We get it. Buying Christmas presents for your children can feel like the ultimate challenge. Along with wish-list toys and name-brand gadgets, children often desire the types of toys that are popular among peers and friends. Rather than just picking out the latest gimmick, you want a toy that is both interesting enough to keep your child actively engaged and practical enough to teach them valuable skills during play.
If you are feeling stumped about great gifts for children to help them meet developmental milestones, have no fear. The Warren Center therapists have provided a guide to toys that help with development. Whether your child is an infant, toddler, or in preschool, these toys can help little ones reach important milestones at every stage. A look at the best developmental toys for children can help you transform a visit from Santa into a valuable present that improves your child’s abilities all year long.
Interested in the toys listed below? Purchase them through The Warren Center’s Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. A percentage of the sell goes to helping a child with special needs receive critical therapy services.
INFANTS
-
Baby Banana Infant Training Toothbrush and Teether
What is it?
Teach your child good oral hygiene from the earliest possible age with this training toothbrush. Made of ultra-soft silicone, these toothbrush bristles gently clean incoming teeth and massage teething gums. A great alternative to conventional teething toys, this brush can store easily in the freezer if desired and rinse clean in the dishwasher after use. The easy-to-grasp toothbrush is appropriate for babies as young as three months through one year old.
Why is it the best?
- Encourages fine motor skills like grasping, reaching, and use of hands and fingers
- Enables great practice of skills learned occupational therapy (such as oral care, use of hygiene utensils, and other “occupations” and tasks needed for everyday life)
- Excellent resource for early adaptive and self-care development
- Safely made of 100-percent food grade silicone, making it free of BPA, latex, or phthalates
- Freezer-friendly for teething; dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning
-
Bright Starts Sit & Floor Mirror
What is it?
Take your baby on an adventurous safari with this sitting and floor mirror. Perfect for getting babies excited about tummy time, this fabric-covered mirror lets infants discover themselves in a baby expedition. In addition to reducing fussiness surrounding tummy time, this mirror also increases awareness about extremities and encourages infants to hold themselves upright in a sitting position. The mirror is large enough to share with parents during bonding playtime, and the folding storage mechanism makes it perfect for tidying or portable travel.
Why is it the best?
- Ideal toy for helping infants adjust and adapt to required tummy time
- Helps develop gross motor skills for rising to a sitting position or sit-and-play
- Encourages early self-awareness, self-identity, and self-recognition
- Large mirror suitable for sharing or bonding during playtime
- Stores or travels easily by folding flat within seconds
-
Fisher Price Rattle n’ Rock Maracas
What is it?
Bring music to your baby’s ears with these delightful maracas. Designed for a infant’s small hands and ever-present curiosity, these colorful maracas are easy to grasp and shake. The corresponding grasping and rattling encourage fine motor skills for fingers and hands as well as gross motor skills for the arms and shoulders. Plus, the delightful sounds, textures, and vivid colors are the perfect supplement for sensory development. Whether it is for soothing or keeping your infant occupied, these two maracas can fill your infant’s world with the sound of music.
Why is it the best?
- Includes two toy maracas to build development in both hands
- Helps strengthen fine motor skills through grasping and gross motor skills through active play
- Provides healthy outlet for sensory processing development through the combination of sounds, textures, and colors
- Helps infants practice exchanging tools and utensils between each hand
- Features colorful beads, easy-grip handle, and soft decorative pom poms
- Suitable for babies as young as three months old
TODDLERS
-
Toddler Busy Board
What is it?
Encourage self-help and organization skills early with this toddler busy board. Designed as an educational learning toy to help develop fine motor skills, this toy has just the right amount of textures and colors to keep your child occupied for hours. With this toy, toddlers learn self-sufficiency and motor-coordination skills with the same fun and self-accomplishment as successfully completing a puzzle. Toddlers can also learn to basic skills needed to dress themselves through active and repetitive activity. In addition to its function as a learning tool, this busy board is quiet enough for self-soothing and lightweight enough to bring along during airplane or car travel.
Why is it the best?
- Teaches adaptive and self-help skills like motor coordination and learning to dress
- Encourages fine motor skills with the help of nine buckles, ties, and buttons
- Perfect for practicing occupational therapy exercises and encourages sensory development at a child’s own pace
- Self-sufficiency toy reminiscent of completing a puzzle and occupying enough to facilitate self-soothing
- Lightweight and portable for airplane or car travel
- Practical adaption for children who engage in repetitive behaviors
- Hands-on activity that teaches children the basic skills needed to put on shoes, shirts, sweaters, jackets, and coats
-
Animal Farm Play Set for Toddlers
What is it?
