With Christmas around the corner, I thought I’d share some of our favorite toys in our screen-free toddler holiday gift guide. Everything below is toys we love or are on our wishlist. All of these toys, except for one, don’t use batteries and all are screen-free.
*This post does contain affiliate links but are all toys we have purchased ourselves and love
Planes, Trains, & Automobiles
1. Tonka Ryan got this for his first Christmas and plays with it every day. It’s a great indoor-outdoor toy. We paid a little bit more for the metal and should last forever.
2. Play22 Wooden Car Ramp this one is great for hand-eye coordination, color recognition, and counting.
3. Melissa and Doug Pull-Back Construction Vehicles. Ryan absolutely loves these. They are great if you don’t have carpet because when you pull them back and let them go they go really fast. The other great thing is the car itself comes off and can be washed.
4. IKEA Mula crane truck is a truck and puzzle in one and has the extra element of the magnet. Not to mention the price is great!
5. Green Toys Recycling Truck. There are so many options for these toys but the thing I love the most is they are all made out of 100% recycled plastic, BPA, and Phthalates Free.
6. B. Toys Wooden Train Set. Train sets are always fun but I especially love this one because it comes in a durable plastic container to store the set in and the top becomes one of the pieces.
Educational Toys
1. Magdum Realistic Farm Animal Magnets I love these realistic farm animal magnets. These ones are on our wishlist
2. Safari LTD Toobs are my favorite. There are tons of different sets of realistic animals, plants, and foods. We have the arctic animals, under the sea, farm animals, as well as fruits and veggies. There are tons of activities you can do with these and I’ve found Ryan learns what the item is much faster when he has the item to play with. The other cool thing is every item has the correct name written on the bottom so you will always know what it is.
3. Experiences and Memberships are great options, especially for relatives. Zoo and museum memberships along with things like dance lessons or swim lessons will last all year.
4. Uncle Goose Planet blocks. I found these blocks and thought they were so cool. What a great way to learn about the planets. Also, these are made in the USA.
5. Tender Leaf Ouch Puzzle. I think this puzzle is great and will definitely be under our tree this year. It’s a little more challenging because not only do the pieces stack on top of one another but there are also pieces that are exact matches. It’s also made from renewable resources and is chemical-free.
Active Play
1. Jookie is a great screen-free music and audiobook option. You can download your own content and Spotify playlists to each of the characters and all your child has to do is place it on the music box. It’s totally durable, splash-proof, and has an 8-hour battery life.
2. National Geographic Stepping Stones. These are great for obstacle courses or any indoor or outdoor play. They are flexible, lightweight, and durable.
3.Funny Supply Wobble boards can be used for so many things including physical play, balancing skills, and imaginative play.
4. Little Tikes Trampoline was a huge hit for my son’s birthday. He gets so much energy out of jumping on it and thinks it is perfect for indoor play in the cold weather.
5. Chillafish Balance Bike. My favorite thing about this bike is that it has a foot stand that you can easily take on and off. Your child can either walk around or put their feet up and practice balancing. It also has airless tires, is super lightweight so my son can pick it up, and the seat is adjustable.
Books
1. First 100 Words. Ryan basically learned all of his animals and fruits and veggies from this book. It’s definitely one of his favorites
2. The Pete’s Go Marching. All the Pete the Cat’s books are awesome but this one is so much fun to read. It’s set to the tune of the ants go marching and Ryan loves to read it over and over.
3. Dear Zoo. This one is a classic and is great for learning hello and bye. With every flap, we open we say hello to the animal and then goodbye when we flip the page.
4. Good Night Farm. My mother-in-law gave Ryan this book and it is sweet. It is also a touch and feels book which makes it even more engaging.
5. Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck is Ryan’s all-time favorite. We have read this book 1000+ times. The book has no story but is all an onomatopoeia (all sounds). This one is so fun to read.
