurines are great for imaginative play, emotional development, and language development. Try using figurines to teach social skills by role playing with your toddler. For example, “Ouch! The Dinosaur bit me. Be gentle dinosaur when you play with your friends, we don’t bite.” 
9. Riding Toys: Ride on toys have many benefits such as: promotes gross motor skills, foster’s independence, builds confidence, and sparks creativity and imagination.
10. Imaginative Play Toys: Toys that encourage imaginative play such as toy food, dress up clothes, and dolls, have many benefits. When we promote imaginative play, we encourage the development of social and emotional skills, language development, and problem solving skills. 

This list covers most bases when it comes to toys, but I would like to add that books make great gifts and encourage language development. Also my favorite gifts to give are experiences, for me creating long lasting memories with my loved ones is what the holidays are all about. So experiences that I can join them on are always my go to gift. Whatever you celebrate, and whatever you choose to give, I hope you have a very happy holiday season! 

Please stay posted, as Sensory Classes will resume next month.

Stephanie, Pediatric Sensory Specialist