Preschool Learning Toys That made the List!

Ages 3 years +

  Magna-tiles metropolis is the next generation in the award-winning Magna-Tiles series containing 110 neon pieces. Included is a spinner, windows, quarter circles, and more to take your imagination to the big screen. From a busy high-rise metropolis to a thriving colony on space, there's no stopping your imagination with this new set! All original Magna-Tiles building sets are compatible. 

• Improves Motor Skills
• Promotes Hand Eye Coordination
• Interactive Play
• Communication Building
• Fine Motor Building
• Perceptual Skill Building
• Imaginative Play and creative thinking
• Can introduce Math Concepts such as Learning Fractions, Number Graphing, Building Patterns, Shape Puzzles, Simple Addition Sentences
• Science Building- Magnetic Principles,  Force & Motion, Electricity

Ages 36 months and up

Occupational Therapists Love these!

 Suction construction squigz to build, bounce, and stick to almost any smooth, flat surface super flexible squigz can be assembled to create an impressive array of vehicles, robots, jewelry, and more. Just as fun to pop apart they're fun little suckers. 

• Fine Motor Building
• Builds strength and endurance
• Social Pragmatic Skill Building
• Encourages Problem Solving
• Sort, Count and Stick
• Promotes Hand Eye Coordination
• Interactive 
• Communication Building
• Visual Perceptual and Visual Motor Skill Building
• Encourage Motor Planning

 Ages 3- 6 years

What a fun and amazing educational toy that kids love! Imagine building, learning about the parts of a plant all while having fun together. This sweet toy is a favorite! Consists of bright, colorful STEM garden toys help hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

• Fine Motor Skill Building
• Visual Perceptual and Visual Motor Skill Building
• Visual Discrimination
• Form Constancy (is the ability to recognize shapes and forms no matter what position they are in)
• Can introduce Math Concepts 
• Promotes social pragmatics when playing with a friend!

 Ages 3- 6 years

  Pattern blocks and boards inspire kids explore shapes and colors in a hands-on way as they fill wooden backgrounds with sturdy wooden pieces! Follow one of 10 design templates or create your own Mosaic using the 120 colorful wooden tiles in 6 different shapes. Matching and mosaics—what a gorgeous way for kids 3 and older to develop their fine motor skills pattern blocks and boards set inspires kids to enjoy a classic math manipulative and learning activity. It’s great for spatial awareness, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving. The Melissa & Doug pattern blocks and boards set features double-sided boards that provide kids with even more options for creative play. Kids can create linear patterns, sort pattern blocks by color, count pieces, and more.  

• Fine Motor Skill Building
• Visual Perceptual and Visual Motor Skill Building
• Visual Discrimination
• Form Constancy (is the ability to recognize shapes and forms no matter what position they are in)
• Shape Identification
• Can introduce Math Concepts such as Learning Fractions, Number Graphing, Building Patterns, Shape Puzzles
• Matching and Sorting- As they play and match with this toy, kids also strengthen their visual memory, concentration, and classification skills!

Ages 3- 6 years

 This fire truck-shaped puzzle is ready to go with only 24 cardboard pieces to complete assembly! Four feet long when assembled, the extra-thick cardboard pieces feature an Easy-Clean surface to keep them looking like new. Children will love the large, thick pieces of this Melissa & Doug puzzle, which are easy to handle and put together. The finished puzzle displays beautiful original artwork which can inspire conversations and learning. Our kids fire truck puzzle is designed to help children develop problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination. It features an easy-to-clean surface that keeps your puzzle looking new, making cleanup simple after accidental spills. 

• Gross motor strength and endurance since puzzles can be completed in any position- i.e. while sitting, kneeling or on belly
• Fine motor manipulation & Coordination- Grasp, release, Shift (required to pick up flat pieces) & Rotation (flipping pieces over in fingers, rotating into position)
• Eye-hand coordination
• Crossing the midline (likely occurs both visually and physically while completing a puzzle)
• Visual processing skills
• Visual Scanning & Fixation (eyes fix on target in order to retrieve it)
• Convergence/divergence (eyes move outward/inward to focus on pieces at varying distances)
• Discrimination (color, shape, sameness/difference)
• Memory (what color/shape piece should I be looking for?)
• Perception
• Attention to task
• Direction following (i.e.. “Find the wheel piece.”)
• Memory
• Sequencing (i.e.. “Find the dog first and then get the wheel”.)
• Problem-solving &  Organizing
• Social Skill building
• Language and Communication Building through Receptive and expressive language 
• Frustration management
• Recognition of needing a break (for more complex puzzles)
• Interactive 
• Cognitive Development

