A friend asked me for gift ideas for her 2 year-old boy and I told her cars and trucks, which always seem to be in style with that demographic. I also offered her a good list of toys that every child should have. These are specific toys that therapists have in a play room for play therapy. Most of them are everyday toys, but they include those toys that are most fit to help children express themselves.
Every birthday and Christmas I try to give my children something from this list so we can have a well-equipped play room at home. If children have these toys to play with at home it will increase their emotional intelligence*. I thought I’d post a modified list for ones I recommend for the home (list modified from Play Therapy-The Art of the Relationship by Garry L. Landreth).
The toys fall into three categories 1) real-life toys, 2) acting-out aggressive-release toys and 3) toys for creative expression and emotional release. You may find that you already have a well-equipped play room. I don’t think you need to have all of the toys on this list, but I think you need toys from each category. These are non-gender specific so if you have boys don’t be afraid to get them toys that are stereotypically for girls. Some of these are household items…which we all know often become the favorite toys.
These toys don’t all have to be right in the play room. The whole house is basically a play room for us. Art supplies are also included in this list. (Small font signifies my comments.)
-doll furniture (I really want a wood doll house even though I have 2 boys…Simon often plays with these when they are in other toy rooms)
-bendable doll family (bendable is best…even if they can just bend at the waist, but non-bendable is better than nothing)
-doll bed, clothes, etc.
-pacifier
-plastic baby bottle
-purse and jewelry
-chalkboard, chalk, eraser
-refrigerator
-stove
-dishes
-pans, silverware
-pitcher
-dishpan
-play food (I highly recommend Melissa & Doug because they allow them to really create a dish)
-fruit and vegetable cans
-egg cartons
-sponge towel
-broom, dust pan
-soap, brush, comb
-crayons, pencils, paper
-transparent tape, paste
-toy watch
-building blocks (different shapes and sizes)
-paints, easel, newsprint, brushes
-playdough or clay
-Lone Ranger-type mask (I am hoping to make 2 of these for Christmas out of felt)
-pipe cleaners
-tongue depressors, popsicle sticks
-riding toy
-truck, car, airplane, tractor, boat
-school bus
-pounding bench and hammer
-xylophone
-cymbals
-drum (we just got this one for Simon’s birthday and it has a great sound)
-toy soldiers and army equipment
-firefighter’s hat, other hats
-sandbox, large spoon, funnel, sieve, pail
-zoo animals, farm animals (realistic looking ones…these were Simon’s obsession until Buzz Lightyear joined our family)
-rubber snake, alligator
-Bobo (bop bag)
-rubber knife
-hand cuffs
-dart gun
-toy noise-making gun (I still have a hard time having toy guns…I don’t have any but I’m not opposed to them)
-balls (large and small)
-telephone (two…old cell phones would be great for this generation)
-blunt scissors
-construction paper
-medical kit
-bandaids
-play money and cash register
-rags or old towels
-hand puppets (doctor, nurse, police officer, mother, father, sister, brother, baby, alligator, wolf…that is their specific list, but any puppets provide a great way for children to express things they are afraid to say directly)
-Tinker toys
-rope
-tissues (on the list, but I can’t figure out how they would stay in the box in a play room for more than 10 minutes)
A few things I would add:
-occupational dress up clothes (fireman, police officer, chef, construction worker…I love the Melissa & Doug ones)
-occupational people figures (I have this set of occupational people and a set of people with disabilities and my boys play with them all the time)
-child’s aprons (so they can help in the kitchen…of course, if you have a chef outfit this can be used)
*Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman is a must read for every parent. Gottman also well known for his research/books on marriage…this one is the most popular and I recommend it.
