I don’t know how many times I’ve scoured the internet for “The best toys.” I desired so badly to spend my money wisely and invest in something that would last for years and engage them for hours on end.
Overwhelmed by the number of articles and underwhelmed by the quality of the suggestions, I often just resorted to browsing Facebook marketplace. I would enter key words of whatever character my kids were into at the time and just search for deals. This worked fine, I guess. I usually got a deal and the kids were thrilled when they recognized the character. But these toys were rarely “favorites” (unless you suddenly tried to remove them from the toy collection). They were added to a pile to be pulled out occasionally, often by a sibling who would then get yelled at for taking the wrong toy.
But I digress. I’m hoping I can save someone from fruitless spending and unnecessary clutter with my list of best toys. “Best toys” for me had to meet some of the following requirements:
- Engage my kids for hours at a time (age range 3-7+)
- Foster creativity
- Require physical input
- Endless possibilities
- One time purchase
- Easy cleanup
- Encourage (or at the very least allow) cooperative play
Best Toy Number 5: A cardboard box
Ok just hear me out. (And yes, I have actual toys you can purchase on this list as well! But I promise, a cardboard box is one of the best toys a kid can have.)
Boredom is a blessing. Some of my happiest memories and greatest home videos are when my kids went to town using a cardboard box in unique and entertaining ways. And the best instances were without any prompting.
Is there an especially magical size or style of box?
Nope! It wasn’t always The Bigger The Better! I found if I had a box leftover for whatever reason, I’d throw it on the floor in the den. Within 12-24 hours, if it hadn’t been “transformed,” I’d chuck it. Typically it was quickly integrated into their play and stuck around for a week or so until it broke down, got replaced, or got in the way one too many times. The possibilities were limitless! Was it a train? A bassinet? A fort? A prison? A sled? A nest? A slide? (This last one concerned us a little as our 2 year old son dove head first off the couch down a cardboard slide he had “constructed” out of the caved-in box)
This checked off many of my requirements. Playtime was engaging and could go on for hours. They got to use their imagination and be physically active. They learned to play together since most of the scenarios required additional members. (Younger siblings and pets did not always have a say in whether or not they participated.) The boxes were usually free, but also not necessarily a “one-time” item since they were discarded and replaced on a consistent basis. And cleanup couldn’t get much simpler! Out she goes!
Best Toy Number 4: Costumes
Expounding on the wonder of the cardboard box, I discovered the benefit of simply providing a tote of costumes. Many of these constumes werehand-me-downs or purchases from thrift stores and Facebook marketplace after Halloween. This tote easily became one of my kids’ “best toys.”
These did not need to be particularly spectacular costumes. Sure, the kids loved getting a complete outfit of their favorite licensed character, but they also enacted wild, imaginative narratives adorned with my old elbow length debonair gloves, knee high Batman socks, a blanket made into a cape, and a fedora. Add an impromptu weapon or crown and they were good to go. There’s another reason costume play has a special place in my heart. Not only were my kids peacefully engaged in pretend play for hours, but there was…
Long Term Value
There were many a day when school work took a backseat to playing. The inner former-public-school-teacher in me was put in her place by the homeschooling mother who saw all three of her children playing together. Not only were they developing a narrative with characters, settings, conflicts, and resolutions, but they were organically guiding and instructing one another. I fully believe those periods of working together and finalizing their story arcs encouraged my children to value each other.
I couldn’t create that circumstance or manipulate that outcome if I tried.
Let’s consult the checklist!
Engaging – check. Creative – check. Physical – check. Endless possibilities – I’d say yes, unless they got stuck in a rut or the costume or prop was a bit too narrow in scope. One time purchase – yes, until outgrown, but they usually worked 2-3 years at least since they were worn baggy. Easy clean up – check. Cooperative – check.
