The toys suggested below are generally appropriate for typically developing infants aged birth to six months. Many of these same toys are also suitable for kids who are not developing according to typical milestones, though they may need to be used differently. (For information on selecting or adapting toys for kids with disabilities, see Selecting Toys for Children with Disabilities or visit the National Lekotek Center at www.lekotek.org or www.ableplay.org.) Parents and caregivers must always ensure that any toy they let a child use is safe for that child.

From birth:

• Parents who sing, talk, and read to baby
• Well-secured, unbreakable crib and wall mirrors
• Soft-bodied dolls with faces and without parts (e.g. eyes, hair) that can detach
• Simple stuffed animals without parts (e.g. eyes, hair) that can detach
• Simple hand puppets (to be used by adults) with faces
• Simple mobiles with high contrast design—well-secured and out of baby’s reach
• Music boxes to be operated by adults
• Rhythmic music (e.g. lullabies)

From about six to eight weeks:

• Large sturdy books (e.g. cardboard) with colorful pictures
• Rattles
• Teethers
• Squeeze toys
• Wrist or ankle bells
• Simple crib and play gyms operated by movement of baby’s hands or feet (use only while supervised)

From about four months:

• Toy keys on a secure ring
• Simple interlocking rings
• Texture balls and toys
• Grip balls
• Soft blocks
• Large pictures of faces
• Toys on suction cups
• Toys that make noise
• Floating water toys
• Busy box

Adapted from Martha B. Bronson: The Right Stuff for Children Birth to Eight; Theodosia Sideropoulos Spewock & Jean Warren: Play with Purpose; and other sources.

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.

The toys suggested below are generally appropriate for typically developing babies aged six to twelve months. Many of these same toys are also suitable for kids who are not developing according to typical milestones, though they may need to be used differently. (For information on selecting or adapting toys for kids with disabilities, see Selecting Toys for Children with Disabilities or visit the National Lekotek Center at www.lekotek.org or www.ableplay.org.) Parents and caregivers must always ensure that any toy they let a child use is safe for that child.

• Parents who sing, talk, and read to baby
• Well-secured, unbreakable crib and wall mirrors
• Soft-bodied dolls with faces and without parts (e.g. eyes, hair) that can detach
• Simple stuffed animals without parts (e.g. eyes, hair) that can detach
• Hand puppets (mostly to be used by adults) representing interesting objects or characters
• Play animals or objects (six to eight inches) for exploring and grasping
• Simple vehicles with large wheels for babies to sit in or ride on with supervision
• Teethers
• Beads on rings
• Pop beads
• Squeaky toys
• Sturdy, washable cloth toys
• Disks or keys on ring
• Interlocking rings
• Grasping balls
• Texture & chime balls
• Busy boxes
• Roly-poly toys
• Floating water toys
• Lightweight cloth, wood, or molded blocks (2 to 5 inches per side)
• Simple two- to three-piece puzzles
• Activity boxes or cubes
• Texture pads
• Simple nesting cups
• Simple stacking ring cones
• Safe containers for filling and emptying
• Sturdy, washable picture and rhyme books
• Push or pull toys—cars or animals on wheels
• Secure, age appropriate swings
• Secure, age appropriate climbing platforms
• Music
• Wrist or ankle bells
• Lightweight banging toys (e.g. drum, xylophone, pots & pans, boxes with lids)
• Non-toxic crayons (between 9 and 12 months)
• Canning jar rings

Adapted from Martha B. Bronson: The Right Stuff for Children Birth to Eight; Theodosia Sideropoulos Spewock & Jean Warren: Play with Purpose; and other sources.

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.

The toys suggested below are generally appropriate for typically developing toddlers. Many of these same toys are also suitable for kids who are not developing according to typical milestones, though they may need to be used differently. (For information on selecting or adapting toys for kids with disabilities, see Selecting Toys for Children with Disabilities or visit the National Lekotek Center at www.lekotek.org or www.ableplay.org.) Parents and caregivers must always ensure that any toy they let a child use is safe for that child.

