This post is about the best educational toys for kids from birth to age 5. It may contain affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more info, see my Privacy Policy.
If you know me, or you’ve been following me, you know that I have four kids and have worked with tiny humans for three decades. As an educator, I’m selective about the kinds of toys I want my kids to play with. I’m equally selective about the kinds of toys I want to offer to the tiny humans I work with daily.
I love toys. I’m not talking about annoying toys that kids play with for five minutes and then discard. I’m talking about the kind of toys that span multiple age groups, encourage open-ended play, are gender-neutral, and foster creativity.
I love the toys that my kids played with for years and never tired of. I still use many of these classic toys with the little ones I am lucky enough to work with every day.
There are a lot of toys on the market. How do you know what’s worth investing in and what will end up in a landfill? Whether you’re starting your holiday shopping or buying a gift for a little loved one, you can’t go wrong with this list of educational toys for kids from birth to age 5. Here are a few of my favorite, timeless picks by age.
Newborn-12 Months
Your baby will grow and change by leaps and bounds in the first year. Your sweet, little lump will be kicking and rolling before you know it. Blink, and you’ll be celebrating a first birthday. You can’t go wrong with these toys for baby’s first year of growing and learning fun.
Black and white patterns are often recommended for newborns and young infants because they provide strong visual contrast, which can be stimulating and engaging for their developing visual system. This high-contrast baby book with simple patterns is perfect for newborns.
You’ll need to give your baby plenty of tummy time. This strengthens their muscles and helps them learn to roll over later in life. Some babies hate tummy time and scream! Do it anyway. This mirror and play mat are fun distractions while your baby is getting much-needed tummy time.
Babies like to put everything in their mouths. It’s inevitable. If you read a lot to your baby (and I encourage that), your baby will want to read those books independently. That’s adorable, you may be thinking. It is. Until your little reader starts gnawing on the book like a billy goat and has a mouth full of paper.
Kissy was our resident baby billy goat. She ate anything she could reach. One day, she was yelling in her crib at nap time, so I gave her a board book to look at and left the room. When I returned, she had torn it into bite-sized chunks and had ingested a good amount of paper and the book was soaked in drool. Rookie move. Live and learn!
So get your baby some cloth books to read and chew on and keep the real books out of reach if you have a little billy goat in your house. But do keep reading to your child!
Babies need lots of opportunities to explore the world around them. But let’s be realistic. Sometimes you need to keep your tiny human contained, so you can do stuff like shower! Or prepare food. This baby bouncer will keep your tot engaged and contained while you get stuff done. I also love this portable play yard. I have it and I use it with my tiny humans. It’s big, easy to open and close, and portable. It’s a must-have for times you need to keep your little tot contained without the permanence and bulkiness of some play yards. Think trips to the beach, parks with your older kids, and visits to relatives.
As your little one grows and can sit up and engage with you, basic, simple toys provide a lot of entertainment and learning. I’m a firm believer that toys don’t need to require batteries to provide value and learning. These basics support the development of hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and problem-solving skills.
This shape sorter, stacking ring, and stacking cups will go the distance when it comes to fun. They’re also great for learning shapes, colors, quantity, size order, and counting. No batteries required. And the cups double as fun bath toys for scooping and pouring and they dry out completely, so they won’t hold water and get moldy like some bath toys.
I actually have this walker and use it daily. Yes, it requires batteries. I like it because the front piece is removable for use as a floor toy for babies who aren’t walking or cruising yet. It’s a hit well into the toddler years.
I love this little pull-string toy. It’s fun, engaging and portable. It encourages hand-eye coordination and grasp. The silicone strings are different textures, so it’s a good sensory experience, too. And the pieces don’t detach, so you won’t lose them, no matter how hard your tot tugs.
The Toddler Years: Ages 1-3
During these years, your kiddo will love opportunities to be imaginative and build stuff. These toys encourage sensory exploration and the development of fine motor skills while supporting creativity. My kids played with all of these and I still use them with the tiny humans I work with.
