Best Preschool Learning Toys
Play and learn with a 14-piece picnic set that includes 6 food items, 2 plates, 2 forks, 2 cups, 1 blanket and 1 basket. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning ideas and insights from LeapFrog.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We were skeptical at first because we felt that, although the price is reasonable, we still did not want to throw away $20 and she might not care for it or it may be a little mature for her. DESCRIPTION: Everything is made of hard plastic, except for the checked "blanket" which is like a handkerchief. The basket is packed pretty full with everything inside, but she can easily fit it all back in without help. She did not carry the entire basket around until recently (14 months) and still prefers not to, but she has always taken it off of her toyshelf and sat with it closeby in the floor. The plates are similar to wooden puzzles (only plastic), and she is learning to put the foods in place. I like that she will have to use her imagination and also I will not have to worry about the inside of the picnic basket getting sticky with juice and I am glad that ants will not be stored in there. So basically, it just randomly asks your child to find things, but she may never know if her answer was correct (or wrong!)."
"So fun!"
"Shes having fun placing the items in and out of the basket, along with the fun music and talking the basket does while the child plays with it."
"My daughter and I go to a mommy and me class and every time she would gravitate to this toy."
"I have purchased this toy as a gift for other little ones, and they love it as much as my daughter loves hers."
"Didn't see that there were two different packaging."
"It's cool to see her put her items in it, carry it to anther location, and then pull them out to play."
"This picnic basket provides lots of fun and promotes conversation!"
2-in-1 kids basketball hoop sports center; play on the toddler basketball goal or score goals with the toddler soccer net.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"OVERALL: Good toy that gets children moving, keeps their interest through electronic interactive music, cheering, and instructions. SIZE: I think it is smaller than the online product pictures make it seem. The basketball hoop is springy and the net is soft pliable plastic-- perfect for baby dunks. When a ball is kicked into the goal net, it congratulates and cheers. I posted about 7 pictures that show various parts of the toy and a size comparison."
"As an educator that works with child development I can tell you this is excellent and research based to help children learn. One more thing to mention, is that the device actually "counts" goals scored/baskets made when done consecutively and gives praise to the child. This is a powerful way to reinforce the positive behavior as well as give exposure to numbers and counting concepts."
"We're still keeping it around because she likes to through the balls in the hoop and kick goals."
"my grandson is 14months old and does get the soccer part but he loves the basketball."
"This seem like a good sports toy."
"We purchased this for our nephew and he absolutely loved it."
"Come to realize that it's a kids toy."
"This is a cute little play station."
Includes 6 colorful pages; 3 light-up character buttons on the tabs of the pages make this a great early learning center this interactive infant book contains 7 popular nursery rhymes and 4 movable pieces; over 20 different songs, phrases, and sounds.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Pushing them will trigger lights and different songs on each page. When you turn the page, it makes a chiming noise then goes into either a song or a nursery rhyme that coordinates with what is on each page. Pushing the music note with a page open will trigger the corresponding song to play."
"I gave it 5 stars cause it's darling and I am sure it will be perfect for someone else's child or grandchild."
"This is a lovely book for babies!"
"The pages turn easy and it has just the right amount of buttons so a toddler can enjoy it without being overwhelmed."
"I thought it would catch my 1 year old eye but she not really interested in the book."
"This is not my daughter's favor, it is because the speaker sound is too low and the graphic is not vivid."
"My son is only 5 months old so doesn't know how this toy works quite yet, but he loves how it lights up and it's easy for him to push the buttons."
"He likes it, but doesn't really keep his attention long, but It could be him, as he has a hard time staying focused."
Best Preschool Number Learning
Light up your child's day with the Little Apps Tablet by VTech. Kids tablet toy teaches letters, counting, number order, and matching; educational toy has 12 learning activities with progressive learning levels.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There is an incredible amount of functions and activities for this tablet. I am trying to include a video of the amazing functions included in this tablet."
"For example, when you hit the "A" button, the animation says "A, Apple", and spells out the word APPLE on the screen and shows a bear eating an apple. He can recognize and read the word apple now, along with other words, and I'm pretty sure a lot of the credit goes to this toy. He also likes to play the "planting fun" game where it counts out each number you press."
