# What toys do your kids REALLY use??



## LuckyMommaToo (Aug 14, 2003)

As the holidays are approaching, it occurs to me how many gifts I've bought that my kids never really used. (And we're talking quality stuff here!) I realize there's a huge difference among kids, but thought it might be fun to make a quick list of what things my kids HAVE actually used. I'm including the age, too.

DS (now 6)
-- Bob the Builder die-cast vehicles (2-3)
-- Playdoh with various "tools" (2-4)
-- Matchbox-style cars (2-5)
-- Automoblox (3-5)
-- Magnatiles (3-5)
-- Puzzles (2-6)
--Legos (5-6)
--PLaykitchen with food (1-3)
-- Action figures/superheroes (3-6)
-- Wii and Nintendo DS (4-6)
-- Balance bike (3-5)
-- Plan City garage (3)
-- Playmobil 1-2-3 sets (3-6)
-- Board and card games (3-6)

DD (now 3)
-- Babies (mostly Corolle, including high chair and baby bed) (1-3)
-- playkitchen with food (1-3)
-- Calico Critters (2-3)
-- Dollhouse with family (3)
-- Playdoh with various "tools" (2-3)
-- Crafty stuff (2-3)
-- stuffed animals (2-3)
--Puzzles (2-3)
-- Balance bike (3)
-- Playmobil 1-2-3 sets (1-3)
-- Books (1-3)

Man, I could have saved myself a TON of money on things like wooden trains, Fagus trucks and dress-up that my kids don't really use. Ah well. Live and learn! Hopefully I'll be wise when shopping this Christmas.

-e


----------



## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

I'm not capable of thinking back to my children's younger years since I have Mommy Brain Rot Disease, but here's what they actually play with now:

DS1 (will be 8 on the 25th):
PSP
Nintendo DS
my desktop computer
Pokemon/Bakugan/Club Penguin trading cards
Webkinz (very rarely)
Wii (very rarely)

That's it. He has Legos, Lincoln Logs, tons of board games, an iDog, a huge box full of Nerf guns, about 15,000 stuffed animals, G.I. Joe stuff including big Jeeps & tanks, a real electric guitar, a couple of real acoustic guitars, and probably way more stuff that I'm forgetting about. He never even looks at it. I am seriously about to do a major clean-out of his stuff. I guess he's outgrown toys.







:

DD (4 on the 29th):
books
Magnadoodle
Leapster
dress-up clothes/shoes
purses
baby dolls & strollers
Barbies (occasionally)
dollhouse (rarely)
puzzles (when I feel like cleaning up a huge mess)

She really plays with almost all of her toys. The only thing she has that I can think of that she doesn't use is her Littlest Pet Shop daycare playset (which she refuses to let me get rid of -- I've tried).

DS2 (2):
Rocking horse
MegaBloks wagon
Black & Decker tool set, especially the hammer
Balls of all sizes, especially his green soccer ball
A CAT dump truck

Everything else in his toybox could (and should) go. He's really not into toys. He much prefers being my shadow and doing whatever I'm doing. For instance, today he had a ton of fun throwing an empty paper towel roll into the tub and climbing in to get it over and over and over while I was cleaning the bathroom.

This was a nice reminder. I think tomorrow I will spend a large chunk of my day cleaning out toys they don't use to make room for Christmas stuff that they hopefully will use!


----------



## Bekka (Nov 20, 2001)

All my kids age 2-5, wooden train set, girls and boys. Everyone loves them--Thomas, Brio, generic, whatever. My older kids love these still sometimes, when they have time.

Rhythm instruments/recorders/handbells. Everyone 3-11.

Legos--small ones, everyone age 3 through 11. A LOT. Most of all by ds since he was 3, and continuing until now--he's almost 6.

American Girl dolls. Older girls, ages 7-11.

Tinker Toys. Everyone, ages 3-11.

Fisher-Price Little People toys--everyone ages 3-11, but mostly 3-5. Also, baby age 6 months looks at these too.

Dress up clothes--Everyone, ages 3-11.

Wooden blocks--everyone ages 3-11.

Wii--everyone including dh. A couple times a week (budgeted screen time).

I guess I like open ended toys.


----------



## MammaG (Apr 9, 2009)

Just now, my guys are really into:

DS 5yo:
Tinker Toys
Imaginarium Marble Race (constantly!!!)
Wooden train set
art supplies (construction paper, crayons, markers, paints)
My laptop

DS 3yo:
Wooden trains
kitchen/food toys
small plastic animals (he makes up the most elaborate stories with them)
anything with wheels
k-nex (makes dinosaurs and dragons with them)

Since I'm due with baby #3 in a few weeks, they both seem to be really in to their dolls and playing 'parent', but I think that's situation-specific, not age-specific.