If you’re looking for timeless toys that support your child’s development and will provide hours of open-ended, creative fun, here are a few hits. I use these daily in my work with little people. Kids never tire of these educational toys.
Toys That Support Small Motor Development & Creativity
Little People Need Lots of Gross Motor Play
Toddlers have a ton of energy. If you’re lucky enough to live in a climate that allows you to be outside much of the time, outdoor play is probably easy to provide. I live in the northeast, where we are stuck inside for what seems like an eternity during winter.
Whether you’re stuck inside due to weather or circumstances, your energetic, little tots need to expend that energy and develop gross motor skills. Here are some of my favorite toys to promote large muscle development. They’ll provide your tiny human with hours of fun, indoors or out.
Tunnels! I have similar tunnels that I used with my kids and I still use them. Tots love them and they fold flat for easy storage.
Sit N Spin. Seriously, ridiculous fun.
Wobble disc. This thing is so fun and if you flip it over, it’s a climbing rock.
Adjustable basketball hoop. It’s a classic and the adjustable height means it will grow with your child.
Cozy Coup If you want to develop large muscles and wear your kid out, this is a winner. And it comes in a bunch of really fun styles to suit your child’s vibe.
Bubble gun. I have this set of two. It’s the easiest way to blow bubbles with no mess. And it comes in a set of two, so you and your toddler can have bubble wars.
4-5-Year-Old Preschoolers
Your older “little kid” will most definitely have not outgrown a lot of stuff on my list of favorites. After all, they’re my favorites because they are open-ended and timeless, and they grow with your child’s creativity and imagination.
If you have older preschoolers, here are a few of the educational toys that my kids loved at this age.
Play dough and play dough toys. I particularly like these for younger and older tots because they develop important fine motor skills.
Walkie Talkies. I know, they require batteries. But they’re just fun for preschoolers.
Bubble guns. I’m not talking about the sweet bubbles you blow for babies. These bubble guns are made for a full-on bubble attack and are sure to send you and your kiddo laughing and running for cover.
Legos. When Salt was younger, he loved anything Lego. Legos provide hours of building and thinking fun. Salt has always loved to build stuff. For the past two summers, he’s worked in a bike shop, building and repairing bikes. No doubt, his love of building and working with his hands led him to this job.
Stepping on a Lego is memorable. All worth it when I see how happy he is working in the summer. I think I owe the Lego company a big thank you.
Lite Brite. Remember this? Hours of creative fun to be had.
This voice changer may be the most annoying toy you’ll own, but kids love them. Not too long ago, Salt had some friends over and one of the kids brought this to my house. They’re teenagers. You might want to send your kid outside with this one.
While your kid is outside, a pogo stick is a good way to burn some energy. Salt used to come home from school and pogo stick every day after being cooped up at a desk. Here’s a little-kid-friendly version of the classic pogo stick.
This obstacle course will keep your kiddo busy for hours. If an expensive playset isn’t in your budget and you have a couple of trees, this will keep your little ninjas entertained while getting some exercise and fresh air.
Fun for the Whole Family
Finally, I’m a huge fan of old-school board games for kids. Board games teach taking turns, following directions and rules, and support fine motor development. Board games are some of the best educational toys you can have on your shelf. Here is my list of favorites for family game nights or a little one-on-one time with your preschooler.
Memory Paw Patrol version, which every kid seems to love
Pie Face (which is really fun & a little messy, but hilarious family fun)
This is just a short list of some of my favorite educational toys for kids from birth to age 5. They’re developmentally appropriate, gender-neutral, span multiple age groups, and encourage open-ended, creative play. If you’re looking for the best educational toys for kids from birth to age 5, this list is a good start.
I hope you find as much value in playing with your little ones as I did and continue to do with the tiny humans I work with daily. What are your go-to toys with your littles? Drop a comment below and share your favorites with us!
3 Comments
Dana
Salt was Maria’s pogo stick inspiration1
Pingback:
Pingback: