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Children and playtime… the best combination! Play is extremely important and crucial for children’s physical, social, and emotional development and should be encouraged as much as possible throughout the day. It’s important to be mindful to allow enough unstructured playtime during the day to foster that joy and creativity in kiddos of all ages. Whether you’re a parent who geeks out about finding the coolest playthings or a parent who is looking for some more inspiration, this list is sure to help!
Lovevery
I’d like to start with our all-time favorite toy subscription box… Lovevery. Lovevery toys are designed to be the best and most developmentally appropriate, stage-based playthings for kiddos from infants to three-year-olds. These award-winning play essentials are Montessori-inspired, developed by child development experts, and created with natural, organic, and sustainable materials, so you know as a parent you’re getting the best for your family. You can sign up for the toy subscription boxes based on your child’s age, and you’ll receive a new box of lovely play essentials every two or three months. How easy is that?? You can also have someone “gift” one box to you at a time, so they’re a perfect idea to share with family members for birthdays and holidays. Lovevery also has playthings for sale separate from the boxes, like this cute wooden pull pup and an awesome crawl tunnel. The playthings are all gender-neutral, so Lovevery is a great choice for families with multiple children.
We started the toy subscription when my daughter was nearing her first birthday, but if we are blessed with another baby one day, I know I will definitely add this five-star-rated infant play gym to our home. The infant play gym is something you can purchase separately from the toy subscription boxes, and you can buy it either from the Lovevery site or from Amazon here. Even infants and young babies need that crucial playtime, so it’s wonderful Lovevery added the lovely play gym to their collection!
Another Lovevery favorite of ours is the wooden block set. (Which is one of my favorites, too. Even parents have fun with these toys while playing with their kids!) Like the infant play gym, the block set can be found both on the Lovevery site or purchased on Amazon. (Cue the Prime delivery!) We love the Lovevery block set because it’s not just simple blocks like some other sets. This 70 piece set comes with many shapes and colors, a wooden storage box, and pieces to string, so children are working on a multitude of skills while they play. The variety of this block set is what my daughter loves about it. She can sit and play for a long time with these blocks, with each time playing a little differently and using her creativity in different ways. She loves it and as a parent, I love seeing her have so much fun!
Lovevery stage-based toys make life so much easier for parents, and they’ve provided a lot of peace within our own family. As a mom, I’ve always been mindful of what to provide for my daughter when it comes to the most developmentally appropriate and fun toys. Lovevery has taken the guesswork out of that! My daughter still plays with the things from the earlier boxes, it’s fun to see how she uses them differently now that she’s a little older. Save the boxes or gather some storage bins and add the Lovevery toys to your toy rotation. I know your family will love the Lovevery playthings just as much as our family has loved them!
Melissa and Doug
The Melissa and Doug brand is another toy brand I trust and love for our family. These educationally-based, Montessori-inspired toys are a staple in many homes. Melissa and Doug playthings are found at many major retailers like Target and Kohls, and you can find them on Amazon, so it makes it really easy to find what you’re looking for. Also, just like with Lovevery, these playthings are gender-neutral, so they’re great for families with more than one kiddo!
My husband got my daughter this Melissa and Doug child-sized cleaning set for Christmas last year. Yes, a cleaning set. You might be thinking, why in the world would a child want a cleaning set?? If you have a toddler you probably understand… young kiddos love to help! They love to do anything like mom and dad, and helping to is just as much fun as playing with toys. Providing opportunities for kids to participate in real-life activities, such as cleaning, is a big component of the Montessori learning philosophy. They’re playing, working on developmental skills, and also getting to contribute with daily life and everyday activities, which allows kiddos to feel good! It’s important not to force children to clean if they don’t want to, though. The Montessori philosophy focuses on providing opportunities for play and discovery that are child-led, so only have them help if they’re interested. We have my daughter’s little cleaning set in the kitchen. We showed her how to use the items, and if there’s an opportunity for her to use her cleaning supplies, she loves it. She’ll use the little broom to sweep up crumbs from a snack. She’ll use the little mop to wipe up the slippery mess the dog leaves behind after drinking from his water dish. She even uses them to get toy pieces that have slid underneath the couch (problem-solving skills!). I know it may seem funny to give your sweet child a cleaning set, but trust me and other families when we tell you the cleaning set is a huge hit!
Another Melissa and Doug plaything my daughter has loved is her dollhouse. The Melissa and Doug brand offers a variety of different wooden dollhouses, which is awesome as you can pick a type of house based on your child or children’s age! Some are smaller for younger toddlers while others are bigger for older children. (Just keep in mind choking hazards.) We have the Melissa and Doug Fold & Go Wooden dollhouse, which is one of the smaller ones. We’ve loved how you’re able to fold it, pack it up, and move it from one location to the other. My daughter can take it into different rooms or take it with her to her Grandma’s house. It even has a little garage door you can move up and down! We purchased extra little wooden dolls to add to the dollhouse, and they are just too cute and lovely. Our dollhouse is a neutral, plain one (I painted it a little to add some color!), but they also have a pink-colored Fold & Go dollhouse if you want one with more color. For older, or taller, kiddos, Melissa and Doug offers a Hi-Rise Wooden Dollhouse (with a working garage and elevator!) and also a beautiful and classic Wooden Victorian Dollhouse. Perfect ideas for birthdays or holidays!