----------



## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

Hmmm, my daughter really uses:

Littlest Pet Shop -- I have to admit, she gets a ton of play value out of these
Blocks
All kinds of miniature plastic stuff -- Disney princesses and mermaids, Polly Pockets, etc.
Bead kits
Her Parents magazine vet hospital
Play food and tea set
Puzzle books
Puppet theater
Calico Critters
Pretend school set
Stuffed animals

Rarely played with, but she'll occasionally fall in love with:
Expensive rocket playset that she BEGGED for for Christmas a couple years ago
Building sets -- i-gami, K'nex, lincoln logs
Wizard science kit (mix "potions" and such)
Lite Brite
Digital pet toy, kind of like a tamagotchi
Detective/spy kit
Bow and arrows
Hot Wheels

When she was littler, she loved her baby dolls, ball pounder, play-doh, and any toy she could roll around the house -- doll stroller, wagon, fisher-Price "lawnmower." Also, anything she could play with in the bath.


----------



## jeanine123 (Jan 7, 2005)

Keep in mind that I have a kid with unusual taste. LOL

DS 6 years old:

-Workbooks, specifically math, any age level from pre-school through 4th grade.
-Cookbooks (he's in love with the Barefoot Contessa so I plan on getting him at least one of her books this Christmas)
-Measuring cups, spoons, bowls and whisks to pretend create the recipes he's reading (now if he'd actually eat the stuff!)
-Magnadoodle
-Crayons

DS 3 years old

-Play kitchen
-Play-doh
-Crayons, paper, dot art paints
-Magnadoodle
-Handy Manny anything, especially the tools. He loves getting his tool box to help daddy and it's so stinking cute
-train set
-legos
-balls

Both of them

-Caribou game
-Connect 4
-Trouble
-Hi Ho Cherrio
-Chutes and Ladders
-Candyland


----------



## LuxPerpetua (Dec 17, 2003)

DD is nearly 4 and she actually plays with everything we have. She also plays with many things that aren't "toys" per se but figurines and knick-knacks we have sitting about, but I'm not going to list those.

In the "toy" category, this is what she has:

Play kitchen with lots of food (for her the choppable fruits/veggies and pourables, like containers of dry pasta and beans, are a hit)

Play fabric scraps

Wooden beads, feathers, rocks, shells, sticks, ceramic tiles

2 baby dolls

Legos, MegaBloks, wooden blocks, Lincoln logs

Shleich animals

Lauri pegboards

Doctor kit

Tool set

Stuffed animals

Felt board

Random balls, cardboard tubes, bean bags

Mr. Potato Head (I wouldn't have bought this one but it was a gift and dd does play with it occasionally)

A wooden bench that she uses as a car, a boat, a safari vehicle, and a platform for putting on "shows"

A few Playmobil 1-2-3 sets. I actually don't keep these together but make our own playsets out of felt and use the trees and people with them.

A pretend camera, a kaleidoscope, a slinky, binoculars

A Little People Garage (she never uses it as a garage but rather as a machine for cleaning things).

Sandbox (outside). We made this ourselves by converting an old wooden table.

A hideout (card table covered with blankets and soft fur on the flooring)

I've gotten some great things from Goodwill for play (like wooden baskets and utensils) as well as from etsy.

For Christmas this year, dd is getting a dollhouse. Her b-day is right before Christmas (she'll be turning 4) and we're giving her a Waldorf doll.


----------



## noobmom (Jan 19, 2008)

Kids can be so different in what they like. My nephew loved his wooden (Thomas) train sets. My DS likes the trains, but loves matchbox-type cars way more. It's sometimes hard to predict. Personally, I just try not to get too much of any one thing. That said, here's my list:

DS (3 yo) - plays with daily:
Matchbox cars (esp Disney Cars ones, but he loves them all)
Duplos
board games
ride-ons (balance bike, Plasma car, tricycle)

plays with a few times a week:
blocks
train and trains tracks
dolls/stuffed animals

plays with a few times a month:
art supplies (paints/crayons) - although it may be because I don't suggest it much
play kitchen (he used to play with this every day when he was younger)
figurines/action figures
musical instruments
puzzles

Really, when I think about it, DS doesn't play with his toys that much at all. He spends a lot of time hanging out with me, doing whatever I'm doing. LOL.


----------



## 2cutiekitties (Dec 3, 2006)

Oh yes, it is so depressing. We are in the midst of getting rid of toys he doesnt play with and it is a lot! Must be at least $500 worth. I am watching all my carefully planned xmas purchases from last year getting tossed in the donate bin.







Oh well, hopefully someone will get a good score and a high from a good score.

My son plays with his matchbox cars and his guitar and his magnadoodle. Anything else is something to throw or throw across the room or throw at someone.







He is 2.8.

