I love preschoolers and how eager they are to learn. I taught preschool for 2 years and I have a preschooler of my own so for the past 4 years, I’ve been surrounded by these little people.
If there is one thing I’ve learned about preschoolers, its that they learn best through play. This is why I’ve decided to surround my son with toys that encourage open-ended thinking, help to develop his problem solving skills and teach him about the world around him.
Most of these toys we have in our home, but a few are still on our wish list. My son and I have both used all of these toys at some point in our home, in a classroom, or at the library. So, without further ado, here are my favorite education toys for preschoolers!
1. Magna Tiles
These are at the very top of my wish list for my son! We have played with these at the library and I had them in my preschool classroom when I was a teacher. They encourage open-ended play with endless possibilities of objects to build. While they are a little pricey, I believe they are worth every penny!
2. Bristle Blocks
These are also a great building toy. They are recommended for kids 2 years and older, but my son started loving these at 18 months. They are a great tactile toy for younger kids, as well as great for imaginative play for older preschoolers. This is a toy that will grow with your child.
3. Marble Run
We discovered this toy when my mother-in-law pulled it out of her arsenal of awesome kids toys. Caleb began playing with this before he was 2. However, if your child tends to put things in his or her mouth, you may want to hold off on this until they are older since it uses marbles.
4. Gears
What a great engineer-minded toy this is! Caleb has a small set of these, and is getting more for Christmas. (Shhh!) He loves to build new designs that work together.
5. LEGO
We are a Lego loving family. We have a couple sets of these classic blocks as well as several sets of toys you can create from instructions. My husband was a Lego-fanatic as a child and we have inherited a lot of his sets. My 4 year old has a Lego obsession at the moment and can play with them all afternoon. I’m perfectly fine with this because they are so education. He is learning skills that will help him tell size differences, patterning skills, and patience. Oh the patience!
6. Board Games
We have just started to play board games with Caleb in the past year or so. We both love playing board games. He is learning to take turns, strategy skills, and most importantly that he can’t win every time…a hard thing for a 3 or 4 year old! Some of our favorite board games for this age are Candy Land, Trouble, Sorry, Chutes & Ladders, Connect 4, BINGO, and Memory.
7. Play Doh
Play-Doh is a life saver with young kids! I can set Caleb up at the kitchen table with his tub of Play-Doh and he will be good to go for at least 20 minutes giving me time to unload dishwasher, hang up a load of laundry or sweep the floors. It’s very tactile and good for imaginative play.
8. Puzzles
Caleb has been doing 24-48 piece puzzles since he was about 3 with help from us. Now he can easily do a 24 piece puzzle by himself and can sometimes finish a 48 piece, but occasionally needs a little help. We have accumulated a lot of puzzles over the past couple years from birthday and Christmas gifts. This is also something my husband and I really enjoy doing with Caleb.
9. Wood Blocks
We have a small box full of wooden blocks that Caleb pulls out frequently. He received them when he was 2 as a Christmas gift and has played with them consistently ever since. Our set is multi-colored, so they are not only great to build with, but also good for color recognition, color sorting, patterning, etc.
10. Tinker Toys
Our beloved Tinker Toys. Caleb has been building airplanes, trucks, helicopters, and space ships out of an old set of Tinker Toys at my in-laws house for over a year now. He will finally inherit his very own set this Christmas and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I know these will be a very loved toy at our house!
11. Books
Yes, I did say “Top 10,” but I cannot talk about preschoolers without mentioning books. We have more children’s books than the average family, but I do have a good excuse! I’m a former teacher, my mother is a teacher, my mother-in-law is a professor of education, and my sister-in-law is a former teacher. I’ve accumulated a lot of books over the years and we receive A LOT of books as gifts. While I do tend to weed through them frequently, we still have a large library of books to choose from. Having at least a small selection of children’s books for your preschooler to read on their own is so important. Even more crucial is reading to your child. I encourage you to challenge yourself to read to your child every day. It will truly make a difference in their lives.
What are your favorite educational toys for preschoolers?
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Jeniece says
What a great list! I especially love the gears! That looks really cool and different. We have a few of the bristle blocks and my daughter loves those.
kaitlinstearns@gmail.com says
Thanks, Jeniece! I was a preschool teacher before becoming a stay at home mom and a lot of these were favorites in my classroom that I brought home with me! 🙂 Bristle blocks are one of my son’s favorites as well!
I highly recommend the gears! They keep my 4 year old busy, which is not always easy to do! 🙂