Cuddle + Kind
The Cuddle + Kind handknit dolls are just too beautiful, sweet, and lovely not to include. These dolls are stuffed dolls, so they can be more like lovies for kiddos and not so much like playthings or toys. I’ve read from so many families how their kiddos absolutely love their Cuddle + Kind dolls, my daughter included, so I will add them here. There are so many to choose from, so you’ll be able to find the perfect one for any child. Be careful browsing the website as you will fall in love!
I love and support Cuddle + Kind because they are a company that doesn’t just sell beautiful dolls, they are a company that takes each purchase and does something kind with it. With the purchase of every doll, they donate 10 meals to kiddos in need. Plus, every doll is handcrafted by women artisans in Peru and Nepal, which provides them with a sustainable income. Cuddle + Kind is a beautiful company all around! When you purchase a lovely doll from them, you’ll know your purchase is supporting a great cause. I’ve seen many pictures of families that will add a Cuddle + Kind doll to cute little holiday baskets for their kiddos, and they make great gifts for baby showers, birthdays, and holidays. We have Charlotte the Dog and Lola the Llama, both are well-loved by my daughter. Some other favorites include Henry the Bunny, Eloise the Elephant, Noah the Dog, and Stella the Polar Bear. Definitely check out their site here or check out the ones available on Amazon!
IKEA
When I first became a parent, I never thought of IKEA as a place for children’s playthings. It was a place to get furniture and things for the home. I’ve been an IKEA lover and shopper my whole adult life and I’ve known they had things for kids, but the discovery of everything they have to offer for kids has been so incredibly fun as a mom! Plus everything is a great price, too. Not only can you get playthings from IKEA, but keep in mind the excellent selection of furniture for bedrooms, storage, and playrooms. One-stop shopping… IKEA for the win!
I can’t say enough good things about the IKEA play kitchen. This play kitchen is such a great price compared to other play kitchens available. It’s neutral and simple, so it’s a great addition to families with multiple children. Along with the play kitchen, IKEA sells the cutest play pot and pan set, and a variety of play food. My daughter plays with her play kitchen every day!
The popular IKEA dollhouse is a favorite in so many households. I considered this one before getting the Melissa and Doug Fold & Go dollhouse because it was a great price, and it was neutral to allow for that open-ended play. I went with the Melissa and Doug one simply for the opening garage and door features, as the IKEA dollhouse doesn’t have those. However, I can’t tell you how much flexibility the IKEA dollhouse offers… it’s a good size without being too big and you can customize it any way you want. (Take a look at Etsy, there are so many cute stickers you can buy to customize your IKEA dollhouse.) This dollhouse can also double as a bookshelf! I love the versatility of IKEA finds. Definitely a great dollhouse option that is affordable, open-ended, and gender-neutral!
Another IKEA favorite is the FLISAT collection, especially the children’s table. The table doubles as a flat table for drawing, eating, and crafts, but you can also add storage bins! The extra storage bins underneath (with removable lids on the table) create a space to hold coloring materials, toys, or you can use them as sensory bins. I know families will fill the bins with beads, water, etc. and add little sensory objects for fun play and discovery opportunities for kiddos!
A few more smaller, yet-beloved IKEA playthings we love are the IKEA abacus, the IKEA cash register, and the IKEA train set. The train set is wonderful and versatile, as there are different options you can buy. You can purchase a smaller set, add-ons, or a bigger set with more pieces. It’s a great idea for multiple children to play together! Go ahead and browse the IKEA site here for all of the amazing playthings they offer!
Storage Solutions
With all of these wonderful playthings, you will need a place to display and store them! I will link a few options below for ideas and inspiration.
A popular Montessori-inspired way to display toys is with an open shelf. Having playthings and books displayed on open shelves allows children to see the toys and makes a play space more inviting. When toys are all shoved in a toy box or in those cube boxes, kiddos are less likely to be interested in pulling them out to play with them. I recommend bigger things displayed on a shelf, and you can add baskets or boxes with what I call little “treasure boxes” or “sensory boxes.” That way, little things that have been collected (little keychains, things from the dollar section at Target, random small items that have somehow made their way into your house, etc) can be stored in a box while the bigger, more substantial playthings are displayed on a shelf.
We have a cube shelf like this one for my daughter. You could also do a white shelf like this, or a neutral-colored shelf like this one here. White and neutral colors are nice because they allow for simple, calm, and neutral space for your kiddos.
You can add cubes for storage, like if needing something to hold all those small items in a little “sensory box.” We also have several of these small, woven baskets to hold things like puzzle pieces. A deconstructed puzzle will be displayed on a shelf with the pieces in a little basket next to it. This draws a child into wanting to play with the puzzle, or whatever plaything it may be. It keeps the items together while also separating them for child-led play and discovery.
This child-sized storage activity table has been a huge hit for our daughter (and for mom and dad). If you are wanting an activity table to have in a playroom area or a playspace, I highly recommend getting something with storage. It makes the whole space a hundred times better and more convenient to have a table with storage rather than just a table itself. Again, we have this activity table, which has six open cubby spaces. You can add cubes in the cubby spaces (just like with a cube shelf!) for storage, like for craft and drawing materials, or you can leave them open for storage. Either way, it’s wonderful! We liked this one because it’s also low enough for a child to sit on the ground and use it instead of needing to be in a chair. Like most young kiddos, our daughter gets up and comes and goes frequently, so it’s nice to have her stand if she wants, or sit on the floor or a floor cushion, to snack or draw.
Other storage activity tables that get good reviews include this KidKraft Wooden table and this Melissa and Doug Art and Activity table.
Ah, lots of reading. Lots of ideas! I hope these ideas helped provide some inspiration for your kiddos and your family!
Happy playing!
Lots of love,
Anna
