I tend to gravitate toward toys that seem to have an educational focus to them. Growing up those are the type of toys my parent bought me in the hopes of adding enrichment through play. Many of the toys on this list are ones I bought for Drake that I have pulled out for Juliet now as she gets older, but I have also discovered some new ones along the way that I can’t wait to introduce to Juliet.

1) Duplos – We have tons of Duplos in our home since Drake has been a big fan since he was little. Juliet can’t build much, but she has gotten the concept of smashing blocks together to stick and yanking them apart. She delights herself a lot just by doing those 2 actions over and over. I like the open endedness of Duplos and Legos since they help grow creativity and imagination. Drake often builds animals out of them that come from his own imaginings.

2) Dolls – Dolls and stuffed toys are a great toy for little ones since their warm and cuddly appearances seem to appeal to little ones. Juliet loves stuffed animals and always carries them and hugs them as she walks. I think it’s a great way to teach her nurturing as well role playing by letting her push her doll in her stroller or pretend to feed it. I have used the doll to show body parts and her stuffed animals to introduce animals and animal sounds. The possibilities are endless with this kind of toy and there is nothing cuter than to see her snuggled up with them.

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3) Puzzles – I just did a post all about puzzles but in summary I like them a lot for little ones. They provide both problem solving, imaginative play (when using the pieces differently than intended), as well as reasoning as children work out the purpose of placing the blocks and pieces back into the correct spots.

4) Mr. Potato Head–  Something about this potato is so amusing to children. I admit I dont really see the appeal, but Drake loves the one his aunt and uncle got him for Christmas one year. He loves making up silly combos where the body parts are all in the wrong spots and Juliet has gotten the idea of sticking pieces in the potato as well.  I like using it to teach Juliet where her body parts are and she learned her head, nose, and ears due to Mr Potatohead.

5) Nesting Blocks  – Juliet has really gotten into nesting blocks since her physical therapist has used them with her in a few sessions.  They are a very versatile learning tool in teaching both the concept of stacking and building, but also size and how smaller things can only fit in larger things.  Juliet used to just try to place all the blocks inside each other haphazardly, which of course didn’t always work, and she slowly developed the idea that only certain boxes fit in others. I felt like I could see her mentally trying to process it as she held some of the boxes in her hand trying to work out how they were supposed to go. They also are great for cause and effect in the stacking and knocking down aspect which is a lot more fun, especially the knocking down part.

6) LeapFrog Scribble Tablet – I got this toy for Drake when he was around Juliet’s age now. Drake has always been interested in letters, which is what prompted me to buy this one for him. He still plays with it but I have noticed Juliet taking an interest in it too. I like the many different features and options, learning letters both upper and lower but also shapes and numbers, and the jaunty little tune is nice too. Juliet seems to like watching Drake play since she hasn’t mastered the tracing part, but she understands the concept and will attempt to write.  I think in time she will adapt better to this toy and right now it’s doing  a good job of exposing her to letters in both their upper and lower case forms, as well as the concept of a writing tool and using it properly.

7) Rhyme and Discover Book – Drake loved this one when he was younger and I feel like this and exposure to lots of books when he was young help instill his love of stories. Juliet also is a voracious book lover so this was the perfect toy for her. The songs are fun and cute for her to dance to , and she likes to play with the interactive buttons. I like it because it’s a book she can’t destroy, and it entertains her well while instilling the idea of books and reading.

8) Shape Sorter – A very basic toy, but a classic I think for a reason. Similar to a puzzle it requires reasoning and patience to work things out. I like ones with a bit of a variety in shapes.  We have a few shape sorters we have collected through the years and this one is my favorite of the bunch.