Are you looking for the best toys for kids? You’ve found them in the carefully curated Busy Toddler gift guides, featuring only toys tested and loved by play experts (actual children). In this post, you will find the ultimate toy list broken into 15 gift guides for children ages birth to tween, along with non-toy gifts, board games, books, puzzles, and more.
Before diving into the gift guides, let’s take a moment for my annual “Toy Ted Talk” on the importance of toys. Toys are not just “stuff” – they are essential tools for childhood development, yet they’re often devalued. Marketing campaigns push flashy “one-and-done” toys, but it’s time we reframe how we think about what children truly need for play.
Toys are Not Just Stuff
Stop thinking of toys as clutter or frivolous items to fill gift boxes. Toys are not junk, they’re not just a holiday formality or something for kids to open.
Toys have value.
Play is the work of childhood and toys are the tools for their play.
In the same way you use tools for your job, or for baking, or woodworking, kids need tools to support their play. And we all know, good tools make a difference.
It’s time to start taking toys seriously. Toys get a bad rap because of overflowing bins and stress on parents, but that’s not what toys should be. They are vital tools for learning, developing, and building skills. They literally make or break a child’s ability to play independently – this is not an exaggeration.
I’m not here to scare or guilt you, but I do want to stress that toys matter more than we give them credit for. We need to move past thinking of toys as clutter or for entertainment, and reframe them as tools for childhood.
The Two Types of Toys
There are generally two kinds of toys marketed to children: “one-and-done” toys and “long-lasting” toys. These toys are not created equally, and marketers push the former far more heavily.
“One-and-done” toys are flashy and trendy, often with buttons, lights, sounds, and the latest technology. They tell kids how to play or do the play-work for them, and they’re usually age-limited.
Engagement quickly fades, and before long, the toy is just more “stuff.”
A note on exceptions: Some seemingly “one-and-done” toys might hold value for a child, depending on the child’s needs. The key takeaway here is that toys are tools. If a toy serves as a meaningful tool for your child’s play, then it has value.
Why Do Marketers Push “One-and-Done” Toys?
Flip through a toy catalog, and you’ll see it: the relentless push for “one-and-done” toys.
Toys that are gimmicks, fads, and latest trends. These toys lack a forever-quality and often fail to hold a child’s long-term interest. Think of how beneficial this is for toy companies and marketers: when a child grows, loses interest, or the trends change, adults buy new toys. It’s a lucrative cycle.
“One-and-done” toys may be fun at first and have their time to shine, but engagement typically wanes quickly. The toys becomes clutter instead of a tools – just “stuff” taking up space.
Why Long-Lasting Toys Are the Best Toys for Kids
Long-lasting toys are different.
They grow with your child, supporting their development from the toddler years forward. These are often the simple toys that stand the test of time – ones you may remember from your own childhood. They allow children to take the lead in their play and build critical skills over time.
But we don’t often see marketing around “long-lasting toys.” These toys don’t tend to make the pages of the toy catalogues, and that makes sense. Owning long-lasting toys means you don’t have to keep buying new toys constantly in search of play.
Long-lasting toys are most often the best toys for kids: the ones that will help a child learn to imagine, create, and think. They’re more than just “stuff.” They’re the toy tools for play.
Caregivers as Toy-Gatekeepers
Our job as caregivers is to act as gatekeepers.
We need to ensure the right toys come into our homes—not the fanciest or most expensive, but the ones that support our children best. This is subjective and varies for every child, but we must always consider a toy’s role in their growth and development.
Remember: more toys don’t equal more play, and fancier toys don’t mean better play.
How to Use Busy Toddler’s Gift Guides
The beauty of long-lasting toys is their timelessness.
The toys in my gift guides are listed by the youngest age they’re suitable for, not the only age. These are toys that grow with your child. Just because Monopoly says “8+” doesn’t mean it’s only fun for 8-year-olds. It simply indicates the starting point. Think of my gift guides in the same way.
Toddlers love wooden blocks. So do first graders.
Preschoolers are mesmerized by magnetic tiles. Ten-year-olds are too.
5-year-old like a lot of the same art supplies as tweens (they just use them differently).
Take a look through all my lists, think about what your child needs to play well independently, and start creating a play-filled environment in your home. Do not, for even a minute, limit toys to an age-range.
Toys Do Not Have a Gender
All the toys on my “best toys” lists are for all kids. No exceptions.
A child’s interest in a toy is guided by their passions, not their gender. Every child needs opportunities to build skills like imagination, engineering, empathy, and creativity.
Limiting toys based on gender sends a restrictive message. Let’s not do that.
Busy Toddler’s Gift Guides of the Best Toys for Kids
The ultimate list of toys for kids is here. Click the image for the list you want to see.
Frequently Asked Question
Best toys for kids are the toys that help a child grow, develop, and learn through play. This will look different for each child.
Generally speaking, this means a long-lasting toy where the child is in control and command is going to be the most supportive/best toy. The child isn’t being told what to do or how to play. They are making decision on how to use the toy – and that’s where the magic of learning through play unfolds.
Instead of looking for one specific “unicorn, mythical and perfect” toy, look at buying toys within categories. Children should have access to at least one toy from each toy category:
Toys that build (blocks), toys that help them create, toys for imaginary play (kitchen, wand, costumes, doll house), toys for care giving (doll or stuffy), toys that are animals, and toys that are vehicles.
That varies family to family. It depends on home size, budget, and number of children. It also depends on the needs of each child.
If you have a children who is struggling to find their play or unable to sustain play without significant adult assistance, audit their toys. They may need fewer options. You know that feeling of frustration when you can’t find something in a kitchen drawer? That’s how kids feel with an overwhelming toy box.
You can. Toy rotations are great, and a way to vary and change up the toys in the house without buying new ones. This isn’t something I can do at my house. We don’t have space to storm toys (no playroom or basement or giant garage). All the toys we have live in my kids’ rooms. This works just fine for us – no toy rotation needed.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2.4 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie has written two home learning curricula, Playing Preschool and Branches. Her parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
