Hi everyone:). So this is an unusual post for my blog. I usually post recipes from Mediterranean and Latin regions. My children are 5.5 year old boy and 21 months old girl. Thus, I have joined my fair share of mommy groups through the years, with the first one starting back in 2011. Some of those ladies are really good friends of mine and we text daily, even though we have never met each other in person. One of the most common questions in all mommy groups is what are your kids favorite toys? Usually I share few recommendations but I always forget some. So here is a roundup of my kids favorite toys if you are interested.
I’m not affiliated with any of the companies manufacturing these toys. This is an honest review of toys my kids have played with. However, I’m an Amazon Affiliate so if you end up purchasing through any of my links, I might get a small percentage of the sale with no additional cost to you. I would never recommend a toy or product I haven’t personally tried or loved!
1. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Piggy Bank
This toy has withstood 5 years in my house. My son has played with it since he was almost 1 year old and now my daughter plays with it. I think we are missing some of the coins, but the piggy bank still works. My son stopped playing with this toy when he was around 3 year old, but now that his sister is playing with it he sits down with her and tells her the colors of each coin or counts for her. The giggles are just priceless:).
2. Little Tikes Spiralin’ Seas Waterpark Play Table
We bought this table in February, few weeks before my daughter turned one. One of the moms in my daughter’s mommy group recommended it and I thought it would be a perfect first birthday present. My daughter likes to be outdoors so this toy keeps her busy. My son is a little bit tall for this table (it’s supposed to be for toddlers), however he just kneels on the grass and plays with his sister. We have definitely taken advantage of this toy the whole summer!!
My son first started school when he was 3.5 years old. I was a crying hormonal mess that first day, it didn’t help that I had just found out that I was expecting my daughter then. I stayed outside the doors of his classroom and peaked in occasionally through the window. He was having the time of his life!! I hanged around all 3 hours that day. Second day it got better, I left after an hour and so on. His school practiced a Reggio Emilia philosophy where kids learn though play. I ended up buying # 3, 4, and 5 from this list just because my son loved playing with these toys at school. When my niece came over to visit few months later, she fell in love with these magnets too and we bought it for her for Christmas. Every child that comes over for a playdate loves playing with the magnatiles!! I feel that this toy develops their sense of creativity and exploration. I never saw the same design twice.
4. Alphabet Bingo Game
This is such a simple game for kids that helps them recognize letters at an early age. I love that it is versatile, I can play just with my son or several kids when we have family over. It helps kids recognize Upper and Lower case letters while they’re having fun. It’s inexpensive and easy to carry around for picnics or trips so kids don’t get bored.
5. Numbers Bingo Game
Another Bingo game in our favorite toys list! I saw how much my son enjoyed playing with his teachers and classmates in school so that’s why we bought both bingo games. They’re designed specifically for kids, ages 4-8 years old. My son could play this for hours and didn’t even realize that he was learning while playing.
6. Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy
The reason I’m including this toy is that we bought it 4 different times, twice for each kid. I have a love-hate relationship with it. The music will get stuck in your head and you’ll hear the music even when it is not playing hahaha, belive me!!! But if you have a child that is rear-facing and just cries in the car until you get to the destination, this toy is a life saver. My kids didn’t like not being able to see us when we were driving, it was especially difficult when I was by myself. This toy keeps them distracted, it is easy to press the buttons for the music to start. It’s also easy for them to hold. I love that 2 of the melodies are from Mozart and Vivaldi!
16. Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone
This musical toy was a favorite for my kids. It’s multi-functional and durable. It helps with fine motor skills. The version we had for my son was slightly different but doing the same functions and this is exactly what we have for my daughter and she loves it.
17. Slime, All Kinds of Slime
Kids nowadays are love to play with slime. We made it at home few times. It was such a mess. So since then I tend to buy the kits when they go on sale. I feel it keeps my son and his friends busy in following the instructions, they tend to play for hours and at the end it is easier for me to do the cleanup.
super mario AND monopoly? nice!
Joy at The Joyous Living
It’s really the coolest thing!!