The Best Toys for Preschoolers

As the holidays approach and the kids’ wish-lists starts growing, I thought it would be nice to get some advice from an expert—a preschool teacher. In this post, the first of a three-part series on tips for preschoolers, Kayla Poole was kind enough to share with me her answers to that pressing question: What are the best toys for this age? 

I am often asked my opinion about the “best” toys for kids. “What should I buy my toddler this holiday?” “What should my child entering kindergarten be doing in her free time?” “I want my kid to play but also be learning something!”

Guys, I know. I find this to be a nearly impossible question to answer adequately, as young kids are all so different, with varying interests and needs. Moreover, something appropriate for a two-year-old is very different than a toy or game for a four-year-old. That being said, I really sat down to think about the top recommendations I feel comfortable delivering to parents and inquiring gift-givers. This list is in no way comprehensive and based purely on seven years of practice as an early childhood educator. I tend to believe that less is more when it comes to toys. Children truly don’t need a lot to learn and discover: in fact, I stand behind my opinion that the most popular toy of all time for a toddler/preschooler is an oversized, empty cardboard box. So, there’s that.

Anyway, lest you care about what’s inside of that box, herein lie a few additional classics…

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In Season: Pomegranates

When Pomegranates start to appear at your local market (and recipes using Pomegranate juice begin to appear in your Pinterest feed), it’s handy to know how to seed them without making a big, staining-red mess.

The trick: Do it under water.

How to…

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Scenes from Halloween

The candy has been eaten (or stashed), and the costumes have been put away—as if we might actually use them again. More likely, I’ll just look back at photos and fondly remember Skyler as a parrot on her first Halloween, and Hudson as a “baaaaad crocodile.”

He really didn’t remember the idea of trick-or-treating, but it was amazing how fast word spread once we arrived at a party full of preschoolers. “Mommy! When are we going trick-or-treating?”

I wasn’t watching closely at the first door as the gang of them (about a dozen) yelled “Trick-or-Treat!” But when Hudson came back to me, he showed me that his entire sack was already full. I looked back and spotted the unintentionally generous six-year-old who’d been standing with a bowl of candy. Whoops.

You may have seen on Instagram that Aron was Captain Hook (with his parrot and his foe, the crocodile) and I was Peter Pan, but I also shared an album of photos on Facebook. Check it out, if you’d like!

P.S. Baby costumes using a onesie. And this year, Making Skyler’s costume.