Top 10 Toys to Have in Your Home!!!
Have you ever been in the toy isle of a store (if you’re like me, this means Homegoods or TJ Max) and thought to yourself, “What toy should I get my child?” or “What toy would be the most ‘educational’ or best for their development?”
Well, you are not alone!! Below are what myself and many others consider to be some of the top 10 best toys to have in your house to encourage the speech, language, and social development of your child!!
Blocks: Do your kids enjoy stacking blocks only to knock them down? Did you know that this simple construction and destruction actually helps to teach your kids the simple concept of cause and effect?! Blocks can also be used to target:
fine motor skills (simply putting the blocks together) and gross motor skills (building a small wall to jump over)
sorting (size, color, shape)
counting & simple math (2 greens blocks pushed together are the same as one blue block)
prepositions (on, off, over, under
combining words to make phrases (big block, little block, red block)
Bubbles: Who doesn’t love bubbles?? I know I do! My personal favorite are the Gymboree bubbles in a Fubbles No-Spill Tumbler (it really is NO SPILL!!!). Bubbles are the perfect way to practice a variety of things:
oral motor skills (lip puckering, blowing)
turn-taking
directions (up, down)
other concepts (wet, dry)
fine motor skills (popping with one finger, holding and blowing the bubbles)
gross motor skills (reaching, stretching).
Wooden Puzzles: This is by far one of my favorite things to use during my speech sessions!! Wooden puzzles are not only durable, but they are also easier for children to manipulate. They can come in different forms to include large knobs, tiny knobs, chunky pieces, and even magnetic poles; all of which target your child’s fine motor skills. My favorite puzzles tend to be the ones with sounds or doors (farm animals, modes of transportation, etc.). Puzzles are excellent ways to teach your child:
vocabulary
early speech sound combinations (animal or environment sounds)
concepts such as counting, shapes, colors
prepositions (in, out, on, off, up down)
turn taking or pretend play (driving a car, taking turns catching fish with the magnetic pole).
Play Kitchen and Play Food: This is another personal favorite as you can do SOOO much with a play kitchen and play food! Keep a look out for next weeks blog post specifically about play kitchens and language development!
Here are just some of the ways you can use a play kitchen and food:
Vocabulary: food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains), labeling (apple, oven, sink), verbs (wash, stir, chop, cook, serve)
turn taking & pretend play: serving a meal to one another, feeding a stuffed animal or doll, preparing a meal, pretending to shop at the grocery store, etc.
descriptive terms: size of the food, texture they are or might be, etc.
prepositions (in, out, under, etc.)
phrase and sentence building: “cut the bread”, “wash the orange”, etc.
sequencing: following a recipe together (mix together, pour in pan, bake it in the oven, etc.)
Farm, Animal Sets, Little People Sets: PRETEND PLAY!!!! Having some of these simple play sets can help those children who may struggle with functional/pretend play & joint attention. Play sets like this can help work on:
early speech sounds (animal sounds)
pretend play (riding a horse, running through a field)
more spontaneous phrases, sentences, and conversation(e.g., “Hello horse, what do you want to do today?)
social skills (farewells, greetings, simple conversational turn-taking, etc.)
Board Books: Books are always one of the best things you can use to build your child’s language and vocabulary! Board books are nice because they are more durable than paperback if your child is at all rough on them. Sometimes, you don’t need to read the story line for line, but point out a variety of objects and pictures throughout the book or have your child verbally describe what they are seeing on each page. Don’t be afraid to read the same books over and over again! You work on:
joint attention skills by having your child sit and focus on a common activity with you
prediction by knowing or stating what is going to happen next
descriptive language (colors, shapes, animals, size, common objects, etc.)
phrase and sentence building: “caterpillar eats”, etc.
sequencing
Sensory Play: Sensory play can sometimes be messy, but it is an excellent way to work on sensory development and language at the same time! You can use sand/water tables, a bucket of beans, water beads, finger paint, shaving cream, and the less messy option of squishy toys/wind-up toys. Sensory activities can be used with a variety of ages and can target:
verbs: dig in the sand, splash in the water, pour the sand, water, or beans!
cause/effect: “If I flip the bucket the beans fall out”
coordination: digging with a shovel, etc.
descriptive terms: big, small, smooth, bumpy, slimy, wet, etc.
prediction: “If I drop a block in the water will it float or sink?”
phrases/sentences & requesting: more shaving cream, scoop the beans, find the pig
I love to use a bucket of beans to hide wooden puzzle pieces, blocks, and other toys because it targets sensory needs, as well as, vocabulary and language. Water beads can be used similarly and are great with foam puzzle pieces!
Play Dough: Not only is play dough another great tool for sensory play, but you can work on a variety of language skills:
vocabulary: verb actions (roll, push, squeeze, cut, squish, etc.), colors, texture (squishy)
requesting: “Can I have the roller?”, “Can I have the blue play dough?”
pretend play: cooking (make a pizza, cookies, or cakes), animal play (snakes, snails)
conversational turn-taking and social language: make a telephone and talk to each other, tic-tac-toe board with play dough
Try some edible play dough or watch your kids so they don’t eat it!
Puppets: Puppets are excellent for pretend/imaginative play and social skills!! You can use silly voices, feed the puppets using play foods, Legos, blocks, or even early speech sounds! This activity can easily target:
joint attention
requesting: “feed the bear”
verbs (jump, sleep, hide, eat, etc.),
conversational turn-taking/social interactions
Puppets are one of the best tools to get spontaneous requests, conversation, and responses from you children!
Movement Games: Get your child up and moving to let out a little wiggly energy and to continue to encourage that language development! Use things like bowling games, bean bag tosses, and even simple obstacle courses made from things around your house (go under a chair, walk the line of the tile, hope from one tile to the other, jump over the pillow, etc.). You can encourage your child to:
requests (e.g., “I want ball”, “my turn”, “roll it", “throw it”, etc.)
turn-taking with you or another peer
social skills: wait patiently, social encouragement (“I hope you hit the pins!”)
spontaneous phrases/sentences: comments throughout the activity
Fun tip: ALWAYS narrate what you are doing to your child throughout your entire day (cooking, shopping, driving, walking outside, etc.). Don’t be afraid to incorporate sensory play into your day. Sometimes simple toys are the best!! You don’t need flashing lights or sounds/songs to encourage imaginative play, joint attention, etc.
See my previous blog posts on joint attention and functional/pretend play!!
Disclosure: I am not making money or profit off of the suggested items listed in this blog post.