"Pros: -Features letters, counting, number order and matching (but of course, my favorite feature is the ability to change the screen color, I know weird right??). -Has a great mental break feature, piano playing. -Buttons are easy to push, making it a strong sturdy item that will seemingly last a long time. -LOUD! Children tend to forget this all the time which wastes a lot of batteries. Minor Cons: -Wish there was a way to change the brightness...even without the color background it can be a bit difficult to see."
"I wish this one was out before the orange one with less buttons we bought a year ago!"
"It a great learning tool but not good for just sensory and fun."
"A 18 month old will only hit at it and lose interest, my 3 year old will press the letters and numbers in a learning way, but doesn't play the games, a 2 year old I watch pressed all the buttons and didn't play the games, my 5 year old is fully engaged and actually learning."
"My daughter loves this toy!"
"I would recommend this product to someone looking for a learning tablet."
Best Preschool Reading & Writing Learning
Interactive kids book has big easy-to-turn pages; nursery rhyme book comes with 6 classic nursery rhymes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The 5 buttons sticking out the side with musical instruments can be used as a mini piano when the book is closed."
"The volume can be turned fairly low so it doesn't interrupt many people walk out and about."
"He likes books - he likes flipping through the pages, chewing on them, etc. He likes to destroy books), but he does like to flip the pages of this book back and forth."
"Whenever he plays with it I sing the songs too, I think he will be singing them with me before long."
"As an English professor, I know well the endless benefits of teaching children--& yes, even babies--to love books & reading."
"My only complaint is that it continues to make noise for a minute or so after you stop playing with it which gets annoying."
"great songs and such but my toddler doesn't seem to love it- would be better if you could play each song on command, you have to turn the pages and then wait for the 2nd song to come on and my little one has no patience for that."
"All the kids wanted to play with this book and left the other toys on the floor unattended."
Best Preschool Time Telling Toys
Touch screen kids phone with 12 light-up pretend apps including pretend calendar, clock, and weather.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He had learned to navigate my phone pretty easy so I got this as a gift for him to see if it would hold his attention. The touch screen helps his fine motor skills which always need work."
"I review my products because I base my purchase decisions on reviews and there is nothing worse than getting something other than what you expected based on the reviews you read, so I’ll always try to give the facts about the product first followed by my personal opinion."
"I really hope that more people write when they're disappointed than satisfied, because the bad reviews are shocking to me. I do want to try the one with the electronic Scout screen next, only because it has a moving picture vs the paper pictures on this one so it may hold her attention even more."
"Probably good for the stroller if you got a carrying case for it to attach otherwise it will end up on that ground a lot ."
"It's small and light enough for little hands to grab, and it's got both a touch screen and some raised buttons for variety of sensory response. The bub is currently 14 months old and she's at the moment attracted to the red flashing lights that come on when she presses the touch screen."
"The reason I gave it 3 stars is because after having it for about a month it has stopped being touch screen, and only the physical buttons work consistently."
"We've had it since she was younger and thought that maybe she would develop an interest in it, but I just ended up putting in a donation bin."
"Cheap."
Best Reading & Writing Development Toys
82PCS 1.5" Letters & Numbers.26 Uppercase Letters, 30 Lowercase Letters, 20 Numbers + 6 Symbols. COMPONENTS: 82 PCS Magnetic Letters & Numbers with five different colors ( green, blue, orange, red and yellow), includes 26 uppercase letters, 30 lowercase letters, 20 numbers + 6 symbols.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Every morning my wife put a simple word on the refrigerator and ask my son to read it out loud."
"Love magnetic letters and numbers. My daughter is three and these are great to practice identifying letters, numbers, and having her practice placing letters together to create her name."
"I'm a school teacher in elementary and these are perfect for teaching phonics."
"The magnet could be a tad stronger in my opinion, but the streingth is good for my son's use."
"Its plastic with small parts of magnets in the back of letters and numbers, great items with different colors."
