When building your toy collection, it can help to think of toys as tools to counter the assumption that toys are frivolous. “Tools” conveys a seriousness and correlation to a purposeful job or role, and that is what play is to your child – it’s their job! It’s also important to get curious about gender norms that may unnecessarily restrict the types of toys you provide for your child. All children benefit from playing with trucks – not just boys and all children benefit from pretending to care for baby dolls – not just girls.

By holding your child’s play to a higher standard of importance, you can start to filter toy purchases as not just things to add for purposes of entertainment but as different categories of specific tools that can satisfy areas of development. Here’s a cheat sheet that can help you purchase a variety of toys that will inherently be purposeful to the skills they seek.

Fine Motor: Your toddler will need toys that specifically activate their hand strength. Look for puzzles or hands-on activities that invite your child to practice varying grasps, like the pincer grasp, and foster continued hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity.

Gross Motor: Your toddler will seek whole-body movement in which they can exert something called “maximum effort.” This is basically their need to move in big ways, which is why they may want to carry, push, or pull heavy things! Try not to overemphasize “sitting work,” and ensure you think of toys that invite balancing, jumping, throwing, climbing, swinging, and crossing the midline.

*crossing the midline is the ability to reach across the body's imaginary midline (an imaginary line dividing the body into left and right halves) with their arms or legs. This skill is important for toddlers as it supports the development of bilateral coordination.

Functional: Your toddler will want to do real things, not just pretend. Be sure to broaden your definition of toys to include practical tools that actually work, such as a child-sized watering can, a small spray bottle, or a child-size plastic chopper to begin cutting soft fruits and vegetables in the kitchen with you.

Cognitive: Your child’s brain is grasping so many cool concepts and skills through play. It can help to think about toys that clearly invite your child to:

One shared characteristic of toys that activate thinking skills is that they will be passive or “child-powered,” rather than active or “battery-powered.” The more the toy performs for your child, the less brain power your child needs to use.

Sensory: Toys that provide varying sensory input for your child further help them understand the world while also refining their senses. Avoid purchasing all plastic toys that have very minimal sensory feedback. Instead, opt for a variety of textures, colors, materials, weights, and sounds.

By thinking about these varied skills and movement needs, you can build a toy collection that deeply engages your toddler’s current needs. When your toddler has access to toys that become tools for their development, play comes naturally!