There are so many toys out there for toddlers and young children. Here is a list of my favorite educational gifts for this age group. This list includes some of my daughter’s favorites!

1. Puzzles

Puzzles are so great for young children. They teach children problem solving, fine motor skills, and different areas of learning based on the puzzle. I love wooden peg puzzles for this age. I also like puzzles that can also be used to teach, like numbers, letters, shapes, colors, etc.These are some of my favorite puzzles.

I love this set of three Disney Puzzles. This set comes with a letter puzzle, number puzzle, and shape puzzle. This will help young children learn letters, numbers, and shapes, along with basic spacial awareness from the puzzle!

I also really like Melissa and Doug Puzzles. This brand has a lot of different puzzles, but some include animals, animal sounds, letters, number, shapes, colors, and even puzzles with manipulatives like latches!

2. Wooden Blocks

Blocks are a great toy for young children. There are so many things you can do with blocks and it is a toy that can be used for years! I love wooden blocks because they are durable. Blocks can be used for stacking, building, sorting, and even learning shapes and letters.

These wooden cube blocks have letters and numbers on them. Not only are they great for building towers, but you can also focus on the letters and numbers.

I also really like wooden blocks in different shapes and colors. They are great for building but also for color recognition!

3. Magnet Tiles

I love magnet tiles. They are a great first STEM toy that can be used for many years! Not only young children but also elementary aged children love these. These tiles are fun to build with and also learn about magnets.

4. Flash Cards

This may not be considered a “fun” toy, but flash cards are so beneficial to young children. Children need multiple repetitions and opportunities to learn. Flash cards give children an easy way to get in repetitions and have a way to self check if they are old enough. Flash cards can be an easy and quick activity to do with your child!

I love flash cards for sight words, letters, numbers, and phonics. Here are a few of my favorites!

5. Osmo

The Osmo is a great learning toy that is a lot of fun and can be used for many years. It works with an iPad and has many games. Some of my favorite games for young children include topics such as letter formation, phonics, creativity, and problem solving.

This Little Genius Starter Kit is great for preschool age children! It comes with the Osmo and 4 games. The rest of the games for Osmo tend to be for ages 5 and up, so this device will last for many years and grow with the child.

6. Books

Books are a great gift for children. Young children need to be read to everyday! Books of any kind are a great gift. Here is a link to my favorite books for toddlers.

7. Stacking Cups/Toys

Stacking cups or toys are a great developmental toy for young children. I love stacking cups because children will learn spatial awareness and sizes.

These stacking cups are one of my daughter’s favorites. They can also be used as bath toys, which is fun. The cups are colorful and are also numbered with holes on the bottom for counting practice.

I also really like this wooden rainbow stacking toy. There are so many uses beyond just stacking the rainbow, including building with the arches or use in pretend play!

8. Water Doodler

Creativity is an important part of a young child’s development. Drawing and coloring is a great skill to learn. Children will also improve in their skills. This Water Doodler is a great investment for children. It can be used to draw and even used for writing later on. Coloring books and crayons are also great for children. I just like this Water Doodler because it can be used over and over!

9. Melissa and Doug Educational Toys

This is a great brand of toys for young children. They have so many educational toys that can be used for years. Some of my favorites are included below. Some toys are for preschool, like making the word, and some can be used by toddlers. I really like the letter and number matching puzzles.

10. Pretend Play Toys

Pretend Play is another area that young children need everyday. Children need a chance to play and use their imagination. Some great open ended toys include trucks, dolls, dollhouses, kitchen set, grocery set, tool box, etc. Children need opportunities to play. This helps with their social development, along with their language development. These toys are also great to play with other kids or siblings.

One of my favorite pretend play toys is a play kitchen, food, and grocery set. Children will learn so much through this open ended play, but you can also have some structured play. Children can learn about healthy foods, grocery shopping, and even math when “buying” food.

11. Sensory Toys

Sensory play is so important for developing young children. It helps their fine motor skills, leads to more development in their language and social skills, and even allows them to make more connections in their brain development! Sensory play is anything that you give to your child that involves their senses: touch, taste, smell, hear, see. Sensory play can also involve body movement development as well.

I love creating sensory bins for my daughter to play with. I also love to make play dough for her to play with as well. Play dough is also a great sensory activity!

These toys are great to use with sensory play. Children can use these toys to work on their fine motor skills to scoop, clamp, press, cut, and pick up all the different materials they can play with.

Click here to read my posts on sensory bins and here to read my post on homemade play dough.

12. Tiny Polka Dot Math Game

This game is great for number recognition and counting. This game is for ages 3-8, so it can be used for awhile. There are some more challenging games for older children, but it is also great for as young as three. Young children can match up numbers, color match, and count. This is a great first number game for children.

I hope you found some great educational gifts for your toddler or young child!

If you are looking for educational gifts for middle school age children, check out our post here!

If you are looking for educational gifts for elementary age children, click here!

If you are looking for teacher gift ideas, click here!

Thank you for Continually Learning with us!

Kyle and Sarah

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