"I enjoyed watching him make "trains" with the letters."
"Very useful in teaching her how to read usign these magents by forming the CVC , CVCC word families."
"I love these magnets, I had similar magnets when I was little so these definitely brings back childhood memories!"
Best Kids' Diaries, Journals & Notebooks
Diaries are for dreaming! Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Was expecting it to be a little bigger, but I didn't check the dimensions before buying either, my fault."
"I bought this for my 6 yr old nephew (per his bday list request) and he adored it!"
"Grandson is happy with a journal that locks and doesn't look like a girls."
"It’s smaller then I thought which is actually perfect for my 5 yr old."
"Thankfully, my daughter's diary key worked (must be universal, eh?)."
"My Son loves it, the pages and cover are awesome quality but the only thing I could complain about is that the lock is difficult to attach and reattach for my seven year old."
"Not very many pages but my son loves it."
"Im so disappointed in y purchase because the key to the diary was missing and my son had been waiting to receive the item so eagerly."
Best Kids' Cameras & Camcorders
Kidizoom® Duo Selfie Camera is a fun, durable and easy to use digital camera with front and rear facing cameras so you can take fun photos and selfies. Special featured Photo Optimization, when you take a photo, multiple shots will be taken and the camera will find the best shot to save. 2 cameras switch between the front and rear lenses with the dedicated switching button, great for selfies, dual view finders, 4x digital zoom, built-in auto flash, 5 built-in games. Feature a Parental Controls Setting to limit the play time for the built-in games, you can also disable all games through this setting.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This takes clear pictures and is simple to use (even for ME) It requires 4 AA batteries, two in each side. There are fun treatments for selfies and pictures of friends the kids will love, and it is simple to scroll through and delete. They are basic simple games that will actually improve some of her motor skills (imo) Intetesting enough that she will want to play them sometimes but not overly absorbing. Perfect for those times on vacation when photos aren't being taken but a child needs to be occupued (on a bus or train for example... Why bring an extra toy?). The games give you the option of toggling for control or tipping the whole unit right left up or down."
"We're working with her to wait until she hears the shutter noise, but I don't think that it is abnormal to expect toddlers to push a button and expect instant results. I'd still recommend the camera, especially for older children who can wait a couple seconds until they hear the shutter sound to check their photos."
"The camera alone is worth 4-stars - the photography features work well, with fun overlays and transformations for both photos and videos. My daughter was not rough at all, but after 4 months the camera developed a defect such that it shuts off randomly during use, sometimes within seconds - making the camera now unusable. They claim the Amazon "Online Exclusive" product carries the 90-day warranty of their US products - although this product is not sold by VTech America, and their US customer service won't respond to inquiry about this product."
Best Preschool Art Toys
Art Kit Includes: 64 Crayola Crayons, 20 Crayola Short Colored Pencils, 40 Crayola Washable Markers, and 15 large sheets of paper.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If it is more expensive than $19 or $20, you may want to hold out and see if the price drops over the next few days."
"She treats the set almost like a doctor, as she carefully selects colors, uses them on her drawings, and takes care to return each marker to its proper place."
"My daughter opened it up on Christmas morning and stared in awe, telling us about the things she plans on coloring and drawing."
"My seven year old LOVES this set.., she loves the variety and she's in love with the colourful exterior of the case.....and I love that there is a space for everything, so this keeps all the pieces orgamized and when she's finished colouring, we close the case and the mess goes away."
"The carrying cases make it easy for them to take from room to room or place to place."
"Perfect for my 6 year old."
"Perfect Christmas gift for my daughter she loves all the different varieties on colors,markers etc."
"Order was suppose to be part Christmas gift."
