Traditional toddler toys foster physical and verbal development, encourage creative exploration, and are incredibly durable, allowing younger siblings to get in on the action. Our favorites, the non-electronic toddler toys, come without batteries and ear-splitting beeps (praise be). Little ones learn through play, so a few carefully chosen toys in the bin will give them the chance to have fun as a tiny scientist, artist, and motor-skill champ. Here are a few of our favorite non-electronic toys for toddlers.
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1. Stacking Cups/Nesting Boxes
Stack them in a tower, tip them over, put them inside one another, and then turn them into a home for a plastic cow. These nesting cups and boxes offer loads of interactive opportunities for fun and play. Most sets come in bright hues, giving little ones a chance to learn about colors. Balancing them in a tower shape builds problem-solving skills, self-control, and persistence; knocking them down is a perfect lesson in cause and effect. Another colorful stacking option is Grimms Rainbow, an all-wooden toy that’s so beautiful you won’t mind leaving it out on a shelf.
2. Sensory Bins
Toddlers learn about the world through hands-on activities and observation, and sensory bins or tables are a great way for them to explore. You can easily replicate this key preschool staple by filling a plastic bin with dry oats, beans, or water and adding measuring cups and scoops. If you’re worried about any impending mess, put a towel underneath your kiddo and the bin. If the weather is nice, set it up outside to minimize clean-up or purchase a water table or sandbox for a contained solution. To take your sensory bin game to the next level, hide plastic animals or cars for kids to find, or dye rice or dry pasta for rainbow-colored play. A pre-made sensory bin kit like these from Creativity for Kids is an easy option, too. Bonus: Sensory bins help curious kids learn about volume (how much water fits in a scoop?) and boost imaginative play and language development.
3. Push-Pull Toys
From ye-old classic poppers to a wooden animal on a string, push-and-pull toys are beloved by budding walkers everywhere. These toys encourage balance and gross motor skill development, and they make perfect buddies for toddlers as they stumble and zoom through your home.
4. Pretend Play Sets
There’s nothing cuter than when toddlers take to imaginative play: Play kitchens, food sets, and cooking tools are the role-play OGs and are ideal for encouraging sharing. Doctor and vet sets foster empathy, allowing kids to care for sick people and pets. Then you’ve got superhero capes and dress-up sets that inspire narrative play, and tools and a workbench for instant fixes.
5. Blocks or Magnetic Tiles
These building beauties are the gifts that keep on giving. Little ones get a chance to work on problem-solving as they figure out how to stack blocks or tiles on top of one another and organize them into different patterns. They’re also big when it comes to fostering hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness; tiles, in particular, allow kids to learn how shapes fit together. Eventually, these toys become a blank canvas for imaginative play in the form of castles, houses, and zoos. Talking about their creations helps build language and conversation skills, and encourages older toddlers to work together and learn about cooperation.
6. Dolls & Stuffed Animals
Whether you’re looking for a lovey for comfort or a toy your child can practice caring for and rocking to sleep, soft dolls and stuffed animals are a great addition to any toddler’s toy collection. Playing with dolls helps kiddos learn about empathy and feelings. Pro tip: Choose ones without plastic eyes, which can be a choking hazard!
7. Active Toys
Channel that nonstop toddler energy into physical challenges that promote gross motor function. We’re talking balance beams and indoor climbing sets for balance, core strength, and coordination, tunnels for agility, and mini trampolines (with handle!) and rockers for sensory regulation and body control. Add some soft balls to the mix for practice throwing, kicking, rolling, and catching.
8. Music Makers
One of the benefits of non-electronic toys for parents: fewer ear-splitting sounds. But sometimes a kid’s just got to make music. Whether you break out your pots and pans and a wooden spoon or give your child a toy drum and a few egg shakers, toys that let kids make their own music are always a hit. Sturdy options without batteries are more likely to last from kid to kid, and they give children the chance to be more creative. We like wooden xylophones like this one from Melissa & Doug because of their bright colors and the variety of sounds they make.
9. Puzzles
Puzzles are fantastic for encouraging early critical thinking and persistence. (“You think that piece goes here? Not so fast, friend!”) But that’s just the start: Puzzles help develop fine-motor skills as kids pick up and turn pieces, and promote visual-spatial reasoning by allowing toddlers to recognize which shapes and sizes fit together. P.S. Shape sorters also fall into this category! Start with chunky, wooden knob puzzles; graduate to peg versions; and move on to simple jigsaws when the time is right.
10. Art Activities
All it takes are a few simple art supplies to help kids build coordination and creativity. For mess-free fun, there’s nothing better than Melissa & Doug’s reusable Water Wow pads; dot markers are colorful, easy to grip, and a stamp-happy kid favorite. Littles can work their (color) magic with chunky crayons and washable finger paint, while older toddlers can work on fine-motor skills with kid-friendly scissors and glue stick collages. Our favorite go-to? Tempera paint sticks, which are great for hand strength, glide like actual paint, and dry almost instantly. Play-Doh is also a timeless classic for creative sculpting and squishing.
11. Ride-On Toys
A good ride-on toy gives toddlers hours of indoor gross-motor fun. These toys develop balance and give little legs a workout. One of the best first-birthday gifts, our fave ride-on toys come with a basket or bin that little ones can use to give their favorite toy or stuffed animal a ride around the house (promoting imaginative play in the process). And of course, balance bikes are always a big hit: Chillafish, Retrospec, Strider, and Woom are well-regarded brands.