Arts & Crafts
1. Ikea Easel. I love this easel. Not only is it both a whiteboard and chalkboard but it is so easy to clean. Ryan uses it constantly.
2. B. Toys Water Doodler. This one is amazing for in the car. We took this on a 10-hour road trip and it kept rain busy so much that we just keep it in the car now. You can color on both sides, comes with multiple pens, and all you need is water.
3. Finger Crayons My mother-in-law had these at her house for Thanksgiving and Ryan loved to color with them. They are super easy to hold for his small hands.
4. Color Happy by Rad and Happy. This one has been a game-changer. For $5 a month you get brand-new coloring sheets sent directly to your email. Her stuff is so cute, even if you don’t sign up for this I highly recommend following her on Instagram.
5. LakeShore Learning Paint is by far my favorite paint. It has rich pigments, tons of colors, mixes amazing, and washes out of everything!
6. Dot Markers Ryan absolutely loves dot markers. You can make dots but also color normally with them. The added bonus is they never dry out. Ryan leaves the lids off them all the time and after priming them for a minute they come right back just like new.
7. Ikea FLIAT Sensory Table I’ve talked about this before but there are so many uses for this table. Right now we mainly use it as a sensory table and water table but as Ryan gets older we can use it as a craft table, or lego table, or anything else you want to store in it. It’s amazing and so easy to clean again.
Puzzles and Blocks
1. Things That Go matching puzzle Ryan has a similar matching Dinosaur puzzle he loves so this one is on our list.
2. Haba Perfect Pairs matching puzzle is great is for matching shapes along with color and height.
3. MoTrent Geometric Shape Peg Board This little puzzle is great for colors, numbers, and shapes. Ryan has mastered putting the pieces on and where they go so we have started playing ” Put a green one on”. Another puzzle that can be played in so many different ways.
4. KAJA Classic Wooden Blocks Ryan is really into stacking things so I think now is the time for blocks. I personally love the simplicity of the natural wood and these will last a lifetime.
5. Melissa and Doug Shape Sorting Cube We have had this one for a long and in the last few months, Ryan is just starting to get part of it. He has played with it the whole entire time though so I think this one is great for any age really. He started out by taking the lid on and off and just playing with the shapes. Now he understands how to place the shapes in the holes but sometimes has a little difficulty put them in the correct one if the right side isn’t showing. So I think this toy can be used for a long with and process with age.
6. Melissa and Doug Jigsaw If you need just a little bit of extra difficulty in a puzzle this one is great. The multiple pieces to each puzzle give it that little extra bit but are still easy enough for Ryan to complete. He actually picked this one out for his birthday and he loves it.
7. Magnatiles are a huge hit in our house. They have a ton of different kits. Check out their Instagram for even more ideas of things to do with them.
Stocking Stuffers
1. Fubbles no-spill bubbles are just that. These things never spill and the want is perfect for Ryan’s small hands and he has a ton of success blowing bubbles with this. Also, you can put any bubbles in this it is the container that prevents spilling.
2. Mini Rolling Pins These are great for kids to help in the kitchen or to be used with play-dough. It helps with hand strength and muscle control.
3. Kinetic Sand. Hear me out on this one. My son making a mess doesn’t really bother me but if I can have an option of something easy to clean I’ll pick that. Kinetic sand doesn’t stick to anything, unlike play dough and slime. If it gets everywhere all you have to do is vacuum it up. That simple.
4. Wavy Knife is great for getting kids involved in the kitchen. They can cut themselves with this knife and have more control over it rather than a knife.
5. Skip Hop Pull and Go Submarine Ryan loves this bath toy. It’s super simple and no batteries are required. Pull the string and it makes the submarine go!
6. Helping Hands All of these tools are great to be used in a sensory bin. They all use hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Ryan loves using tongs to transfer objects and squirting water so this one is on our list.
If you have any of these toys or decide to purchase any I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
Looking for more gift guides? Check them out here.
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