We try to be intentional about the stuff we bring into our house. We love exchanging gifts, but we also believe having too many things is not healthy for our family or our world. That is why we carefully consider just what kind of toys and other gifts we purchase for our kids. Our hope is that we can select items that our kids (and even us adults) will use in play over and again. Some toys have surprised us with their staying power, while other carefully selected toys have not stood up to the test of time. Today, we are sharing our approach to picking toys that remain part of our kids playtime years later, and we are also sharing a quick list of our kids’ favorite toys.
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How We Pick Toys with Staying Power
When choosing toys for our children, we hope that they will last beyond that initial rush of excitement. Sometimes we choose well, and some gifts do not become favorite toys. We have the best luck when we stick to two principles.
- We choose tough toys: we pick well-built toys and prefer wood to plastic. This also means we try to avoid small and delicate pieces or parts that can easily break, which includes electronics.
- We select toys that encourage imaginative and open-ended play. For example, you will see with the first toy on this list has an intended use, but there is not just one way to play with it. We opt for toys that effectively become props for imaginative play; sturdy shape-shifters that usually lack electronics or elaborate rules. Toys not based on characters seem to last longer than those connected to movies or television shows.
An Ice Cream Shop That Doesn’t Melt
This (primarily) wooden toy from Melissa and Doug gets playtime with multiple days a week every week in our house. Really. Sometimes it is a regular old ice cream shop where you can order multiple scoops from one of our kids. Other times it gets incorporated into elaborate imaginative games I cannot quite understand.
I think there is something about the scoops and toppings each having their own spot that especially appeals to toddlers and preschoolers. Meanwhile, older kids still play with it because it lends itself to all kinds of imaginative play. Plus—with the exception of the paper money—the pieces are all very resilient. No electronics, no tiny dangly bits, and this toy provides its own storage.
We had a smaller plastic version of this toy, and that was popular too, but this full (though not overly large) ice cream counter is an all-time favorite. Our kids love the Melissa and Doug Ice Cream Counter. You can find it here. Incidentally, this sandwich shop with a similar format gets played with almost as much.
Wooden Railway Toys, My Favorite
Wooden railway toys are my personal favorite of the toys on this list. These toys have truly stood the test of time in our family: they are something I enjoyed as a child and still enjoy today. If you do not mind crawling around on the floor, I find wooden railway toys to be especially nice for playtime that includes adults and children. The trains, tracks and destinations offer opportunities for building as well as imaginative play. We even incorporate them into our Christmas decor (Bring This Easy Christmas Tradition Home on a Small Budget).
There are lots of different options for wooden railway toys. Our (admittedly large) collection consists mostly of older Thomas the Tank Engine wooden trains, tracks and destinations. These Thomas-trains have changed quite a bit over time. There was even an unfortunate detour from standard track construction. We would suggest checking local thrift stores and garage sales for old Thomas and Friends sets. These things are indestructible!
Which brings us to an important point. Many manufacturers create interchangeable wooden railway toys. Some tracks may fit tighter than others, but they should still work overall. Here are some we have and like:
- Brio makes lots of quality wooden railway toys. After old Thomas trains, they make up the next most significant portion of our collection. This is our absolute favorite piece. We have also had a lot of fun with various pieces of the Disney collection from Brio.
- Obrium makes some nice wooden railway toys. We have had the most fun with these trains we painted ourselves.
- It does appear that Thomas wooden trains are not currently being produced. But you can still find some items online. Again, we suggest looking for these secondhand.
An Indoor Sandbox Toy for Snow Days, Rainy Days and Every Day
This last toy is a newer one, and it also departs from the previous two in that it contains more plastic. What it has in common with the other toys on this list is that it fosters open-ended and imaginative play.
The main toy we are recommending is this Kinetic Sand Construction Set. We have expanded upon it with this additional set. We have also incorporated other toys, mostly small trucks. Moana also frequently uses the sand in this set as a beach.
Our kids use this toy like a kind of tabletop sandbox when weather keeps us indoors. The sand in this set also has some fun properties that differentiate it from regular sand. Fortunately for us adults, those properties also make it (mostly) easy to clean-up. It’s still messy, but at least it clumps together. In my opinion, it is about as messy as play dough.
Dolls with Seriously Cool Hobbies
We have a collection of Lottie dolls that go on lots of adventures around our house. The dolls themselves are pretty tough, but we have had some trouble with fragile accessories and clothing. Still, our kids have played with these dolls over and over again and even taken them into the bathtub. We think dolls are great for imaginative play and helping kids explore their emotions and their world.
We like Lottie dolls, because they mirror the personalities and interests of active kids ready to explore. Our favorite Lottie doll is without a doubt this awesome fossil hunter doll. This swim-suited girl is the one that sometimes goes for a swim in our bathtub. And this tiny builder is another one of our favorites; we love her tiny tools!
Other Great Toys
You may have noticed that the toys on this list are all indoor toys. When our kids are outside they tend to simply interact with the natural world or play with classic sports equipment. When we are inside we turn to toys. In addition to the list above, we find that art supplies and card games are also perennial favorites. For some ideas on classic travel toys that you can also use at home, see Travel Fun for Kids on the Road and in the Sky, Travel Essentials.
Whatever you choose, we hope these suggestions have sparked some gift ideas for you.
Thanks for reading our suggestions for toys that have remained favorites at our house year after year.
We hope you have found this post helpful. For Disney gift ideas, we suggest Disney Stocking Stuffers for Fans and Disneyland Visitors and Disney Surprise Trip Reveal: 8 Festive Ideas for the Holidays. Thanks again for reading!
