Top 6 Toddler Gifts for Hours of Independent Play
I was tired of seeing gift guides during the holiday season that were filled with toys or activities that I knew my three toddlers would get bored of within a day or two. The TRUE test of a great toy or gift is if my kids actually chose to play with it for more than a week and BONUS points if they could use it without my help! The glorious magic of INDEPENDENT play time!!
So I came up with my own list of 5 things that have stood the test of time with my toddlers and guaranteed thy can play independently so I can do ANYTHING else (Dishes? Make dinner? Scroll my phone? any of those I'd be really happy with).
Wooden Train Set
Santa brought this as a joint gift for the kids this past year. And it's a FAN FAVORITE with all of them (regardless of gender & age). My two year old is so obsessed with this toy, that for the first two days he wouldn't eat meals (and the kid LOVES meal time) he just wanted to play at the train table, so we had to pry him off.
It was very easy for Mrs. Claus (cough cough) to assemble, which is a non-negotiable when these types of toys enter our home. My initial fear was that the wooden train tracks would easily fall apart, causing toddler meltdowns, but that hasn't been an issue yet.
I highly recommend this toy as a joint gift or a suplurge in the future!
Tonies
We love the Toniebox and variety of Tonies that are available for it. It's a great screen free alternative and we've had it since my oldest was 18 months old. (the website suggests for 3 yrs old + but I find even younger kiddos love to use it). The Toniebox comes in a variety of colors and you can select a different variety of Tonies that play songs, tell a story, and even ones that you can personalize with your own audio.
We've recorded me singing some of the kids favorite lullaby's and my husband reading bedtime stories so the kids can hear our voices.
Some of the kids go-to Tonies are Paw Patrol:Chase, Halloween & Spooky Songs (even when it's NOT halloween!) Disney Frozen I & 2 (Elsa & Anna), Cars (Lightening McQueen).
It's the gift that keeps on giving, we add new Tonies to our collection each holiday/birthday. They are always coming out with new Tonies so there is something for EVERYONE!
Sensory Kits
The first kit we received from Young Wild + Friedman was a Halloween themed kit. It was the first time my older two (3 + 4 yrs old) had ever played with play dough so it took a few minutes of me sitting with them, giving them tips, showing them what to do, before they were off doing it independently. We bought one large kit, that the two of them shared and it was more than enough for them.
My youngest, 2.5 yrs old, is starting to show some interest in playing with them, but he still tends to put things in his mouth, so I do need to supervise him closely when he's around and playing with them.
If you choose to "subscribe" to the kits, they will email you a "curriculum" that goes along with the kits, to have a more educational playtime experience. We did a three month subscription over the Holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas) and it was perfect for us. We'll definitely be ordering these again for various holidays/birthdays.
The Nugget
The Nugget, used by my kids (and us, parents) every day. If they aren't using it to build a slide, it's a dance stage, or just a comfortable place for my husband and I to read them a book or relax in the basement while the kids are playing.
We bought an extra set of covers, so those times when a potty training kid has an accident, or a marker mishap, or food spills. They are machine mashable (and tumble dry low!!!) and easy to put back on!
This is definitely a must have for any play room
Pilot Dashboard
Alright this one might be unique to us, but I find we are all parenting the same toddler, so I'm going to recommend this toy too!
It's a Melissa & Doug pilot dashboard toy for imaginary play. For months, before we got this, my kid's always asked me to be the imaginary pilot on their imaginary plane (probably because we flew to Disney World during spring break that year) or they would want me to be the pilot when we were driving in the car on our way somewhere.
Once we got this- they didn't need me anymore! and they wanted to be their own pilot (and co-pilots, but sharing is tough sometimes). So now they can take their trips without me and I get to sit back and relax in first class (sort of)
Dinosaur MAGNA-TILES
My kids aren't obsessed with the actual building of MAGNA-TILES like so many other kiddos I know. But they all love playing with these dinosaurs on their own.
These come out of the box, every time, also are known to make an appearance on the wooden train table (see above) These are fan favorites in our playroom, gender neutral. My daughter's favorite is the Pterodactyl, My Middle son loves the T-rex, and my youngest son loves the Brachiosaurus.