Ages 3 and up

 Inside every kid is an uninhibited explorer, a future leader, and an original creator. And inside every colorful, squishy ball of Play-Doh compound is an irresistible invitation for hands-on exploration. Coincidence? Definitely not. That's because the Play-Doh brand gives kids the power to shape their own stories in their own way, without having to worry about breaking rules or being wrong. It gives them the freedom to turn what they know into something amazing and unexpected, and there's always an adventure, masterpiece, or giggle fest waiting to happen. So take the lid off of your imagination and let the Play-Doh brand inspire you to create something awesome! Play-Doh and all related properties are trademarks of Hasbro.  

• Fine Motor Building and Strengthening (we need this for good handwriting)
• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Improves Motor Skills
• Bilateral hand use (using both hands)
• Promotes Hand Eye Coordination
• Interactive 
• Imagination Building
• Communication Building
• Perceptual Skill Building
• Social Pragmatic Skill Building
• Great Sensory Input- i.e. Sensory seeking children can squish, squash, pound and squish the playdough for proprioceptive and tactile feedback.
• Builds Tactile Tolerance
• Helps with Sensory Regulation

Ages  4 and up

This marble run kit contains 75 marble building parts, 30 colorful balls and 30 glass marble balls. Marble tracks include curved, wheels, ramps, S-turn slide, U-turn slide, windmills, gradual curves, O-turn rails, centrifugal funnels, rugged rails and many other types of marble rail. You can see the ball running fast in different types of tracks, and observe how it moves in different tracks. This learning toy can give full play to their spatial imagination, logical thinking, color and shape recognition, and hands-on ability.  After completing a successful construction, the marble races on different tracks will not only make the child feel interesting, but also give him a sense of accomplishment. Small pieces. Choking hazard (includes marbles for play)

• Fine Motor Building 
• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Improves Motor Skills
• Bilateral hand use (using both hands)
• Promotes Hand Eye Coordination
• Visual Perception
• Spatial awareness
• Interactive 
• Imagination Building
• Communication Building
• Perceptual Skill Building
• Social Pragmatic Skill Building
• Creative thinking
• Helps with Sensory Regulation
• Color identification and Shape Recognition
• Executive Function
• Cognitive Building

Ages 3-5 years

 This wooden play food set is ideal for young chefs looking to explore a little mealtime fun—without the mess. It includes eight pieces of wooden food that can be sliced into 27 sections, a cutting board, and a wooden knife. Cutting the food makes a satisfying “crunch”—and provides a playful introduction to concepts of “whole,” “part,” and fractions. Melissa & Doug’s cutting food set delivers delicious entertainment for aspiring young chefs. The slicing and cutting pretend play features help children learn early mathematical concepts, sorting, grouping, and color recognition. The Melissa & Doug cutting food set is composed of beautifully painted pieces that feature realistic details. Its sturdy wooden construction allows the set to hold up against frequent use.  

• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Fine Motor Manipulation
• Improves Motor Skills
• Interactive 
• Communication Building
• Perceptual Skill Building
• Spatial Awareness
• Introduces Math concepts
• Sorting & Grouping
• Color and Pattern Recognition

Ages 3- 5 Years +

  Your forest friends are hungry and they need your help. Spin the spinner, squeeze the matching colored acorn with your Squirrel Squeezers and place it into your log. Be the first to fill your log with delicious acorns and you win. You could also spin “pick an acorn,” “steal an acorn,” or “lose an acorn,” so be strategic, little squirrel. 

• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Fine Motor Manipulation
• Fine Motor Control and skill building
• Hand Strengthening
• Improves Motor Skills
• Interactive 
• Communication Building
• Builds Early Learning Skills
• Develops Social Emotional Skills
• Social Pragmatic Skill Building- i.e. taking turns, sharing and winning/ losing gracefully
• Introduces Math concepts
• Sorting & Grouping
• Interactive 
• Communication Building

Ages 3- 6 years

  This Little Tikes 3-foot kid's trampoline is the perfect size to provide hours of bouncing fun! Little Tikes knows it is important for kids to stay active, and this toddler trampoline is easy to move so kids can bounce where ever they like any time they like! • Great energy burner! • Designed for indoor use only! 

• Improve Balance
• Coordination builder
• Sensory Input and Regulation
• Improves Gross Motor Skills
• Interactive 
• Communication Building

Ages 3+

Be the first to move your child-shaped playing piece from square one to square 100 on the Chutes and Ladders game board--but watch out! If you land on the square that shows you ate too much candy--Ouch!--you get a tummy ache and slide down a chute to a square a few numbers below. But if you end your turn on a good-deed square, such as helping sweep up a mess, you'll be rewarded by a ladder-climb up the board.

A fantastic follow-up to Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders is ideal for younger children who are still learning to take turns and just beginning to recognize numbers (the spinner stays in the single digits). It's also a gentle introduction to the higher numbers as players climb to 100 at the top of the board. And, thanks to all those chutes and ladders, it's got enough excitement to keep your 7-year-old on the edge of her seat. English and Spanish instructions are included; no reading is necessary to play. 

• Improves and Enhances Fine Motor Skills
• Bilateral Coordination (Use of Both hands)
• Manual Dexterity
• Promotes Hand Eye Coordination
• Interactive 
• Visual Perceptual Skill building
• Visual Processing skills
• Visual Scanning & Fixation (eyes fix on target in order to retrieve it)
• Convergence/divergence (eyes move outward/inward to focus on pieces at varying distances
• Figure Ground (Finding and separating foreground from background in visual images)
• Visual Discrimination
• Spatial Relations
• Counting, Adding and basic math skills such as counting, adding, subtraction and graphing. 
• Social Pragmatic Skill Building
• Direction Following
• Communication Building
• Executive functioning skills
• Play and leisure exploration

Ages 3- 10 years

 Gear up for hours of fun with this giant building set that gives early learners hundreds of construction possibilities. The 150-piece set features plastic gears, connectors and interlocking bases in a giant storage tub with an Activity Guide.  Set your little engineer's imagination in motion. Fun, bright colors and easy-to-assemble pieces help build fine motor skills and make this hands-on construction super set a whole new building experience. Set includes 150 pieces, storage tub and activity guide. 

• Improves and Enhances Fine Motor Skills
• Bilateral Coordination (Use of Both hands)
• Manual Dexterity
• Promotes Hand Eye Coordination
• Interactive 
• Visual Perceptual Skill building
• Visual Processing skills
• Visual Scanning & Fixation (eyes fix on target in order to retrieve it)
• Convergence/divergence (eyes move outward/inward to focus on pieces at varying distances
• Visual Discrimination
• Spatial Relations
• Counting, Adding and basic math skills such as counting, adding, subtraction and graphing. 
• Social Pragmatic Skill Building
• Direction Following
• Sorting, Grouping & Color identification
• Designing & Constructing
• Beginning STEM
• Communication Building
• Executive functioning & problem skills
• Play and leisure exploration

Ages 3 years +

Looking for a children's toy that will delight, fascinate, and invigorate for years to come? Come to the rescue with the perfect toy: The revolutionary new Lil' Rider Wiggle car. It's like magic, but you don't need to be a magician to get it to work. The Lil' Rider? Wiggle car is a mechanical marvel that makes use of that most inexhaustible of energy sources, kid-power, by harnessing the natural forces of inertia, centrifugal force, gravity, and friction. It's so easy to operate; all it needs is a driver and a smooth, flat surface. It doesn't require an expensive power source that needs constant replacement. No batteries, no power-cells, no liquid fuel-just the occasional cookie or two.

• Cause and Effect
• Promotes Hand Eye Coordination
• Improves Motor Skills and Motor Planning
• Core Strength Building
• Interactive 
• Communication Building
• Pretend Play
• Social Pragmatic Skill Building
• Direction Following
• Communication Building
• Executive functioning skills
• Play and leisure exploration

FOR MORE AMAZINGTOYS, CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR HOLIDAY GUIDE!