• Parents who sing, talk, and read to their child
• Well-secured, full-length wall mirrors
• Unbreakable hand mirrors
• Large building blocks—cloth, molded, or wood
• Fill and dump toys
• Stacking rings and toys
• Nesting toys
• Toy telephones
• Nonbreakable dishes and other simple housekeeping and work role-playing toys
• Dolls and accessories (no parts that can detach)
• Dressing, lacing, and zippering dolls
• Peg people
• Stuffed and molded animals
• Play scenes
• Pails and shovels
• Funnels, colanders
• Puzzles (3 to 5 pieces)
• Pegboards with a few large pegs
• Large, non-toxic crayons with large paper secured to surface
• Sturdy picture and rhyming books
• Activity boxes
• Pop-up toys
• Simple matching and lotto materials
• Bells & rattles for making music
• Lightweight banging toys (e.g. drum, xylophone, pots & pans, boxes with lids)
• Music for bouncing and “dancing”
• Music for finger-play games and songs
• Ride-on vehicles with large wheels—even better with storage bins
• Bouncing or rocking ride-ons
• Tunnels to crawl through
• Safe swings and climbing platforms
• Balls, balls, balls—different sizes, different textures

Adapted from Martha B. Bronson: The Right Stuff for Children Birth to Eight; Theodosia Sideropoulos Spewock & Jean Warren: Play with Purpose; and other sources.

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.

The toys suggested below are generally appropriate for typically developing two-year-olds. Many of these same toys are also suitable for kids who are not developing according to typical milestones, though they may need to be used differently. (For information on selecting or adapting toys for kids with disabilities, see Selecting Toys for Children with Disabilities or visit the National Lekotek Center at www.lekotek.org or www.ableplay.org.) Parents and caregivers must always ensure that any toy they let a child use is safe for that child.

· Balls of various sizes

• Blocks, blocks, blocks! (of various sizes)
• Boxes and containers of various sizes that encourage filling and emptying
• Cars, trucks, planes, trains—anything that rolls
• Climbing toys
• Craft materials like large paper, non-toxic markers, paint, and glue
• Crayons (large size)
• Dolls and accessories
• Drums
• Felt and other fabrics for crafts
• “Fix it” tools and workbench for toddlers
• Gardening tools for toddlers
• Kitchen toys and toy appliances
• Mirrors (no glass—make sure they cannot break)
• Musical instruments—simple ones like xylophones and tambourines
• Nesting toys
• Paint brushes (large) and sponges for painting
• Parents who sing, talk, and read to their child
• Play dough or non-toxic modeling clay
• Puzzles (simple ones, ideally with knobs for manipulating the pieces)
• Riding toys
• Sandbox and sand toys (sifters, shapers)
• Shape sorters
• Shopping carts for toddlers and related “shopping” toys
• Stacking toys
• Stuffed animals and dolls
• Water toys

Adapted from Irene Helen Zundel: Toys for Two Year Olds and other sources.

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.

The toys suggested below are generally appropriate for typically developing three-year-olds. Many of these same toys are also suitable for kids who are not developing according to typical milestones, though they may need to be used differently. (For information on selecting or adapting toys for kids with disabilities, see Selecting Toys for Children with Disabilities or visit the National Lekotek Center at www.lekotek.org or www.ableplay.org.) Parents and caregivers must always ensure that any toy they let a child use is safe for that child.

