Toys for Toddlers

Toddlers need to be taught how to play with a toy and they also like playing with someone else - perhaps just beside them, but there, giving them words for their actions and showing them new ways to make the toy more enjoyable. They are on the verge of beginning "pretend" play, but a little interaction with you and their toy will help greatly.

My daughter likes to empty the pot and pans from my cupboard or take all the plastic and wooden utensils out of the drawers. I did buy her a set of IKEA pots and pans for kids and she does use them. They were rather cheap (under $10). Other than that she likes to hide and play with her babies (stuffed animals) and put them night night. Very cute.

My sone has all kinds of learning toys and other paythings. His favorite is an empty box! Yep, that's it.

Hi ES
Children that age have about a 20second attention span- not to worry- save your money- let him play with the pots and pans etc- and my kids loved just to play in a big box. His attention span will change as he gets a little older-
good luck and blessings

My daughter was the same way. I would buy her all these nice toys and she would play with a shoe box or something random that she would see around the house. Save your money and let her play with pots and pans.

my son loves balls and bats. any type of stick. he likes tents...made out of blankets draped over things. he also has the attention span of a toddler. so we tend to hide away a few toys and switch them out...its like new again for a few days. he also loves water. we bought him the crayola markers and crayons for 18 month olds and they are very hard for him to use..the markers espically because you have to get them right on the tip for them to work.

We have a learning toy that he plays with for about 5 minutes and then moves on. He is always moving and changing his mind. I think he just loves to explore.

Main toy - farm set. He can hold all the animals and he loves opening and closing the door. Shovel - he will walk around with a plastic shovel for hours. Balls that fit in his hands - he loves holding them for some reason (sometimes small cars).

Favorite thing to play is chase. He would rather I chase him than sit with a toy.

Your son sounds like he is just interested in the world. What ever my son is playing we I try and teach him something. Such as that is a red ball or a cow goes moo. You don't need to spend money to teach your child.

My son loved this set of 4 different stacking cups. He also liked a set of identical little plastic boats.
Good luck,
W.

You know your child, but I know that mine just loved the big empty box's and a old blanket or sheet to make a fort or just to go in and out of.

My son is 25 months but his favorite toys for awhile have been his water table outside, iplay car ramp/garage and his clippo table.

My guy likes, cars, things to ride on, a sturdy little scooter, balls, even a scarf to toss around and play peek a boo with. He likes to play with cups and water in the sink, and then clean up the floor with towels and sponges. Switching things around is the key.

Balls are great. Different sizes and colors, from basketballs to footballs, soccer, baseball, etc. It helps to teach them the different types and you can teach them colors too. I bought my son those big bags of balls and put them in one of our bathtubs(one that is never used of course) and he loved playing in them and throwing them. We learned our colors that way too. Hope this helps!

Our son's favorite toy at that age was an unusual one that we ran across at a garage sale--GIANT Tinkertoys. They appeared to be home made. You may be able to find such a thing on ebay. He played with these for hours every day. He graduated up to the classic Tinkertoys at age 3. I also loved these toys because they encourage creativity and originality, as well as fine motor skills connecting the sticks into the holes.

Mega Blocks are great. He can build and knock down and build again. Empty boxes work great for this also.

my lil' guy who turned 2 last month likes cars like hot wheels, his train table, riding cars for outside, his sandbox with shovels dump trucks, and his water table. He also jumps on his trampoline a lot. He also likes his busy ball popper a lot. I have started to buy him things to do crafts and he likes stamps.

Kids love to imitate grown ups. Your son sees you using pots and pans and tupperware, so he thinks they must be fun. You might try buying him his own set of play kitchen items. You may find you have a chef in training, not to mention that it could be a great bonding experience for the two of you.

Rotate rotate rotate. Put some away for a few weeks where he can't find them then bring them back out and it's like they're new again. Just dont put away any of his favorites or he'll notice something's up. My 26-month-old loves his wooden thomas the train set. It's hours of entertainment and I never take it out of the rotation. He also likes the little people sets. He calls them "my people" and it cracks me up, as in "Mommy where are my people?" Thanks for asking this question, I'm always on the lookout for great toys too. Hope you get some good responses.

thomas the train, he would play for hours with it, my daughter likes to role play with dolls.
also digging in the dirt, ride on toys, little people stuff, i also rotate the toys.

really though my son played with thomas and tracks all day, and still does at age 6

little people and little people stations for sure

My 28month old daughter likes playing with wooden puzzles. I have alphabet and number puzzles. She likes to say the letter or number that she picks up. She's been playing w/ puzzles since ~18months.

also sticker books are good(you can buy the 200+ sticker books at the sale racks in the bookstore). But that might get messy (stickers all over the floor). But great for travel or restaurant time.

Thanks for asking this question. I need to know the answer, too.

Its the age old joke...buy your kid a 100 dollar toy and they will like the box that it came in BETTER!!!

My two year old just likes whatever WE are playing with. A rubber ball, plastic disposible drinking cup, or even an empty paper towel roll (Ive taught her to say "Ricola" in it!!! Its hilarious!!!)
It all depends on your kiddo. Walmart has plenty of five dollar toys that can then be turned into games and such. My DD actually likes the plastic golf clubs they sell.

Another thought to your question is crayons. Does he like to draw on paper? I bought a cheapy pack of tablet paper at The Dollar Store and let her draw. However, dont skimp on the Crayons...get Crayola Crayon WASHABLES!!! They wipe right off of walls, tables and whatever else your Rembrant may see as a work of art!!!

I have taken an empty Pampers box, tied one of my husband belts on the handle and convinced her to pick up stray toys throughout the house...talk about killin' two birds with one stone!!! Picking up toys can be fun!?! Who knew?

Margaret :)

My kids (all boys) loved action figure type toys from the get go. They like to carry around their favorite characters with them. Usually Buzz and Woody. They were never interested in all those "learning" toys. Another fave was a ball popper, but that has limited lifespan.

Cups are also a favorite. They can stack them and knock them down, fill them with anything, put their own cup in it, etc...

Good Luck

I know how you feel. My daughter has a ton of toys and they just sit in her toy box. She loves them for a day and then she is done. One of her fav toys is her shovel and pail. She loves to be outside and digging in the dirt.