Best Preschool Bath Toys
Your little one will love taking this boat for adventures and driving the included mini cars up and down the ramp during bath time or at the pool or beach. Use the Ferry Boat to teach your child about recycling, helping the environment, saving energy, and reducing greenhouse gases. A Smart, Safe Choice Manufactured in the USA with a tight, local supply chain that minimizes transportation emissions and supports the domestic economy, the Green Toys Ferry Boat adheres to FDA standards and contains no BPA, lead, phthalates, or other harmful substances. At a Glance Ages: Three and up Requires: Ready to play indoors or out Includes two Mini Cars Sturdy design floats great and features slide out ramp Encourages development of gross and fine motor skills Made in the USA from 100 percent recycled milk jugs Phthalate and BPA free US supply chain reduces greenhouse gas and saves energy Easy to clean--can even go in the dishwasher Accolades: Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Winner, iVillage Stuff We Love Best Kids Birthday Gift, and more. Whatever the adventure, this two-story vessel is ready to hit the open water with room for eco-friendly cargo galore and even comes with two Green Toys Mini Fastbacks. Made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this craft is ideal for any body of water – durable, buoyant and dishwasher safe. This 3 piece set includes the Ferry Boat and 2 Mini Cars.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The top (blue) part of the boat comes off very easily, and I typically just lay out the three boat pieces - top, bottom and ramp - as well as the two cars, on my bathroom counter after bath time. They are easily dry by the time my toddler wakes up in the morning, so he can take them back to the living room to play."
"I hate buying toys that end up getting broke or it lasting more than a week."
"We needed some older than infant toys for bath time and these are great for my 22 mo son."
"who wouldn't like a boat for a bath tub and cars that can go in the water."
"I love listening to the boys playing with this as they make car and boat sounds with their voices whilst moving the toys around."
"I used to buy the rubber fish and frog toys but they became moldy inside."
"Came packaged nicely and I think a pretty great toy for the money."
"They haven't faded in like 2 years of indoor and outdoor play and are so easy to clean!"
Best Preschool Electronic Toys
The desk features an interactive desktop and five pages to explore that are filled with engaging content including letters, numbers, music, colors and more. Choose from eight expansion packs (each sold separately) that each focus on a specific curriculum like nursery rhymes, reading skills, animals and numbers. Extend the fun with expansion packs (each sold separately) that include a wide curriculum; LED display illustrates letter and number stroke order and how to draw basic shapes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great Touch Activity Desk for learning all sorts of things. A few things to note: the child needs to learn not to lean on/touch the table other than when they are intentionally touching/interacting with it. The table is very sensitive - you don't push the buttons, you just touch it - so it goes all haywire when she's leaning on it. It might be nice if they gave a little border at the front so kids can lean on it/put their hands somewhere - and have the buttons further up. Older children can be taught to be careful - but my 2 year old wouldn't know until she got hurt. The stool and table are quite strong and sturdy due to the legs bending out - so it has a nice wide base. Personally, my 2 year old needs some more growing up and calming down before she can really take advantage of this product, but there's no doubt that she can learn a lot from it."
"So if you buy this watch the fingers when they pull the table back down to play."
"He had the original Touch and Learn Activity Desk which was one of his favorite toys; however, the new expansion packs only fit this new desk. The desk is very interactive and holds my toddler's attention for very long periods of time."
"Music Jammer with colorful keyboard and different musical instruments, plus music genres (jazz, hip-hop, rock, pop, R&B). 5. Fruits & Colors. Yes, there is an OFF button, Parents - but, unfortunately, it's easy enough for a child to turn it back on. There is a clear female voice that gives directions, sings, and in other ways interacts with the child."
"We got this because my 3 year old is getting more curious about learning and thought he should get something other than dinos."
"He is learning not to lean on desk and to slow down and be patient and listen to the teacher's instructions."
"Arrived quickly and super easy to put together."
"We had an older version of this desk - this one does so much more...and the expansion packs are great so that older kids can enjoy it too."
Best Preschool Musical Toys
Promote music appreciation and auditory development by introducing your little one to baby-friendly versions of classical masterpieces by Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin and Rossini with the Baby Einstein take along Tunes. Baby discovers 7 classical music tunes with a press of the button.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"His music gifts were inspired, giving him fantastic feelings, offering him different explosions. In addition, this caterpillar bead chaser handle is so cute and fun, making it easy for little hands to hold."
"Bought for baby who hated getting her diaper changed--worked every time!"