• Balls
• Beanbags
• Blocks (large and small for building)
• Blunt scissors
• Boxes (different sizes)
• Brushes for painting
• Bubble-blowing materials
• Clay
• Clothespins (adult size)
• Costume box (containing adult clothing, purses, hats, shoes, jewelry, scarves, etc.)
• Crayons (large size)
• Doll furniture (carriage, high chair, bed, etc.)
• Dolls (all kinds)
• Fingerpaints
• Games (lotto, matching, dominoes, etc.)
• Hand puppets (all kinds)
• Housekeeping toys (dust mop, broom, mop, ironing board, iron, stove, refrigerator, sink, etc.)
• Jungle gyme
• Large beads for stringing (strings should have rigid tips)
• Musical instruments (rhythm sticks, bells, drum, castanets, rattle, triangle, etc.)
• Parents who sing, talk, and read to their child
• Pegboards with large pegs in a variety of colors
• Pencils
• Plastic dishes and assorted cooking utensils
• Playdough
• Puzzles
• Riding vehicles (dump truck, car, etc.)
• Rocking horse
• Sandbox
• Sand toys (sifter, scoops, pail, small containers, spoons, funnels, etc.)
• Screw toys
• Seesaw
• Shape sorting box
• Slide
• Stuffed animals
• Swing set
• Table and chair (child-size)
• Tape deck and tapes
• Toy airplanes, trains, trucks, boats, cars, etc.
• Toy telephone
• Tricycle
• Wagon
• Water toys (sponges, sieves, soap, egg beaters, plastic containers, funnels, straws, measuring cups, etc.)
• Wheelbarrow
• Wooden or rubber vehicles (cars, trucks, boats, fire engines, etc.)

Adapted from Play with Purpose by Theodosia Sideropoulos Spewock and Jean Warren. Published by Brighter Vision Publications, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada: 2000. Pages 8-9.

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.

The toys suggested below are generally appropriate for typically developing four-year-olds. Many of these same toys are also suitable for kids who are not developing according to typical milestones, though they may need to be used differently. (For information on selecting or adapting toys for kids with disabilities, see Selecting Toys for Children with Disabilities or visit the National Lekotek Center at www.lekotek.org or www.ableplay.org.) Parents and caregivers must always ensure that any toy they let a child use is safe for that child.

• Balls
• Beads for stringing
• Beanbag games
• Brushes and paints
• Bubble-blowing materials
• Building blocks
• Cars, trucks, boats, trains, airplanes, etc.
• Child’s tape recorder
• Child-size musical instruments
• Child-size workbench and vise
• Clay
• Climbing equipment
• Construction toys
• Cooking set, child-size kitchen appliances
• Doctor and nurse kit
• Dollhouse
• Dolls and doll furniture
• Dominoes
• Dress-up box
• Finger paints
• Housekeeping toys
• Jump rope
• Lacing card, lacing shoe
• Large appliance boxes
• Large crayons
• Memory games
• Nesting toys
• Parents who sing, talk, and read to their child
• Puppets
• Puzzle
• Sand toys
• Simple card games
• Stencils for tracing
• Toys for water play
• Tricycle
• Wagon
• Wheelbarrows

Adapted from Play with Purpose by Theodosia Sideropoulos Spewock and Jean Warren. Published by Brighter Vision Publications, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada: 2000. Page 39.

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.

The toys suggested below are generally appropriate for typically developing six- to eight-year-olds. Many of these same toys are also suitable for kids who are not developing according to typical milestones, though they may need to be used differently. (For information on selecting or adapting toys for kids with disabilities, see Selecting Toys for Children with Disabilities or visit the National Lekotek Center at www.lekotek.org or www.ableplay.org.) Parents and caregivers must always ensure that any toy they let a child use is safe for that child.

• Dolls—washable and with culturally relevant features and skin tones
• Doll clothing and accessories
• Cash registers and play money
• Puppets and simple puppet theater
• Play scenes
• Small people, animals, and vehicles for acting out stories
• Parents who sing, talk, and read to their children
• Books: different genres to read aloud, for kids to read silently, for kids to make
• Crayons, markers, colored pencils, chalk, and paint
• Art supplies: scissors, paper, glue, glitter, paint brushes
• Craft materials: looms, fabric, beads, plaster of paris, sewing supplies, weaving materials, jewelry making materials
• Book making materials
• Clay
• Musical instruments
• Music for singing and dancing
• Audiovisual and technology tools
• Replicas of cars and other vehicles
• Construction workbench with child-sized tools and real materials
• Math manipulatives
• Measuring materials
• Science materials
• Plants and animals to study and care for
• Puzzles: three dimensional and jigsaw (50 to 100 pieces)
• Balls and sports equipment
• Ride-on toys, including bicycles
• Climbing toys

Adapted from Martha B. Bronson: The Right Stuff for Children Birth to Eight; and other sources.

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.