As we enter the holiday season, many of you are frantically on the annual search for gifts that will spark joy long after the wrapping paper has been recycled. But what if the toys you choose could do more than entertain? What if they could be a piece of the puzzle that helps their play and communication skills sprout or thrive?
As a speech-language pathologist and creator of Sprout Speech (a practice serving Forest Hills and Queens, NY) I am here to highlight toys that do exactly that—toys that double as powerful tools for speech and language development. These aren’t “one and done” gadgets. They’re open-ended, engaging, and designed to grow with your little one.
Let’s explore how thoughtful toy choices can support your child’s communication skills and make this holiday season both joyful and enriching.
SPROUT imagination and STEM-based learning items for infants, all the way up to middle school…and even high school!:
- Magnetic tiles:
- Manga-Tiles, Picasso Tiles, there are a bunch of brands out there. A good number of them are compatible with one another but some aren’t. Just do your research if you’re purchasing various brands. I admit, the prime age for magnetic tiles isn’t for infants but infants do love putting two pieces together and pulling them apart. Magnetic tiles can get expensive (because you can’t have just one set) so I always advise getting a set for the holidays. Toddlers love to build towers as high as they can for the pure purpose of knocking them down and begin using them for pretend play. Preschoolers will use them more imaginatively, creating garages, farms, playgrounds, and houses. As kids get older, they are more able to follow directions needed to create more detailed structures and they are able to come up with their own very unique ideas.
- Duplo Blocks and Legos:
- Duplo blocks are recommended for toddlers and preschoolers who don’t have the fine motor skills yet for classic, traditional, Legos. Like magnetic tiles, your child’s play with Duplo blocks and Legos will evolve as they age. Initially your child will attempt to build the highest tower but soon enough they will be surprising you with their own structures and asking for specific sets to incorporate into their play.
SPROUT the Picasso in your little one:
- Pom Poms:
- In addition to creating an endless number of crafts, pom poms also serve as tools for imaginative play. Fill a bowl of pom poms and call it a ball pit, swimming pool, or bath tub- this is also great sensory play (see next section for more sensory ideas).
- Glue, construction paper, watercolor paint:
- You can never have enough of these. This is the perfect time to stock up, especially since you may be spending more time indoors for the holidays and cold weather.
- Dot markers and dot stickers:
- Peeling and placing stickers is a great fine motor activity. The internet offers tons of free “dot marker templates” for you to print out. I post a lot on dots for speech and language development on Instagram so be sure to follow @sproutspeechnyc for ideas!
- Water wow:
- Perfect if your child insists on “painting” and you don’t want to deal with the mess. These little coloring books come in all different themes and last for a good number of uses.
- Stamps:
- Just like little ones love stickers, they also love stamps. This set comes with a lot of great “common object” stamps to help build their vocabulary.
SPROUT learning through sensory play:
- Fine motor tools:
- Fill a bucket with dry pasta, Cheerios, rice, beans, pom poms, or anything you happen to have an abundance of and have your child use these tools to transfer items from one container to another. In addition to the pasta/rice/etc., you can throw in additional small toys for your child to find. Switch out the items to keep it new and exciting. Try acorns and leaves in the fall, cranberries and water around the holidays, Easter basket grass in the spring, or sand in the summer.
- Play Doh:
- This kit is really all you need to start. It includes 5 cups of Play Doh, basic tools (knife, rolling pin, extruder), and a few cutters/molds (shapes, animals, food). You can use these tools to create just about anything- letters, numbers, more shapes, more food, even objects to represent the weather and talk about the weather (see Instagram, @sproutspeechnyc, highlights for more!).
- Kinetic sand:
- There are tons of themed kits out there but if you have the standard fine motor tool set and some Play Doh tools, you’re all set. Kinetic sand isn’t as messy as regular sand but satisfies the same sensory desire.
SPROUT problem-solving skills and early academic skills:
- Egg shapes:
- Little ones seem to love egg toys (even ones that don’t love to eat eggs). This set teaches how to match like with like, colors, shapes, and encourages pretend play.
