Recommended Gifts - Preschoolers

Gather everyone around for a traditional "hot potato" game with a twist.  This classic game now comes with a hilarious interactive potato that plays music and includes several silly phrases that children can't resist. Guaranteed to get your kids moving and laughing together.

Give the gift of creativity, fine motor skill development, problem-solving, and endless imagination. This 500 Piece sturdy, colorful set keeps children occupied (screen-free) for hours and is a terrific way to spend quality time together. Makes necklaces, bracelets, rings -- and your child can pop them apart and make them into something else whenever they're ready! 

• Reusable: Make It, Wear It, Remake It, And Wear It Again. You Can B. Pop-Arty With This Fully Reusable Jewelry Kit.
• Disney 2010 Family fun Toy Of The Year; T.O.Y.) Award Winner (13 Out Of 500)

4 to 7 year olds just love this wonderful cooperative game! Teaches basic logic, develops decision-making and memory skills.  And it doesn't take too long to play!

Every preschooler needs a doctor kit.  Why? Because all children have medical appointments during which their body is touched, poked, prodded and sometimes hurt by doctors and nurses.  We know this is to help our child stay healthy, but it often doesn't feel good to children.  Playing with a doctor kit allows the child to "work through" those feelings and overcome any related fears.  It also helps us as parents prepare our child for doctor appointments.  

(Note: The Melissa and Doug kit does not have a blood pressure cuff. It does have a white lab coat. I used to recommend the Fisher-Price Doctor Kit but it has been on lists of toys with high toxin levels, so I have removed it from my website.)

This floor game is a fun way to get your child to move their body while also practicing directions, colors, shapes, and numbers. 

This stuffy comes with a surprise in her belly, 4 little baby unicorn kittens.  Great toy for role playing parent/child dynamics and power struggles through imaginary role play. 

Excellent for familiarity with letters, especially learning to spell your child's name.  Join in the fun by creating new words and short sentences side by side for role modeling to your child.  

This is great for "about to be big sibs."  Show your little one how to gently handle the baby by pretend playing and practicing.  Baby comes in blue or pink, Asian, African American, Caucasian.  

Sturdy puppet theater inviting for entertaining, creative performances helping build kid's confidence. Encourages storytelling and creative expression in kids! 

Colorful capes and masks for girls, designed for moving, playing, dancing and creative expression.  

Sharp enough to cut most food, but won't cut skin.  Encourages participation in the kitchen to foster a love of cooking and healthy eating. Safe and toxin-free for little hands. Invite your little one into the kitchen to become a little helper!  

Hearing protection for kids that’s perfect for sporting events, airplanes, concerts, fireworks and life's everyday loud noises. This is especially terrific for sensory-sensitive kids. Adjustable, soft head band and cushioned ear cups create a comfortable fit from toddler to teen. 

Fun symbols and pictures cover every card in a Spot It! deck, making it the perfect game for family game night.  Spot It! helps develop focus, visual perception skills, speech-language skills, and fine motor skills. Players of all ages will enjoy the engaging, tactile gameplay.

Nothing beats a family trip to the zoo with your preschooler to learn about different types of animals together as a connection activity.  Gift your child this elephant family with two or more tickets to the zoo to connect, talk, and explore together! 

This is a great building set that encourages your child to think critically and use problem solving skills while they create their own set ups.  This set is designed so that kids as young as four can use it independently, once you get them started. Great for brain development!

Puppets are invaluable to act out scenarios with children, from planned separations to potty training. Every home needs a "parent and child" puppet set to facilitate these "stories" and these owls are plush, adorable, and non-gendered.

These are sweet fairy dolls that are great for encouraging imaginative, open-ended pretend play. 

The Air Hover Soccer Ball is the perfect way to get your kids to move their bodies. The ball works inside or out and easily glides over any smooth surface. That means your child can turn any floor into a soccer or air hockey field! Does not mark up your walls and the hover effect is fascinating for kids.

Every toddler and preschooler should have at least one wooden block set in their toy collection. (My kids used them until middle school). These blocks invite hours of open-ended play. They are also a wonderful way to develop creativity and math concepts. 

One of my favorite toys for preschoolers, the award-winning Magna Tiles are great for open-ended imaginative play, while also laying the foundation for math skills!  Each tile edge is magnetized so you can connect them to each other to build anything you can imagine. Invented by a Japanese mathematics teacher who wanted to create a better hands-on experience for children learning geometric concepts.

Kids love playhouses and they are great to have indoors.  You can make one yourself from cardboard, of course. But sometimes it's worth it just to set up a pre-made playhouse and start them playing.  I love that these come ready for kids to draw on and decorate.  Even if you reinforce with duct tape (often a good idea, especially for a birthday party or rambunctious three year olds), you can cut the duct tape when you're done, fold it up, and store it.  Pull it out again in a couple of months for another round of imaginative play.  

This is one of my favorite toys for toddlers and preschoolers.  They cook, play house and restaurant, serve each other food, and pack bundles of food to run away to the forest. Cutting the food is so satisfying.

This set contains eight pieces of wooden food, a cutting board and a wooden knife. Food makes a fun CRUNCH sound when sliced. With 25 pieces, it's also a great way to introduce the concepts of part, whole and fractions. Comes in wooden box with slide-on lid. 

Age recommendation:  Some 18 month olds are ready for this kit, some aren't.  It will depend on whether they're likely to put small pieces in their mouths.  Older toddlers will love it, as will preschoolers.