"Our baby liked it, she's 9-11 months at the moment, she actually learned that pressing the button changes the song so she seems to pick the song and listen to it."
"I bought this twice now and the babies love it."
"Only thing is I don't know how to clean it, since baby always throws it on ground, then he will again suck it."
"She loved it then and still does, now 5 months."
"My 8 month old grand-daughter LOVES this simple toy."
"My grandson is a definite music lover, so he really likes this item."
Best Preschool Activity Toys
Children can acquire strong sense of color, geometrical shapes including 3D forms numbers counts, magnetic polarities & architectural design at early age. CREATIVITY BEYOND IMAGINATION - Magnet Building Tiles Clear 3D color Magnetic Building Blocks Playboards for preschool, pretend play and more.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The colors are beautiful and the magnets work well enough to hold most structures together."
"My granddaughter received her first magnetic building set (the Magna-Tiles brand) a few months ago and she enjoyed building with them so much that I bought an additional set."
"He’s learning his shapes, he gets to make garages for his cars, they keep him entertained for about an hour at a time."
"I purchased a set of these tiles for my grandson as a Christmas gift."
"We've played with this literally every single day since it was purchased."
"We had another set, I can't remember the brand - I can see they are slightly different but they work just fine together."
"My grandson's kindergarten class had these and I always noticed the students playing with them."
"We have magna tiles and decided to buy these to build on our set."
Best Preschool Pretend Play Toys
A direct replica of the latest Dyson “Ball” model, this creates realistic role play for exploring imagination and developing social skills.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Our son, 1 1/2-years-old, is OBSESSED with vacuums and carpet cleaners. He has nearly broken my vacuum a few times because it's a bit too large for him to maneuver."
"The first is a small red button on the front, that makes the little foam beads swirl around. Which doesn't bother me since it's a play vacuum, but they do advertise that it has a mild suction."
"You have to click it into position a certain way, otherwise the back wheels will pop up when you pull the vacuum backward."
"My one and half year old loves to clean but my stuff is still quite too big for him."
"It is designed to do this but I have to pick it up and adjust the base to get it to stand up when not in use, my 9, 3, and 1 yr old can not get it to stand up."
"Unfortunately, the swiveling head part snapped off after 4 days."
"This vacuum is by far my daughters favorite Christmas present."
"I had a hard time getting the batteries to fit... After the case is screwed back on it actually fits incorrectly and can pop off pretty easily."
Best Preschool Puzzles
Helps build fine and gross motor skills while little ones discover vibrant colors, numbers, animals, and more.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Structurally it's very sound, its very bright and colorful, for each door you unlock is an animal and it goes from 1 animal to 6 animals, so that is a nice way to add counting to using the locks as well."
"This is a very good set ."
"Although made for children, I sat down with this board for him and explained that it was one of my kids' favorite toys. We've found it to be a great intervention for this gentleman and would order it again should any of our other residents show an interest."
"I don't recommend leaving a child under 2 years old with it without supervision, because it has a few sharp latches that CAN injure them."
"I bought this for my toddler during his lock/latch obsession stage but sadly it just doesn't pique his interest."
"Got this for our 2yo grandson and there are a few locks he still needs help with but as he develops he’ll love succeeding at the hard ones."
"Update: at 14 month she can open 5 of the 6 latches."
"Very well made with bright fun colors and sturdy latches."
Best Preschool Stuffed Animals & Toys
Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I also sleep so much better knowing that this little fella cares about me, and we can snuggle whenever I feel the colorless void approaching."
"much bigger than i thought it would be but its very adorable i used this to top a diaper cake i am making for my sisters safari themed baby shower and it just fits so perfect and snug the quality of this plush animal is GREAT!"
"♥ LOVE - LOVE - LOVE - this sweet Stuffy ♥ ADORABLE AS CAN BE ♥ This little guy has PRECIOUS MOMENTS DOLL EYES if you remember those dolls."
"This went great with the larger elephant I bought at the same time."
"As adorable as the pic!!"
"So absolutely adorable!"
"very soft and lovable."
"This is every bit as adorable as the picture."