A friend asked me for gift ideas for her 2 year-old boy and I told her cars and trucks…and that I also have a good list of toys that every child should have. I used to do play therapy. I would bring children into a play room and play and talk in certain way to develop a special kind of relationship. A child’s vocabulary is limited so they use objects to express themselves. If children have these toys at home it can help to increase their emotional intelligence*. Here is a modified list for the home (modified from Play Therapy-The Art of the Relationship by Garry L. Landreth, a book for play therapists, not parents). They fall under 3 categories 1) real-life toys, 2) acting-out aggressive-release toys and 3) toys for creative expression and emotional release. You may already have a well-equipped play room. You don’t need all the toys on this list, but you should have 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 are household items…which we all know often become the favorite toys…these don’t all have to be right in the play room…after all the whole house is basically a play room for us. Art supplies are also included. (Small font is 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)
dolls
doll bed, clothes, etc.
pacifier
plastic baby bottle
purse and jewelry
chalkboard, chalk, eraser
refrigerator
stove
dishes
pans, silverware
pitcher
dishpan
play food (I 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 have this one 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 I got these out of storage and the boys play with them all the time…Simon’s favorite is the fireman and Jack’s is the “baker man.”)
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.