Best Toy Number 3: Mad About Slime: Slime Mart
I did NOT get on board the slime train. I didn’t purchase it, we didn’t make it, it wasn’t a thing in our house. BUT. This set was super cool and very quickly became on of their best toys. You can get it from Five Below store and honestly I haven’t seen anything comparable from the big box stores or Amazon. If I’m wrong, please comment below with links to your favorite kits or sets! I really felt this set stood apart from the traditional slime toys and engaged all three of my kiddos, ages 3-7 (and myself!), for a number of reasons:
Size
The slime came in small containers and small quantities. Due to its size, the children naturally played with it in the palm of their hand and didn’t come up with any other crazy ideas like spreading it around, smushing it on other parts of their body, or taking it to other surfaces in the house.
Creativity
The packaging and products themselves were so creative! Each slime was unique, as was it’s container’s shape, color, and label. Their corresponding toppings dish were also unique. For example, the “butter” slime dish had a matching “popcorn” add-in container. The “tomato sauce” slime jar paired with a “spaghetti noodles” mix in. Milk with fruit loops, cookie dough and chocolate chips, ice cream and sprinkles, etc. Which leads me to my next point…
Toppings
Not only was each mix-in container super creative in how it checked to the matching slime jar, but the mix-in materials themselves were all different in shape, color, and texture. This created additional sensory play and made each intended combination unique. The popcorn mix-in was comprised of small, white balls, while the noodles container held thin, long, yellow, bendable sticks. The sprinkles container held very realistic looking sprinkles, and the fruit loops held small bead-like pieces of mock cereal. This, combined with the fact that the slimes were different in consistency and color meant each slime + topping concoction came out unique! That’s not even including the high level of cross contamination my children chose to engage in as they added sprinkles, chocolate chips, noodles, strawberries, and popcorn to the milk slime. I had to walk away. But hey! My sensory sensitive son was having a field day.
Disadvantages
Not only can this be a cleaning nightmare with spilled toppings everywhere, but the inclination to fight and squabble is stronger than the tendency to play together. This can be monitored and curbed though, and there are plenty of containers for everyone.
We did have to sweep under the table afterwards as little hands do not keep toppings in their containers very well. But the slime did not leave any mess and again, the minute size of the containers forced my kids to move more cautiously which helped prevent any catastrophes.
Additionally, once the kids mix all the toppings to their fullest extent, that portion of the creativity and engineering is over. However, the tactile and sensory output is still great for little hands and I love the tiny storage containers.
This toy set passes our checklist for engaging, creative, physical (more fine-motor than gross motor and requiring patience over energy), and is a one-time purchase. Possibilities are many, though not “endless” and clean up and cooperative components are subpar.
Best Toy Number 2: Kinetic Sand
This stuff beats Play-Doh any day in my book. Even homemade play-doh (the Grandma’s-secret-recipe kind with the cream of tartar), albeit VERY impressive, didn’t hold water to the kinetic sand, one of the best toys of all time. For moms who have children with sensory sensitivity like mine, kinetic sand was a game changer. Not only does it feel amazing, it’s easy to clean up (sweep or vacuum), it doesn’t harden or dry out over time, and the kids never seem to tire of playing with it! Every mom I’ve talked to can’t believe how their child will pull it out and play with it day after day, for hours on end.
The Inside Scoop
Now, if you haven’t already noticed, I’m a huge fan of the open-ended play things that encourage creativity. This definitely checks the box. There are tons of additional accessories you can purchase (new or used). But you can also just use kitchen utensils to find new and exciting ways to manipulate the sand and use toys they already have for burying and excavating.
This toy doesn’t rank as high for cooperative play as the cardboard box and costumes, mostly because my kids want to take full ownership of their sand and already have a plan for what they want to create. I usually give each child their own pile and let them have at it. Occasionally though, one will come up with the idea that requires a larger amount of sand and attempts to rope in their sibling, working together to fulfill the vision.
Engaging, creative, physical, and with “endless” ways to engage with the sand. This passes pretty much every item in the checklist! The sand itself is a one-time purchase, but I can almost guarantee you’ll want to build the stockpile and add a couple more pounds of sand or additional accessories after you get started. Clean up is not intimidating, but will require adult supervision. The level of cooperative play it inspires depends greatly on the individual children.
