It’s that time of year where grandparents and other family members are starting to ask for Christmas lists for my kids. As a physical therapist with a passion for pediatrics and early intervention, I am always thinking about toys that serve a purpose in enhancing my children’s development. Toys that are going to be played with long term rather than tossed to the side before the new year even hits. This post is going to hit on the best developmental toys for the 12-24 month age range. In case you missed it, check out our 0-12 month Holiday Toy Guide.
**This post contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own and based upon personal experience.**
12-18 Months:
By one year, those little hands are pulling, grabbing, and twisting. To help develop those fine motor skills that are important for activities like feeding themselves and one day holding a pencil to write and draw, I love Spike The Fine Motor Hedgehog. Your toddler can begin color identification and develop hand eye coordination by inserting the brightly colored quills. Another excellent fine motor toy choice are large Mega Bloks. The big pieces are perfect for little hands to work on stacking together.
Your 12-18 month old is likely on the move or very soon to be! Ride on toys are excellent choices for this age range to help build leg and core strength as they zip across the floor scooting themselves along. Another great fine motor toy option are musical mallet toys like the Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone. Toddlers will enjoy hammering the brightly colored balls through and playing tunes on the xylophone.
Finally, pretend toys like the Little People Animal Farm Set encourage development of pretend play and can reinforce vocabulary in your developing toddler through common objects such as the animals in this set.
18-24 Months
From Top Left Clockwise: Little Tikes First Slide KidKraft Vintage Kitchen iPlay, iLearn Kids Wooden Peg Puzzles Play Set Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond Water Table
As most toddlers approach two, the desire to climb on everything takes off in full force. Indoor/outdoor small slides are perfect for promoting gross motor development and scratching that climbing itch for your little toddler. Pretend play really begins emerging in this age range. Play kitchens are a great toy choice for boys and girls alike in this age range to foster those imaginative skills.
For toddlers, smaller wood peg puzzles such as this iPlay, iLearn Kids Wooden Peg Puzzles Play Set not only promote fine motor skills but help develop cognitive skills beginning to introduce letters and numbers and continuing to build vocabulary through repetition of common objects.
While there are toys that are great for development, it is important to remember the best things you can do for your toddler’s development are free! Reading to your child, talking to your toddler about activities throughout the day, and providing a safe environment for them to actively explore are some of the easiest ways to promote overall development.
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