Play Time Is All About Fun - Toys for Kids by Age and Stage

Published by Savannah Lloyd,



We all had at least one favourite toy while we were growing up? No matter it was a plushy, a doll or a plastic solder this was your favourite toy and you loved it more than anything in the world. But, what we don't know is how this certain toy (and the other as well) have affected your development. Over the years, toys continue to improve the skills and abilities kids need to prepare them for real life. When it comes to children play toys, safety is something you should always have in mind. And safety means to buy toys that are appropriate for children's stages of development and their abilities. As we dive into the list of suggested toys keep in mind that each child develops at an individual pace. This means that the items listed below can be good choices for kids who are older or younger than the suggested age range, of course as long as they are safe.


Toys for babies through six months - Babies prefer bright colours and faces. They really enjoy looking at the people constantly following them with their eyes. They also can reach things and be amazed by what their hands and feet can do. They turn their head and put things in mount. So, what are childrens play toys that are appropriate for infants?

  • Things to look at like pictures of faces hung somewhere where the baby can see them or unbreakable mirrors.
  • Things they can reach for, suck on, hold, make noise with, shake such as large rings, rattles, squeeze toys, soft dolls, teething toys, vinyl and board books and textured balls.
  • Things to listen to such as books with nursery poems and rhymes, lullabies and simple songs.


Toys for older infants - 7 to 12 months - Babies in this age stage are movers. They go from rolling over to sitting, bouncing, scooting, pulling themselves up, creeping and standing. They understand some common words and their own names and also they can identify body parts, put things in and out and find hidden objects.

  • Things to play pretend with like puppets, baby dolls, water toys, plastic and wood vehicles.
  • Things to take out and drop like large beads, nesting toys, balls and plastic bowls.
  • Things to build with such as wooden cubes and large soft blocks.
  • Things to use their large muscle including push and pull toys, large balls, soft, low things to crawl over.


Toys for one-year-olds - Kids in their first age can walk and some of them can even climb stairs. They like stories, can play with other kids and say their first words. They are little researchers who like to experiment but they still need an adult to keep them safe.
  • Recordings with simple stories, songs, pictures and rhymes.
  • Board books with photographs of real objects or simple illustrations.
  • Things they can create things with like washable, non-toxic markers, large paper and crayons.
  • Things to pretend with such as dolls and doll beds, toy phones, strollers and baby carriages, puppets, dress-up accessories, plastic animals, stuffed toys, plastic and wood vehicles.
  • Things to build with like wood and cardboard blocks.
  • Things for using their small and large muscles like large pegboards, puzzles, toys with parts that do things and small and large balls.


Toys for two-year-olds - Toddlers are using language super easy and fast and have some sense of danger. But they still do a lot of testing like climbing, jumping from heights, rolling, hanging by their arms. They have good hand and finger control and enjoy playing with small objects.

  • Things for solving problems like wood puzzles objects to sort, things with snaps, buckles and buttons, blocks that snap together.
  • Things for building and pretending like smaller transportation toys, blocks, construction sets, dress-up clothes, child-sized furniture, dolls with accessories, water and sand play toys.
  • Things to create with such as large, washable non-toxic markers and crayons, fingerpaint, large paintbrushes, large paper for painting and drawing, toddler-sized scissors, rhythm instruments.
  • Picture books with more details.
  • DVD and CD players with different music.
  • Things for using their small and large muscles such as small and large balls for throwing and kicking, ride-on equipment, tunnels, hammering and pounding toys, low climbers with soft material underneath.


Toys for three-to-six-year-olds - At this age stage kids talk a lot and ask a lot of questions. They share toys with other kids, like to experiment and they like to play with friends but they don't like to lose.
  • Things for solving problems like puzzles, smaller objects to sort by length, shape, width, height, colour, quantity, smell and other features. Plastic lids and bowls, counting bears, keys.
  • Things for building and pretending like blocks for building complex structures, transportation toys, child-sized furniture, construction sets, sand and water toys.
  • Things to create with like small and large crayons and markers, small and large paintbrushes and fingerpaint, coloured construction paper, chalkboard and large and small shalk, playdough and modelling clay, modelling tools, scarps for collage, instruments.
  • Picture books with more details and words.
  • CD and DVD players with different music.
  • Things for using their muscles, large and small like balls for kicking and catching/throwing, ride-on equipment including taller climbers, tricycles, tunnels, wagons, targets and things to throw at them, workbench with a hammer, vise, saw and nails.