- Peg shape sorter:
- This is great for developing hand-eye coordination while also learning about colors, shapes, and numbers.
- Alphabet mystery box:
- Little ones seem to love tiny little toys. This comes with 26 of them! If your child isn’t showing interest in learning letters yet, that’s okay! They’ll have a blast taking the toys out, examining them, and using them for pretend play.
- Color Sorting Toys:
- More tiny toys! In addition to using them to sort by color, you can take some of these tiny toys and throw them into sensory bins. Use the tweezers within sensory bins as well. Use the bowls for kitchen play. All of these components can be reused!
- Shape Sorter House:
- As I’m writing this, it is currently $47 on Amazon for some reason. However, I’ve seen the price go all the way down to $15 so add this to your cart and monitor it! This is perfect for little ones who love keys. In addition to using this toy as a shape sorter, you can hide other small items (color sorting toys from above) as surprises to keep the toy new and exciting. I’ve had mine since 2019 and it’s held up ever since so the quality is great!
- Duplo number train:
- I’ve met so many kids who really only wanted to push vehicles around. This was a great “gateway” into building toys and exposing them to numbers. There’s also an alphabet train set for the alphabet lovers.
- Melissa and Doug’s Alphabet Train Puzzle:
- This is my favorite “gateway” into interlocking puzzles, exposing little ones to the alphabet, and following directions.
SPROUT your little one’s love for reading:
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?:
- This is my all-time favorite book for toddlers. It includes common animals, solid colors, and repetition (which toddlers thrive off of). Make sure to get the one with the sliding doors!
- Dear Zoo:
- This is a great flap book that includes common animals and also has lots of repetition!
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Snack:
- To expand the love for The Very Hungry Caterpillar! Each of these targets a different academic skill- counting, shapes, colors, opposites.
- Where’s Spot?
- If your little one loves this one, there’s a whole world of Spot to explore!
- Melissa and Doug’s Poke-A-Dot Farm:
- This comes in a lot of different themes. It requires your little one to point and isolate their finger in order to pop the bubbles.
- B is for Bear:
- This is one of my favorite alphabet books. It has simple, relatable, images that correspond to the letters, with an added tactile component to it.
- Merriam-Webster’s 150 First Words:
- My favorite “first words” book. It includes great images within scenes that toddlers experience daily.
SPROUT overall fun and engaging play:
- Battat Velcro Food Set:
- If you’ve had me as your child’s speech therapist, I have definitely recommended this or brought this into your home. It is my all-time favorite pretend play food set. It includes common food items without bombarding you with too many pieces. The pieces feel great in your hands and the quality is great for the price. Excellent for pretend play, learning new vocabulary, and so much more.
- Spinning Ring Stacker:
- Visually engaging, great for fine motor skills, and super motivating for little ones.
- Fisher-Price Little People Farm set:
- You don’t have to get this exact one but I love this one because it gives you room to grow within the Little People toy family. This farm comes with four common farm animals and is very interactive. Farm animal sounds are very easy for little ones to imitate.
- Fisher-Price Piggy Bank:
- This is a classic in my books. Little one’s love inserting the coins and laughing as the pig makes sounds.
- Remote control car for toddlers:
- Skip the one on display at CVS. Those are generally so cheaply made and nearly impossible for little ones (and even some adults) to navigate. This one has two buttons, making it very simple for toddlers to understand how to “drive.”
- Pop The Pig:
- One of my favorite introductions to turn-taking games. If your little one isn’t ready to take turns and follow rules of a game just yet, they’ll have a blast simply feeding the pig.
- Melissa and Doug’s Bear Family Puzzle:
- Great for discussing emotions!
Thank you for reading this far and for taking interest in enriching your little one’s development through play. I am a huge advocate for learning through play and setting your child up for success through their unique interests. Follow me on Instagram, @sproutspeechnyc for more ideas or reach out if you would like further recommendations!