He has this thing about wanting to play with the adult stuff. Why play kitchen and fake cut something up, when we can go in the kitchen and really cut up strawberries. It is like that for everything and it drives me crazy.


----------



## karne (Jul 6, 2005)

Right now, legos, wooden blocks, (both kids) barbies and barbie dream house (dd, a little), breyer horses (dd), ds (dd) and any transformer/gadgety thing ds can find. I have enough extremely expensive wooden waldorf toys to outfit a toy store, but the kids have really moved on at this point. Anything art related is used a lot. Mostly they play outside.


----------



## lonegirl (Oct 31, 2008)

Let's see....Tyr will be 3 Nov 17th
He plays with most of his toys (especially if he sees you tidying them up)

Leapster2
Wii/Xbox360/Nintendo DS
Marble Run
Board games
Wedgit blocks (mega blocks used to be a fave...now he doesn't use them much)
Nerf Guns (with safety goggles)
playdoh and craft stuff
Fridge Magnets
His garage sale cheapo plastic kitchen
sandbox toys....although those are being put away now
Tubtoys (fish/foam letters/cups)
His trains....if we go downstairs together (I wish I had more space on the main floor)

I find if I bring toys out and remind him about them he will have lots of fun with them....but he wont open his cupboards to find them

He has a big bag of plastic animals....not interested in (fortunately a garage sale find)
His cool castle...nope but will happily play with his other castle and knights at Grandad's


----------



## mistymama (Oct 12, 2004)

DS loved the wooden trains when he was 2-4, we had the train table and all kinds of trains, towers, etc - and they got tons of use. I have them in storage, hoping we can use them again someday.









Now though - he's almost 7:

Bakugons - uh, those little balls, they provide hours of fun.

LEGOS - Ds can build the most amazing things with them! We even set up a little "lego station" where they are divided by size to help him quickly find the piece he needs. He can play with legos for hours - and so can his friends K-2nd grade, girls and boys.

Nintendo Wii and DS - need I say more? Esp on MDC?









Hot Wheels - still a staple in the bathtub. Water races are a nightly thing.

Board Games - Clue, Life, Monopoly, Battleship, Operation - DS loves them all.

Card Games - Go Fish, Old Maid, Crazy 8's

That's all my tired brain can think of for now.


----------



## mommariffic (Mar 18, 2009)

DD is 2 so she doesn't have that much time on the older kids but she plays with:

Craft supplies daily. This includes oil pastels, stickers, finger paints, drawing books, pencils, pens, glue sticks, you name it. She's obsessed with crafts! I think this is where I honestly spend the bulk of my money because I love them too.

Kitchen/food: she plays with this a few times a week, if not daily.

Puzzles! Whenever I bust them out, which I do often, we love them.

Fairy/Fairy tree house: Daily

That's basically it at the moment, but she has about 1,000 things she DOESN'T play with that I'm donating.


----------



## African Tulip (Mar 9, 2006)

I'm going to do a list with toys my kids love and some that were a total bust.

Here's the things they play with now

DS11

board games and cards
chess
cars
lego
any platform or computer type game
webkinz
golf
baseball
skiing

DS9

lego, lego, lego, lego and more lego
geo-trax train set
art supplies
plasticine and playdoh
dress up
marble runs
bike
soccer
skates (inline and ice)
sleds
snowboarding

DD6

barbies
poly pockets
dress up (purses, cell phones the most)
kitchen
art supplies
plasticine/playdoh
recycled paper, notebooks
bike
skiing
skipping rope

In the past they all really liked weebles. Oldest liked the leap pad. Little people farm was liked as well.

Things that were a total bust.

anything to do with hockey
the wooden train track sets.
They didn't like how hard it was to make a track that was completed. They didn't like how they easily broke. So glad we had the opportunity to use a friends set first and for some reason I only know of 1 family who's kids did play with these sets.
leapster
megablocks.
They don't stay together and fall apart to easily.
hotwheels sets
They love the cars but the sets are not good at all


----------



## Wild Lupine (Jul 22, 2009)

DD 2-3:
Small indoor push wagon
Toy piano
Cardboard nesting and stacking boxes
Play kitchen
Books, books, and more books
Dolls (she got into thise closer to 3 than 2)
Bags
Balls

DS 1:
Cardboard nesting and stacking boxes (the same set DD uses. It was the best 50 cents I've ever spent at a thrift store)
Balls
dump truck
Toy xylaphone
stacking rings


----------



## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Dd (7)

stuffed animals
games
art supplies
books


----------



## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Ds (4):
Wooden trains and track
Wooden building blocks
Duplos
Trucks of ANY shape and size
Matchbox Cars
Play food and dishes
Plastic toy tools
Imaginext Firehouse + Firetruck + Firemen

Dd (1):
Baby dolls
Toy bottles
Baby cradle
Baby high chair
Baby blankets and pillows
Duplos
Step 2 Fairy Shoe & Step 2 Mainstreet Village house

Things that did or do not ever get used: bead maze, any baby/infant/toddler rattle, teether, or electronic plastic toy, play kitchen, any VTech toy, train table, Little People


----------



## JamieCatheryn (Dec 31, 2005)

3 year old DS plays with:

legos
megabloks
wooden trains
tinkertoys
stuffed animals
plastic animals
wooden and die cast vehicles
pebbles outside
sticks
leapfrog letters thingy
number tiles (from a rummikub? game)
bread dough (everytime I bake)

And practically all of it becomes a talking person.