Let your child’s imagination run freely with this six-piece big red barn. As the brainchild of a century-old expert toy company, this big red barn encourages sensory development and endless pretend play. By combining motor skills with imagination, the toy may help improve repetitive memory, sharper concentration, and better attention span. The set includes easy-to-grasp pieces like a toy horse, sheep, pig, cow, and farmer, allowing your child to practice fine motor skills and create story scenarios during social and solo play. The barn features opening doors and a second floor, and the top handle lets your child carry the toy to any desired space. Foldable for easy cleanup and storage, this barn set is a must-have for bedrooms, nurseries, and play areas.
Why is it the best?
- Excellent toy for facilitating pretend play, imaginative and creative ability, and narrative story telling
- Includes a barn with two floors and five corresponding pieces that helps children identify animals and learn logical spatial arrangement
- Variety of surfaces and colors improves sensory development
- Repetitive and pretend play may also improve memory, concentration, and attention span
- Suitable for both solo and social play
- Barns opening doors and easy-grip animals encourage fine motor skills and coordination
PRESCHOOLERS
-
Doodle Mat
What is it?
The possibilities are endless with this large educational doodle mat. This mat encourages the use of writing utensils for drawing, coloring, painting, or writing – all without wasting paper or getting accidental crayon marks on furniture. Children can use this large space to learn everything from color identification and the alphabet to drawing basic shapes and numbers. The mat is large enough for solo use and sharing with others as well as parents and children to draw together. With this multisensory experience, your child’s imagination can soar while the practical mind becomes accustomed whiteboard-style learning that children often encounter in school.
Why is it the best?
- Large mat suitable for hours of writing, drawing, coloring, and painting without using excess paper
- No-mess design allows children to draw freely without getting crayon marks on furniture, floors, or walls
- Multisensory experience helps improve attention span and concentration while use of writing utensils encourages fine motor skills development
- Oversized mat can also build social and interactive skills through sharing and spatial awareness
- Set includes magic pens, stamps, templates, brush pot, and drawing manual for teaching color and shape identification
- Storage bags make cleanup a breeze
-
Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Figure Eight Train Set
What is it?
Create timeless memories with this classic train set. With its sturdy wooden frame, traditional figure-eight design, and total of 22 pieces, this train set creatives a remarkably full railway system for learning. The set includes tracks, a bridge, wooden engine, and coal car for hours of imaginative and pretend play. Introduce your child to the very first basics of design engineering while creating spatial awareness, narrative logical thinking, and linear problem solving. Naturally boosting hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and dexterity, this train set fosters boundless fun for learning and play.
Why is it the best?
- 22-piece train set with tracks, bridge, engine, and car
- Figure-eight design and corresponding pieces help develop hand-eye coordination, fine motor and gross motor skills, spatial awareness, and physical dexterity
- Hands-on construction process supports narrative thinking as well as logical and linear problem solving
- Textures and colors are excellent for sensory development and pretend play
- Suitable for children as young as three
- Makes a great group activity for babysitting and sleepovers
-
Peppa Pig On the Go 72 page Coloring Activity Book With a Set of 8 Easy to Grip Colorful Jumbo Crayons
What is it?
Encourage fine motor skills and pure imagination all at once with this coloring book and jumbo crayon set. Featuring eight bright jumbo crayons and a friendly Peppa Pig activity book, this set makes it easy for preschoolers to practice using writing utensils and identifying colors. The set includes a pack with build-in storage to strengthen organization skills while teaching cleanup and responsibility. With its portable handle, this set is the perfect companion for travel or hours of creative fun.
Why is it the best?
- Easy-grip jumbo crayons and built-in storage until encourage fine motor skills and hand dexterity
- Facilitates practice with writing utensils, color identification, and drawing basic shapes or letters
- Bright colors create positive sensory stimulation
- Includes handle for easy portability
Beat the holiday rush while equipping your child with the tools to succeed. Even if your child is younger than a given age group or stage, you can stock up on the right toys now and store them away for later. You can also opt to donate the toy to a child with special needs. Santa Clause gives away every toy donated at The Warren Center’s Operation Santa event that serves children with developmental delays and disabilities. View our Amazon Operation Santa Wish list to donate. With the help of The Warren Center, you can help your child strengthen skills while spreading good cheer to numerous children in need.
