Toys, they’re the debris covering the living room floor after the kids appear, the items you don’t need more of but seem to multiply out of nowhere. Toys are childhood. They help with imaginative play, grow little minds, improve mobility, teach sharing and other life lessons.
We live in a house with limited space, so there have been many toys we have said no to or passed onto others, but there are some toys we have come to love and enjoy.
There is a plethora of options for play kitchens and you could even build your own. Regardless, they are the toy that has stayed around. Ours currently sits on our three-season porch so it’s not used in the winter, but the accessories live inside during the winter for inside picnics and tea parties. If your kids love being outside, you could build a mud kitchen using scrap wood and thrifted kitchen items. I’ve thought about making a mud kitchen for our kiddos, but it’s been placed on the back burner because I haven’t sat down to plan it out. We would need to build some shade with it since our garden is lacking in that department.
Our son has always loved vehicles, but is becoming more of a fan as he gets older. Toy vehicles come in various shapes and sizes making them perfect if you have little storage space. We love Hot Wheels, especially the Pixar Cars models. We also like Green Toys vehicles, which are made in the USA of recycled plastic. They are mid-size without being too large. They also have rockets, trucks, tractors, boats, airplanes, and construction vehicles. If your child doesn’t like the typical green, red, or blue colors, you can get some of the vehicles in purple and pink. Green Toys also has kitchen accessories, bath toys, dough, and tool sets. We have their tea set and I really like it. They are easy to clean and hard to break. B. Toys, Janod and Hape are three other brands we love for toy options. Janod and Hape have a lot of wooden toys if that’s what you are looking for.
Magna Tiles has definitely grown in popularity around here. I got a 100-piece set a few years ago when Amazon was having one of their Prime Day sales, but it wasn’t until recently that our five-year-old started building a lot more with them besides a flat road. Magna Tiles are used pretty much every day in our house. There are several cheaper brands on Amazon that are compatible with Magna Tiles, so you can mix sets. The other building materials we like are Duplos and Legos. We didn’t get into wooden or bristle blocks all that much which I was kind of surprised about. We’re a puzzle and game board loving family though. The twins didn’t take to puzzles as early as our five-year-old, but they’re enjoying them now. With limited storage space, I like puzzles that come on a board because you can store them flat and that way I also avoid my kids destroying the box which is inevitable. The New York Puzzle Company has some great options for all ages and levels.
Dress up is another favorite. We go through waves of pulling out ALL the costumes or only the crowns and capes. My kids’ imaginations come to life when they put on a costume; they’re able to be someone else or do the hero thing. Don’t tell me why, but for some reason when my twins put on their crowns and capes from Sarah’s Silks, they turn into Spiderman and save the day from whatever the problem is. Walmart has some fun everyday Disney dresses that can be used as dress up outfits too.
If you haven’t already, you should jump on the Yoto Player bandwagon. This is used every day in our house. If your kids are book lovers (or even for you!), this is a great thing to have. I can’t read all the books all the time, but my kids can listen to them and I don’t even need to utilize my phone to do it. You can also make your own cards for the player with audio books you’ve purchased or by recording yourself or a loved one reading a book. It’s a great way to connect with our family who may not live close by. My kids know their Nonna’s voice and when she is reading a book to them.