----------



## MOMYS (Nov 5, 2008)

My 3 sons, 2 to 4 years:
Books, books and more books
Wooden Blocks
Mega Blocks
Trucks and trailers (especially my 3 year old who want to hook everything onto his truck LOL)
Farm animals and wild animals
Wooden train and tracks
Dress up
Ball Pit
Sandpit
Jungle Gym
Board games
riding their "motorbikes" - never seen them over here, we brought them over from South Africa. They sit on them and then push them along with their feet, no pedals or anything. My 2 year old has a y-bike, which is pretty hard to balance on, but great for learning to balance.

My 4 and 6 year olds also love playing with Hot Wheels.

My 6 year old son:
Books, books, books.
Anything crafty
Dress up
Legos
K'nex
Collecting anything and everything, even rocks from wherever we go.
Baseball
Sandpit
Jungle Gym
Board Games
Bike riding
Pogo Stick

My 9 and 11 year old sons:
Books, books, books
Legos
Lego Technics
K'nex
Techno Gears and Techno Chains (bought in South Africa and used to build various electronic things using Gears and Chains)
Ball Games
Any outdoor games
"club" meetings
Dress up
Board Games (especially chess)
Wooden blocks (9 year old)
Air hockey
Strategic games they devise themselves
Building things from old electronic parts
Using science equipment for experiments (my 11 year old specifically. We got a whole lot of real equipment at a closing down sale and he LOVES anything scientific)
Bike Riding
Sports (especially my 9 year old), so we have a box of sports stuff. They sometime use it the "normal" way, but just as often make up their own games.
Pogo Stick

We have a Wii, and they use it about once a week.


----------



## gentlecowgirl (Jan 17, 2009)

DD2
she spends 75% percent of her time mauling our cats, dogs, chickens and horses.
Paint
Bubbles
Books
Cooking fake and real
Matchbox cars
Plastic animals
the recycling bin
slides, swings, climbing bookshelves
mini baby stroller
stuffed monkey
Anything mine
Daddy's tools ideally the hammers and not the chainsaw


----------



## Cascadian (Jan 28, 2009)

Interesting how many plastic mainstream toys are on the list, and how many expensive, lovely wooden ones fall to the wayside









Here are the high-traffic toys, in no particular order:

DDs, 5 and 3:

Legos
Little Pony and all the related playsets (something about miniature things...)
Barbies and accessories/clothes
Dress up stuff
Leapsters
Foam building blocks
Mini trampoline
K'Nex (the kids' ones..the monster set)
Dollhouse with doll furniture
Flashlights
Laptop and kid websites (PBS kids, NickJr., Treehouse, etc.)
Any bag that can hold a whack of random toys
Board games


----------



## Bug-a-Boo's Mama (Jan 15, 2008)

K is 3y10m and has really in the last couple of months just started playing independently. So some things we've had for a while and he really just started playing with and others he has played with for a while.

*Little People, various pieces
*Cars
*Imaginext-rocket ship is big right now, various other pieces.
*Wooden blocks...still not as much as I had hoped for.
*Big Legos
*Kinex-very old set that was my brother's.
*Play Dough, sometimes this keeps his attention for a long time, other times not. Not regularly played with.
*Kitchen food...but not the kitchen







.
*Looking at books by himself.
Oh and almost forgot...
*TRAINS-we have Thomas and GeoTrax-currently the favorite. But he doesn't play with these independently. Something about putting the tracks together, just doesn't have the patience I don't think.
*Riding his trike through the house.

Also likes his bicycle, car and other outside things for outside.


----------



## GuildJenn (Jan 10, 2007)

Kids are really different. I'm not sure I see the toys my son is less fond of as "waste" exactly - it's part of him developing his own tastes and preferences.

Anyways the things that my son plays with mostly every day are:
Thomas set (has been true since he was 2)
Lego/Duplo
Playmobil
Cars of any kind
Any adult thing









Less used, but loved:
Little People
Plan Dollhouse
Playdough
Sand toys, outdoor toys
Dress up

The less loved toys are:
Wooden blocks (not yet anyway; I keep hoping)
Puzzles (he does them once, then is done. Forever, apparently.)