Best Toy Number 1: Magnetic Tiles
While I would personally rather play with the sand, these magnetic tiles rank number one in my house as the very best toy for the sheer amount of time my children will absorb themselves in designing and creating (and destroying) masterpieces. Let’s revisit my favorite attributes for high quality play things.
- Sparks creativity
- Requires physical input
- Endless possibilities
- One time purchase
- Easy cleanup
- BONUS: Little-to-no parental involvement REQUIRED (that’s not to say I’m never involved, but rather they can get the materials out, engage with them, and put them back independently)
- Encourages (or at the very least allows) cooperative play
Creativity
My children take SUCH pride in their masterpieces with the magnetic tiles. And quite honestly, I am very impressed with the constructions they are able to accomplish. They may have a favorite shape or combination that they return to time and again, but they will also attempt new structures with new tile shapes and their little imaginations, in addition to the final product, are quite humbling. My children have presented me with alligators, aliens, spaceships, crowns, dinosaurs, princess castles, bridges, trains, robots, jewelry boxes, and my 2-year-old’s favorite: a phone. (She just takes one rectangular tile and walks around with it, talking on it and carrying it with her everywhere. She’s even snuck it into her bed and car seat.)
Engineering
I appreciate that my children have to put effort into their creations. Now, not because the magnetic tiles are difficult to work with. No, these tiles are easy to hold, easy to put together, easy to pull apart, and honestly they just seem to build themselves. What I mean is my children need to still down, collect the pieces they want, and patiently build and build. I love watching that hear shift in their brains when they go from tinkering to “Oh yes! I like that shape!” and their assembling becomes almost feverish as they with quickly to complete the pattern and fulfill their vision.
Even my 9-month-old likes to hold them and slide them around. My 2-year-old is already capable of creating cubes and pyramids when just a few months ago she had to ask her siblings to make them for her. There seems to be no limit to what my five year old and seven year old can create. The various shapes can be combined in a seemingly endless variety of ways and eye-pleasing designs are constructed effortlessly. It’s hard to sit with a child on the carpet with magnet tiles and not absent-mindedly create something with them.
Another benefit with the magnetic tiles is that nearly any other toy can be incorporated. My children almost always end up creating a zoo, or garden, or rocket, or cage, or house in which they enclose one of their other toys. Sometimes the edifice is large to accommodate a stuffed animal. Sometimes, it’s an intricate labyrinth for their doorables, legos, or hatchimals. With the kinetic sand, I had to be careful that no soft or plushy animals were mixed in with the material, with magnetic tiles, I rarely supervise what else the children pull out to use as accessories.
Clean Up
It really couldn’t get any easier. Whether you use a bag, tote, or tub, you just gather all the times and dump. The kids like to collect all the same-shape pieces in long stacks as they pick them up. It’s one of the only toys that I can trust the kids (even the 3 year old) to independently clean up and put away.
The Main “Con”
My only “complaint” is these are not ideal for cooperative play, at least not in my house. My children become VERY invested in their creations and usually do not want interference from anyone else. Younger siblings are shown no mercy if they knock over a work-in-progress, and older siblings will fight over the tiles when they run out of construction materials. When the children are called away from play time for school, or to complete a chore, they cry, knowing that their masterpiece will most likely get destroyed in their absence.
That being said, it’s simply been a learning curve for me to only allow the magnetic tiles to come out when the littles are napping or the other sibling is engaged in a different activity. If the child is intent on playing with them, then I make a judgment call on whether we can use it as a learning and growing opportunity. I may remind them what will likely happen as they’re playing and that they will need to exercise grace, patience, and forgiveness to their family members.
This toy checks the first six boxes: engaging, creative, physical, with endless possibilities, one-time purchase, and easy clean up. I give it an B- on the “cooperative play” aspect, but you can’t be perfect at everything, and I’m sure that says more about my kids than the magnetic tiles.
Conclusion
Magnetic tiles are hands down the most engaging toy I have in my home. The runner-up for household favorite is kinetic sand. I appreciate the ingenuity of the SlimeMart set found at 5 Below, but never underestimate some good costumes, a cardboard box or two, and a child’s imagination.
What do you think of the list? What are your favorite toys? Comment below!