Another terrific Melissa & Doug toy! This toy will grow with your child, beginning with fitting the shapes, proceeding to learning numbers, and eventually to understanding how to tell time.

Dollhouses are terrific for imaginative play. They're wonderful to help kids play out the emotions related to family issues ("Whoops....the pterodactyl just carried off the baby...too bad") and parents can even use them to initiate that kind of play. And many kids simply love them. 

This is a fun cooperative game that focuses on the play while practicing strategies and problem solving! 

These balance stepping stones are a fun physical activity for kids! They practice balancing skills, jumping, and creativity. They can also be used inside or out.

The cash register is a wonderful addition to pretend play. Not only will your child practice recognizing and using US money, they can also practice math skills while engaging in open-ended, creative play.

This is such a fun game that gets the whole family moving! Players must imagine the floor is molten hot lava, while spinning the color wheel to jump to the right foam pieces to reach safety. This family game promotes physical activity, an active imagination, and engaging excitement for kids and adults -- and gets everyone laughing. Best with 2 to 6 players, ages 5 years old and up.

This extra large water drawing doodling mat encourages hours of creativity your kids will love!

Does your child jump on the couch? All kids need to jump. Kids with sensory issues especially need to jump. This trampoline will fit into any living room to give children a safe place to jump. I like this trampoline because it is has six legs instead of four, which makes it sturdier and safer. The springs are covered by a oversize pad to keep little feet safe. Of course, parental supervision is still essential.

This balance bucket set is a fun way for your kids to move their bodies while promoting gross motor skills, balance and coordination. 

The ooze tube is a great calming tool for all ages of children (and adults too!). 
 

The Anti-Nausea Seaband is a wonderful remedy for kids who get motion sickness. Your child can use the band in the car, on a plane, or on a boat. 

Breathe Like a Bear is a beautiful way to teach your child breathing techniques for self-regulation. The practices can be used anytime, anywhere and will help calm and also energize your child. 

Does your child chew on his collar or sleeve when he gets anxious or excited? The solution is chewable necklaces! These necklaces provide needed sensory input and are also fun to wear.

Every child needs a child-sized table and chairs for drawing, building and working on projects.  If you keep it in or near the kitchen, your child can be near you but happily absorbed in his own "work."  Toddlers and preschoolers also prefer eating at child-sized tables instead of on booster seats or in high chairs, so if your child is eating without you, a child-sized table is usually a better option. This kind of table is also great if your child has a bedtime snack while you read their bedtime story. When my son was small, we had one in his bedroom and one near the kitchen, and used them both daily.

Kinetic sand is a wonderful sensory activity that kids can play with inside or out. Watch your child's creativity spark as they enjoy hours of open-ended play.

All kids need sensory play! And if you have a child who craves tactile experience -- Are you constantly trying to stop her from touching everything? -- she NEEDS a way to get her hands into textures. Solution: A play table to keep messy play contained.

Note: This table has a space for both sand and water, which allows kids to mix them. I love that, because it makes the sand the right texture to build castles. For cleanup, just drain the water, let the sand dry, and put the sand back into its own side. You can also put sand on both sides, water on both sides, or introduce other sensory objects like shaving cream, small animals, ice, pasta or beans.

Here's a great link from "Play-At-Home-Mom" with lots of ideas for using sensory tables:
http://www.playathomemomllc.com/2011/10/sensory-bintableplay/

If your child loves to spin, this wheel is a great safe way to give your child that spinning input he craves, while building core muscular strength and stability.

If you have a sensory seeking, restless child who has a hard time self-soothing to sleep, this may change your life. Weighted blankets can be terrific to calm kids who need that extra security, but they sometimes have a way of sliding off a restless child. This wrap slips over the mattress like a pillow case, so it can't come off. 

Kids love to paint, and like all art, it's therapeutic. These cups make painting very easy on the parents. The screw on lid will not accidentally come off, so spills are eliminated. And because the seal is airtight, the paint can be left in the cups without drying out! That means you can buy paint in cheaper large bottles, pour smaller amounts into the cups, and eliminate the chore of washing the cups in between. You can just leave the easel set up, with a splash mat under it, and painting becomes no big deal. Set of four, with colored lids (red, green, yellow, blue).

Every child needs an easel. This one is well-built, with great features.

Every child needs a padded Tumbling Mat. It can be unfolded to allow rambunctious play inside. It fosters motor skills. It keeps kids busy in physical play, so they sleep better. Babies can use it to learn to crawl and walk, toddlers, preschoolers and older to roughhouse and practice tumbling and gymnastics.

Help your little one listen to audio books while you're busy with their sibling. Builds imagination, autonomy, and love of books, and you never have to worry about screen-intake.

This sensory sock is the perfect place for your preschooler to relax and get the sensory feedback they need. 

Crawling and tunnel play are excellent for muscle and motor skill development in toddlers and children. Tunnels lead to hours of fun and physical play! This tunnel collapses flat for easy storage and portability.

This 3lb Lap Pad helps your kids stay calm and less anxious.

Preschoolers are free to express their creativity with this amazing sensory material.

These fidget boodles are so fun to manipulate and provide much needed sensory and tactile stimulation.

Encourage endless creativity in your kids with this writing and drawing pad! Erase and start again or lock the screen so there's no accidental deletion. A great way to be creative without wasting paper!

An organized play area makes it easier for kids to choose which toys to play with and can lead to a more peaceful family dynamic! This toy storage can make organizing your child's toys easy to do and easy for them to see and choose the toy they want to play with.