----------



## DaughterOfKali (Jul 15, 2007)

DS (almost 7):

Books
Recipe deck
Kids size cooking utensils
Drawing supplies
Paints
Wii
Playmobil
Barbie and Disney Princess/Prince dolls
American Girl doll
Dress up clothes (mostly from Sarah's Silks because that's what I sell)
Chalkboard
T-Rex stuffed animal
Corgi stuffed animal
Handwriting Flashchart


----------



## Daffodil (Aug 30, 2003)

Playmobil and plastic animals are the hands-down winners with my kids. Barbies and certain stuffed animals get used quite a bit, too. (But most of the stuffed animals spend most of their time just taking up space.) Dress-up clothes are also very popular.


----------



## musikat (Oct 30, 2002)

7-year-old DS:

Books
Pokemon
Spy Gear
Dress-up
anything that could be considered a "weapon"
Bakugan (sometimes)
Gormitis
Art Supplies of any kind
Legos
Kid K'nex
Stuffed Animals
in general he is into more "active" play, so whatever he is playing with gets incorporated in a physical way, if that makes sense.
When he was younger, plastic dinosaurs (he was obsessed with dinosaurs) and he also went through a planet hero phase

5-year-old DS:

Legos (#1 thing, every day play)
K'nex
Kid K'nex
Any conceivable kind of building toy
When he was younger, wooden blocks
building Forts from household items (hmm I'm sensing a theme here)
Spy stuff
dress up
Bakugan
Science kits (had the wizard one and loved it)

2-year-old DS:

Mostly follows me around and likes to clean








books! (when I put him in his room for his nap and he doesn't sleep the books are all over the floor from him looking at them and the toys mostly ignored)
cars
toy animals
stuffed animals
little people farm
trains, a bit
balls
Wooden castle with knights
Anything to do with Elmo
Anything he can climb


----------



## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

DD's younger - 18 months. So far she loves:

Picture books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Peepo etc - she's really into studying the pictures right now)
A bouncy ball
A doll, occasionally
Playdough

She doesn't like stuffed toys or her nice wooden blocks - I'm hoping she eventually develops a taste for the latter! She also likes playing on my keyboard (as in piano, not computer). Most of her other entertainment comes from making mischief - emptying books out of the bookshelf, clothes out of drawers, kitchen implements out of cupboards. Sigh.


----------



## sewchris2642 (Feb 28, 2009)

Dylan, age 11: Legos including Bionocles; L5R (Legend of the 5 Rings) collectible card game; chess; games on the computer. He is also getting into cooking and has always been interested in history and the History Channel. Still enjoys dressing up in historical costumes--viking, Roman Senator, Renaissance, knights, WWII soldier Samurai.


----------



## Hoopin' Mama (Sep 9, 2004)

DS 5
hotwheels
Playmobil
resin dinosaurs and animals
flashlight
bug cup
wooden sword/shield/ knight cape
swing

What he never paid much attention to (and it made me sad)
wooden blocks handmade by a dear friend
Brio trainset
Kitchen
Legos

Go figure.


----------



## Girlprof (Jun 11, 2007)

You know what? I think I am not getting expensive wooden blocks for Xmas. That is what I want them to play with. I think we will be getting more legos and maybe a nintendo DS.


----------



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

We had a lot of kids over from the neighborhood this summer, ages 7-9, and they played the most with:

Stuffed animals
Dress up stuff - not just clothes but accessories - "IDs" on lanyards, hats, badges, bags, etc.
Toy kitchen
Play food
Playmobil dollhouse
Trucks
Tree swing
Wooden train tracks
Marble runs

Our tracks have been put away for awhile, but they are really popular among kids of different ages (boys and girls). The key for us is that they have ROOM to spread them out (they go all around the main floor of the house). We also have high quality tracks (thanks Godparents) and they stay together pretty well. My kids were about 4-5 before they could put them together.


----------



## StephandOwen (Jun 22, 2004)

Trains and books. That's pretty much it. He may pick up another toy here and there, but they don't really ever get played with.


----------



## Cascadian (Jan 28, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Girlprof* 
You know what? I think I am not getting expensive wooden blocks for Xmas. That is what I want them to play with. I think we will be getting more legos and maybe a nintendo DS.

I know...crazy, huh. When DD1 was born, I researched the heck out of every toy (um, micromanage much?







) and went for lots of uber-expensive wooden toys, and stuff I thought they'd like because, you know, it increased gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination and pattern recognition...

Blah..

I'll give some credit to multinational toy corps...they do their homework. Focus groups, focus groups, focus groups. Maybe, in the end, the reason the toys are so successful is not all about the spin-off cartoons and related acessories...but maybe the stuff's actually FUN!?!?


