Rocks in my Dryer is hosting a themed Works for Me this week. She’s asking us to list our best toys for children. Those toys that in our experience stand the test of time, age, and use. Here are my picks:
Magnetiles: These have to be the best toy ever. I have had children from age 3 to age 14 play with these. No kidding! My 4 year old loves them. He will make houses, forts, dog houses, you name it. We have some little tiny toy dogs that he uses when he plays with Magnetiles and he will literally spend and hour or two playing. On the other end of the age scale, I have found Mr 13 and his middle-school friends having a great time building with these also. Highly reccomend!
Thomas the Tank Engine trains: These are wildly popular with my boys from age 2 to about age 9. As they get older, they love to lay complicated tracks down for the younger siblings. They are durable, imaginative, and offer a lot of fun. They are expensive…but very worth it.
Legos: These are wonderful! My boys (all of them ages 4-13) play with these. The younger ones use the Lego Preschool sets and the olders use the *very* complicated large sets that take literally hours and days to build. Well worth the time and money!
Books: Books are some of our favorite things here at the Amblin household. We have bookcases in almost every room, except the bathrooms (and one of them has a magazine rack! LOL) There are wonderful and terrific books out there for children. So many it’s hard to pick a few to list here. One of my favorites is Something From Nothing. Any book by Jan Brett is wonderful! And of course, there’s always Harry Potter!
Finally, Melissa & Doug puzzles and games are the best. We have quite a few and they have been great for our children when they are between 2 and 6. Quality wooden puzzles that LAST. One of our favorites is Memory Fun. This is a concentration type game that we have used in our home in many ways. We’ve used it for memory help, for speech therapy, for matching work, etc.
If you want to see more Best Toys for Children, visit Rocks in My Dryer.
You have 4 boys and I have 3 girls, and I would have recommended the same things exactly! Clearly these toys work for both genders and a wide range of ages and abilities. Great list!