‘Tis the season…where we spend a whole lot of money on our kids! Christmas can get expensive when you are buying for your kids, spouse, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, friends, teachers…and the list goes on, and on, and on! If you are planning on spending money on your kiddos this year, why not buy a few quality toys that will last and engage them for years to come?!
There are so many options when it comes to toys these days. Walking into any store can make your head spin! And don’t even get me started on online shopping. While I am a huge fan (Amazon Prime anyone?!), it can be extremely overwhelming!
That is why I am bringing you my top picks for your toddler this year. Lets get shopping!
Best Toddler Christmas Gifts
*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying orders at no additional cost to you.
Related: Shopping for a preschooler? Check out the Best Toys For Preschoolers here!
How do you know if your toy is a great buy or not? Here is what I look at before hitting ‘purchase’:
Is it quality?
You can find a less expensive version of many toys out there. But, just because it is cheaper, doesn’t mean it’s a better buy. Compare materials and reviews to see which brand is going to last you longer. Kids can be rough on toys, so go for quality over quantity!
Is it a good sharing toy?
Can more than one child play with it at a time? We are all about sharing and playing together in this household. Very rarely do I pull out toys that can only be used by one kiddo at a time. That is a recipe for disaster with multiple children! Plus, having to share a toy is not only great practice for my sweeties, it also encourages them to be friends instead of just siblings.
Is it open-ended?
The best kind of toys, in my opinion, are toys that are open-ended. Don’t get me wrong, we have our share of toys that are not open-ended, but the playtime with those toys is substantially shorter than with our open-ended toys. Open-ended toys encourage imaginative play, problem solving and working together. This allows my kids to use them over and over in different ways!
Is there a learning element?
Now, I’m not saying that every toy needs to teach the alphabet. There are lots of other ways that a toy can encourage learning! Is it teaching a real life skill? (kitchen set, doctor’s kit, lacing beads) Does it encourage problem solving? (puzzles, Lego Duplo sets, train tracks) Does it provoke curiosity? (books, sensory cards, animal/world maps) Does it encourage creativity? (crayons, stickers, playdoh, paint, stamps) Or, does it provoke the imagination? (blocks, gears, doll house, animal figures, magnetic tiles)
Toys for Toddlers
I’ve separated this toy list into categories to make it easier to navigate. Some toys may fit into more than one category, for the sake of organization, I picked the category I thought those toys best fit into!
Building Toys
I am a huge fan of building toys. The possibilities are, literally, endless!
- Wooden Blocks – Check out our favorite company here!
- Mega Bloks
- Magna-tiles
- Gears
Skill-Based Toys
What better way to work on a new skill than through play? We love to practice fine motor skills and get some letter, number and shape exposure along the way!
Imaginative Play Toys
- Kitchen set and Play Food
- Train table and Train set
- Tool Bench and Tool set
- Doll House
- Cleaning Set
- Doctor’s Kit
- Animal figures – We have a lot of fun with our animal figures!
These toys are essential in our house! I can’t count the number of hours my toddlers have spent pretending to bake food in the play kitchen, setting up intricate train tracks, taking care of each other with the Doctor Kit and cleaning the house. And those animals…oh those animals! These are the most used toys that we have! My kids could spend hours setting up their animals around the house. They use them for EVERYTHING! An absolute must if you ask me!
Arts and Crafts
- Playdoh and shape cutters
- Stickers and a notebook
- Art easel
- Paint and Paint brushes
- Markers and crayons – Here is a great activity to do with those broken crayons!
Put together an arts and crafts basket for your little art lover with crayons, markers, a cute notebook, paint and brushes, and a few sheets of stickers. That would put a smile on any child’s face! Best of all, it’s quick and easy for you!
Travel Toys
- Window clings
- Reusable sticker play
- Water Wow books
- Coloring books and crayons
- Magic Marker books
Know someone who is traveling for the holidays? Put together a cute bag of travel toys for the littles on your list. Their parents will thank you later!
Other gifts
- Kitchen helper
- kid table and chairs
- Kid’s tent
- Sensory table and bins
Best Toddler Books
We absolutely love books. I could do an entire post on them! To keep it short, here are some of our favorites:
National Geographic Kids
Anything Usborne. They have an amazing selection for all ages!
If your kiddos are anything like mine, no matter what you get, they will absolutely love it! I could give each of mine a sheet of stickers and call it a day, and they would be thrilled! Haha! You know your kiddos best, so trust your gut and enjoy the smiles on those sweet faces Christmas morning!
What are you getting your sweeties this year?
Looking for Christmas activities to enjoy this season? Check out my Pattern Block Christmas Tree Activity for some creative fun!