----------



## sweetpeppers (Dec 19, 2007)

My son is 2.5 years old. He plays with his wooden kitchen the most, cars (wooden and matchbox) second, and his wooden animals and people, his rocking horse, a banana box which is his "work truck" and his play silks and dolls some too. And blocks and legos and instruments and his trains. He's an equal opportunity player, but his kitchen definitely sees the most use.


----------



## Mama2Bug (Feb 18, 2005)

DD will be five in December. Some of her favorite playthings:

-dress-up clothes of all kinds
-dress-up accessories (magic wands, doctor kit etc)
-dolls
-stuffed animals
-play dough and tools
-all craft supplies
-board games (especially Hi Ho Cherry O and Hungry, Hungry Hippos)
-wooden building blocks and ABC blocks
-Playmobil
-dollhouse people/Calico Critters/Schleich figures
-playsilks
-play kitchen and accessories (especially tea set)

Stuff that failed, imo (though she does play with all of these, on occasion):

-most puzzles
-train tracks/trains
-doll stroller
-toy vacuum cleaner


----------



## aprons_and_acorns (Sep 28, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GuildJenn* 
Any adult thing









That made me laugh because its true at our house too! (I'm assuming by "adult thing" you mean regular household items that aren't toys and not . . . ahem, "adult" things







)

At our house the most-used toys are:

wooden blocks
playsilks
hotwheels
dollhouse
art supplies


----------



## Mom2M (Sep 23, 2006)

DD (4)
75% of the time is either drawing or painting, gluing & cutting. So...pens/pencils, markers, any kind of paint, tape, glue and scissors.
We got a bucket full of scissors that make different edges and she loves those.

-books
-dolls and doll clothes
-dress up clothes (like old Halloween costumes)
receiving blankets







she wraps them around everything and wears them
puzzles
-her treasure box. This has tons of little things like rocks, beads, feathers, necklaces, shells and any kind of glittery ribbon pieces or decorations that she finds.
-play kitchen
-leapster

not really played with or much less:
-shopping cart
-stroller
-dollhouse
-blocks
-cars and trucks
-instruments
-magnadoodle


----------



## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mom2M* 
DD (4)

not really played with or much less:
-shopping cart
-stroller
-dollhouse
-blocks
-cars and trucks
-instruments
*-magnadoodle*


OMG I can't believe that your magnadoodle is a flop. We have had ours for a couple years and it is RIDICULOUS how much one toy can cause all the kids to scream and fight over it. It is used every single day over and over and over. I even bought mini versions for the car and every car ride when I bring them out they freak like they have never seen a magnadoodle before. LOL! So interesting to read everyone's lists to see how different our kiddos are!!!


----------



## noobmom (Jan 19, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Cascadian* 
I know...crazy, huh. When DD1 was born, I researched the heck out of every toy (um, micromanage much?







) and went for lots of uber-expensive wooden toys, and stuff I thought they'd like because, you know, it increased gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination and pattern recognition...

Blah..

I'll give some credit to multinational toy corps...they do their homework. Focus groups, focus groups, focus groups. Maybe, in the end, the reason the toys are so successful is not all about the spin-off cartoons and related acessories...but maybe the stuff's actually FUN!?!?










So true, at least for the stuff that's been around for a while--Legos, Matchbox cars, Barbie. Then again, these are the types of toys that have causes spin-off cartoons, not the other way around. Legos were around for a lot longer than Lego Star Wars and same with the Barbie dolls and all those movies they make now.


----------



## childsplay (Sep 4, 2007)

Mine are 15, 6, 5 and 5. As well I have daycare kids, 3, 2, 2 and 2.
This is what I've discovered

Things we didn't like, didn't use, or absolutely hated : )

Any plastic toy with a predetermined outcome. Fisher Price makes lots of these, I've only ever bought one thing (the Dance Dance Monkey thing) it was a dust collector. But we've recieved tons of it as gifts or hand me downs. The FP garage became a step stool, the farm a storage box for the billion plastic animals and people, you get the idea...

Talking dolls. To me, there's something wierd about a company programming a doll to say the phrases that were most likely the most suggested in a focus group. It's unimaginative and unoriginal. What's wrong with the child making up his/her own sayings and voices?

Train table. Once the pieces were glued down, it was a bit better, but overall, it was just a surface to put junk.

Noisy toys. Like singing Leapfrog toys. (shudder)

Plastic play kitchen and plastic play food. They never even touched it.
Same goes for the plastic workbench.

Learning games (like the smarttouch, or leapster...) it held their interest for a very brief moment, but were mainly a source of frusteration and quickly went away.

Stuff we loved....And still do!

Wooden blocks (alphabet blocks, homemade 2x4 ends, any kind of wooden block!)

Wooden animals and shoeboxes.

