Timeless Toys
The holidays are around the corner and I’ve been thinking a lot about toys and gift giving. As I’ve gotten older and grown with my children my thoughts on toys have changed. The old saying “quality over quantity” has started to mean more to me and is constantly put at the forefront of my mind due to our continuous city dwelling and space limitations. Thus, I’ve started to limit the toys that come into the house and try to avoid poorly made toys in an effort to find toys that will serve a purpose for all of our kids and perhaps even future generations. Of course, we have some Barbies and a hundred Matchbox cars we don’t always follow suit but my preference is for toys that are sustainable and will grow with our kids . My kids may want some flashy toy they see on a commercial but the truth is they have much more fun using their imagination and building worlds with the toys that they already have. As they get older I’m excited that we can start to focus on some experience type gifts but if you are still in the stage of toy collection or need a gift for a child in your life read on for my TAKE on my top ten (ok maybe eleven) favorite timeless toys.
Maileg Mice - These are the most adorable, well made and whimsical mice. Perfect for little hands and imaginative play. A store near our house carries them and out oldest got her first when she mastered potty training. There are sister, brother, baby, tooth fairy, cowboy, race car and grandparent mice…truly something for everyone and most often packaged in little boxes.
Schleich Animals - We started collecting these life-like animals at our son’s first birthday and haven’t stopped since. They are durable, the details are impeccable and there a hundreds of different breeds. Perfect for creating imaginary zoos, farms and safaris for your animal lover as well as practice with counting and sorting. I often stash them into stockings at Christmas or a backpack when traveling.
Magna-Tiles or Tegu Wooden Blocks - All of my kids love to build and magnetic tiles or blocks make it especially easy. I bring these toys out on rainy days and they will spend hours creating homes for their Schleich animals. Both of these sets have held up well, store easily and are a great gift to receive from grandparents. Companion sets are offered as well - we just received the 2 piece car set as a birthday gift and it has been a favorite new addition.
A Dollhouse or Fire Station - Pretend play is so important and I’m huge proponent for some sort of wooden dollhouse, fire station, space ship or parking garage etc… to help accommodate. These toys may take up a bit of space but one of these is a great investment and can easily be used with subsequent children and provide hours of fun during a play date. My son would have loved this parking garage!
A Play Kitchen - Play kitchens are such a great investment - they offer years and years of entertainment. We have a timeless wooden white version but I love all of the modern designs. With the absence of a toy room, I’m 100% of the mindset that if toys are going to take up space in my home, I want them to be appealing looking and luckily play kitchens have come a long way. We got our kitchen when our oldest was young but have added onto our food and bakeware collection with our younger kids. Melissa & Doug and Pottery Barn Kids make some of my favorite food and cookware products on the market. This tea kettle matches mine has been a hit for years! And if you get a kitchen one year adding a shopping car the next year is really an amazing gift. There are great wooden and metal versions available!
Musical Instruments - These are always really nice to have around especially to see how music interests change and expand over time. I have one kid that is really into music but all of them took music classes when young and loved this Band-in-A Box play set. The older kids also really enjoy playing with Ukuleles.
Balance Bike - In my experience balance bikes can be hit or miss depending on the kid but the younger they start off on them the better. My son loved his and in part due to his experience with his balance bike was able to pick up riding on a two-wheeler faster than his older sister. They aren’t necessarily to be used for long distances but are great for quick rides to the park or in the back yard.
Scooter - This is a great investment for all especially if you are in a city. All of our kids were scooting by age 2 and this Micro Kickboard-Mini scooter is my absolute favorite. It’s so durable, height adjustable and easy for the kids to steer and is easy to dismantle if you want to travel with it. We have a Deluxe version as well for when the kids hit the 5 and older age range and again are impressed by the product. We are pretty adamant about the kids wearing helmets along with their scooters and have been really impressed with the Little Nutty helmet by Nutcase. This helmet is a good example of where design and craftmanship can come together to make the perfect product. It is so durable and easily adjusted that it has worked for subsequent children.
Doctor Play set - I’m really a fan of all sorts of pretend play Doctor sets are my favorite. Perhaps I’m nostalgic for the Fisher Price version of my youth. This Doctor suitcase is awesome i.e. wooden and well designed and can entertain my children for hours. Plus it encourages them to play together.
Stroller - I would argue that a stroller can really be a universal toy but I’m speaking from experience when I say, stay away from a plastic version. Our plastic stroller didn’t make it past our oldest and now we have a buggy that is often used to cart around dolls, stuffed animals, trains and cars! It’s holding up much better than our first purchase.
Train Set - A train set is perhaps the perfect unisex toy that allows for hour of building and pretend play. We started out collecting pieces with our oldest and have continued to add on pieces through our third child. The train set often comes out during the winter months and is such a hit that it requires serious negotiation skills for it to be put away.
I want to also call out that some of my personal favorites like LEGO and American Girl didn’t make the cut. It’s not because my kids don’t play with these toys and love them…I left them off because I think they aren’t for everyone and can take up a lot of space! But they do hold up extremely well and can be played with for years! No matter what toys the kids in your life are into, perhaps the key to making the toys hold interest and last for years is to rotate toys in and out of their path of sight.
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