Educational and Non-Electronic Toddler Toys
Play is such an important part of the learning process for children. Elani definitely has a sizable toy selection, but I put a lot of thought into the toys that I purchase and that are gifted to her. It’s important for her toys to have multiple purposes, whenever possible. I prefer toys that do not make lots of sounds, but I will have a separate post about electronic toys that we do enjoy! I try my best to rotate her toys so that she is not overwhelmed, but also does not get bored. There are a few toys that Elani gravitates toward the most and I hope that your toddler can enjoy them as well.
I wanted to make sure that I took pictures of these specific toys to share them. I see so many posts of people linking toy after toy with pictures directly from a website. I understand that it’s nice to have a professional photo, but I want to see that this is a toy that is owned and loved. With that said, these are the educational toys that we own that Elani truly loves!
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I am going to start with the toy that Elani plays with every single day, multiple times a day. These alphabet and numbers/shapes puzzles have been such a hit with her. Not only do they help with fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, but she genuinely enjoys learning her letters, numbers, and shapes. I love the muted tones! It’s a nice break from all of the primary colors. Elani has excelled with her letters and numbers. I will be doing a separate post about the combination of toys and activities that have helped with that.
This is one that I wanted to include even though I cannot find a link for it. This has helped with identifying animals, animals sounds, and colors. It is also another great toy for those fine motor skills. Though I don’t have a link, here is a similar product by a well-trusted brand.
There are so many types of these magnetic drawing boards on the market and I think they are great! I love that this one has a super comfortable bean bag bottom, but the eraser on ours can definitely be difficult for Elani. Also, I feel that her drawings fade away faster than I would prefer. I should have exchanged it, but she still loves it. If you are interested in getting a magnetic drawing board, there are so many to choose from. I have not tried this drawing board, but it has great reviews and will probably go on her Christmas list. They are fun for free drawing, but also great for practicing letters, numbers, and shapes! And don’t forget those fine motor skills.
Speaking of magnets, this magnetic puzzle is another favorite. Though this is the first Melissa and Doug toy that I’m talking specifically about, it will not be the last. They have so many great products. This specific puzzle is meant for older kids so Elani does have a little difficulty understanding where each piece is meant to be placed based on the shapes and it’s not chunky for her to grab easily. The fishing aspect of it is great fun though and we not only work on identifying the animals, but also the colors. Other than the squid and the crab, each animal is a different color.
I’m not going to lie. The first time that we started pulling these little farm animals apart, I did think it was kind of strange! This is great for matching, identifying animals, and animal sounds. It takes a little strength for Elani to pull them apart and put them together, but I actually like that it is not super easy and she has to work at it a bit.
It is also fun to just be silly and mix up the animals. What toddler doesn’t love to be silly? I found the ones that we have at Homegoods. Unfortunately, they are not easy to find!
A slide is definitely a larger toy, but we made sure that she liked it before we purchased it. She had the opportunity to try it out many times at a friend’s house before we decided that it was worth it to get her one. Other than just being fun, a slide gives Elani the opportunity to improve her balance and coordination. We are very happy with the slide that we have (it also comes in red and blue), but this folding one is another option if space is a concern.
The last item that I want to include is Elani’s kitchen. This is definitely the most expensive of the items that I have discussed, but there are many wonderful benefits to this pretend play item. I looked at numerous play kitchens before deciding that this was the one for Elani and I will be doing a separate post just on her kitchen.
Pretend play allows a toddler to be creative and use their imagination. It is also a way to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills. The list goes on and on and a kitchen is definitely not a toy for just girls! I have so much fun watching her in her kitchen. She will do things that I know she has only learned from watching me or Evan interact with things in our kitchen and it cracks me up.
This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but I tried to not include items that were very similar. One item that I missed in this list is her rocking horse…or lion. I think these are great and fairly quiet items that many other toddlers will love. I hope that you were able to get some ideas for your own little one. I will also be doing a separate post on other toys that Elani plays with regularly that tend to fall into more of the electronic category due to the noise and/or lights. Stay tuned!