Fisher Price Happy Apple (Old) as well as the xylophone, castle, telephone and school bus (old ones, 70's era again)

Simple ride on toys.

Gears, Waffle blocks, K'nex, Tinkertoys, and dinky cars.

Books, art supplies, modeling clay, dollar store learning and activity books and stickers.

Beanbags.

Wooden doll furniture and basic baby dolls , Waldorf dolls, and tons of old doll clothes.

Dress up trunk.

Castles and knightes.

Pirate ship.

Real tools.

Tree fort and swings (hung from trees) Fishing rods, kites, scooters, bikes, old surfboard, boogie boards, balls, skateboards, rowboats and dinghies. Sticks, rocks, pinecones, sand, stream, woods....

Knitting and sewing.

Old maps, old cameras, old cell phones, old winches and block and tackles, rope...

My daycare kids are really into filling plastic yogurt containers with anything they can find (gravel, sticks, dry macaroni, etc.) and dumping it out. Over and over : )


----------



## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

DS is 2.5 and he likes:

-Little People (the sets, the figures, anything to do with Little People)
-puppets
-anything with wheels
-blocks (any kind- wooden blocks, Legos, whatever)
-toy trains (he slightly prefers Thomas but he likes any trains)
-dinosaur figures
-any bath toys
-play kitchen
-anything where he can press buttons and it plays tunes
-Mylar helium balloons
-anything for drawing/ painting/ modeling clay/ playdough

He also has dolls and stuffed animals which he likes, but given the choice he prefers puppets.


----------



## sunnmama (Jul 3, 2003)

For dd (2-8) it was:

stuffed animals
Schleich animals
playsilks/dress up
laces, jumpropes
books

Now, at 8.5, she is attached to magical/fantasy props. She loves! the -ology type books (wizardology, wandmaker's handbook, dragonology, etc).

Ds (2):

blocks (wooden, lego, duplo, mega)
Plastic dinosaurs
balls, balls, balls!
action figures (esp TMNT)
Chalk, crayons, markers
ride on toys (his Step 2 motorcycle is his fav)
playsilks
books


----------



## loraxc (Aug 14, 2003)

DD, 5:

Books
Art supplies
Plastic animals
Stuffed animals
Dress-up
Swing and trapeze

DS, 20 months:
Cars and trucks
Balls
Plastic animals
Books
FP farm
He also likes that damn Leapfrog table.

Both children occasionally enjoy blocks, but not often. They both like to play with the Magnadoodle in the car.

Things we have that DD doesn't play with:
Legos
Tinkertoys
Puzzles
Play food
Random plastic crapola (you know what I mean)


----------



## Amys1st (Mar 18, 2003)

I have girls FWIW,

DD1 (7)

would play w trains as a tot
playsilks playsilks playsilks since age 3.
dress up stuff, loves wedgies always has
barbies and doll house stuff, they have whole scenerios in my basement including wooden blocks and animal figurines etc. if a boy is included.
has her own boom box and likes making shows w microphones etc

dd2 (3.5)

wont touch trains
loves our play kitchen area
M/D sushi set and pizza set
playsilks
dress up
barbies
dolls

I played w barbies as a child and loved them. I allow them and realized it evolved into the barbies, dollhouse and sometimes if boys over, there is a block building and animals for Ken the zookeeper (?)

The playsilks are bigtime here. It amazes me how every child comes into my house and always finds something to do with these. Boys will make capes, flags, put over their head etc. Girls will make skirts, table cloths, wraps, drapes, anything. We have all primary colors plus some "pretty" ones.

DH built a kichen set we copied from pottery barn and that area gets lots of traffic. Sometimes restrnt, sometimes grocery, sometimes just playing. The older ones (5-8) will have a "kitchen show" complete with "and welcome back! today we are making....."

We have a train table plus trains and dd2 isnt as much interested. Another LLL mama friend and neighbor is taking them for her small boys soon and we are trading for some art she does.

For xmas, dds asked for a "stage" so DH is making a stage that can be folded up in the basement. Also a request for a lemonade stand/ puppet show. All this made from wood scraps. We have an alcove so we are thinking of making an area the stage and hang curtains up etc for the effect.


----------



## Amys1st (Mar 18, 2003)

we also love art supplies here!


----------



## Amys1st (Mar 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *loraxc* 
DD, 5:
Random plastic crapola (you know what I mean)

Yes, but does it multilpy like really fast in your house too?


----------



## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Love this thread! DD will be 10 months old at Christmas time. Any suggestions?? So far, DH is building her a toy chest and "Santa" is bringing a ride-on scooting toy. My mom is getting her a baby doll. What do babies want for Christmas that will actually get some use??

I'd buy for the year ahead (more big girl toys), but her birthday is 2 months later, so family members will be getting her big girl things then...


----------



## hempmama (Dec 16, 2004)

This is great, though I am disappointed (not the least bit surprised) to see how much variation there is! Almost every toy is on both someone's play and no-play list. Kids really are all individual little people, aren't they?

DD1 (5)
books
"science" tools (magnifying glass, compass, etc)
LEGOS! Probably the default non reading activity
dress up
basic art supplies(crayons, stickers), but NOT more complicated craft kits or craft supplies. I could have saved a lot of money not buying all those sequins and beady things.
play kitchen/play food
chalk (when it's nice enough outside)
lately, chess set (and would love more board games generally, but her evil mother hates board games except for chess and scrabble, and DD doesn't like to play scrabble with me because I tell her when she spells words wrong)

DS (4 in a month)
books
balls
crayons/paper (no other art stuff, though)
legos
cars/little plastic animals
dress up (mostly just with DD, doesn't do it as much by himself)
play kitchen
dollhouse

DD2 (14 months)
nothing really, yet. Shoes, maybe. Tupperware. Destruction of whatever lego creation the bigger two are making.

We have very low interest in playsilks (they just sit at the bottom of the dress up box, which is otherwise filled with my dance/brownie/halloween, etc costumes from when I was a little girl), puzzles, "caretaking" things- dolls, strollers, etc., and blocks aside from legos. Also more complicated game sets- the Quadrilla marble run has been gotten out maybe 4 times in 2 years, always initiated by me. 99% of the time the older two are both in the house they play together, so their lists are very alike. When DS is by himself, he almost exclusively either does something ball oriented or creates towns with cars and animals and the dollhouse.

ETA: when my kids were about 1, they got balls, thick paintbrushes (my DS really liked these), stacking rings/cups, and board books.


----------



## Cascadian (Jan 28, 2009)

I wanted to add pop-up tent, and an inflatable jumpy castle thing. TONS of traffic.


----------



## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

DS- 2.5

Trains and train tracks
Matchbox cars
Puzzles
Playdoh
Art supplies
Empty rubbermaid bins
Cardboard tubes
Kitchen utensils
Balls
Outside toys like scooters and bikes

We don't have a ton of toys but there are a lot of things that we have that he hasn't looked at in months, like his blocks. He likes to follow me around and find something to do in whatever room I am in at the time.


----------



## funkymamajoy (May 25, 2008)

DS #1 (4)
-cars
-bike
-play dough
-dolls
-shovels
-kiddie pool
-Tonka trunks
-art supplies

DD (2)
-everything her brother plays with

DS#2 (9 months)
-the dog
-Tupperware drawer in the kitchen
-Lamaze toy keychain
-stuffed animals
-whatever brother and sister are playing with


----------



## JamesMama (Jun 1, 2005)

DS almost 5- Play-doh, Matchbox/hotwheels cars, airplanes, rescue vehicles, coloring books/crayons, balls, outside toys (bike, basketball hoop) nerf gun *duck*

DD almost 2- Play doh, baby dolls, dress up shoes, purse, mega blocks, ride on toys, books, crayons/coloring books, stickers

DD is harder, she rarely plays with her toys, just packs them around but those are her favorite. She will actually put Mega Blocks together and scoot around on ride on toys. Stickers she just puts all over herself.


----------



## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

I'm not really surprised that (some) kids prefer plastic toys to wooden. Kids are little, remember - wood is heavy! When I worked at a kindergarten the kids preferred the plastic trucks because they could skim easily over the "roads" in he sandpit. Wooden trucks were cumbersome to lift, got stuck and "snowed in" in the sand, hurt when you threw 'em and were generally just a bit unwieldy.

I'm all for the picturesqueness of wooden toys, but the plastic versions are often just a lot more user-friendly (and kids don't tend to care if their toy shelf is in beautiful neutrals and looks artistic... sadly!). Heck, I do the same - I bought lovely heavy ceramic mixing bowls, but half the time I just grab the nasty plastic mixing bowl that came with our wedding-gift kitchen scales. Because it's easier and lighter and I'm phenomenally lazy.


----------



## mommy2abigail (Aug 20, 2005)

I used to have a home daycare. I had a TON of toys. About 6 months ago, I got rid of everything. Seriously. I only kept the baby doll stuff, dress up stuff, wooden kitchen set and play food and various sets of blocks. We have wooden, cardboard, and a few sizes of Lego/Duplo blocks. That is it. And a MILLION books and craft supplies. My kids are happier and so am I. It takes us less than 5 minutes to clean up. They are using the blocks creatively and they play with them more often. All in all though, I could honestly get rid of all toys and my kids would be fine. They aren't big into toys.


----------



## zebra15 (Oct 2, 2009)

DS 9 loves legos, nascar (matchbox sized cars), art supplies - he is learning to cross stitch, books, nintendo ds and games, thats about it... Maybe on a good day he will ride his bike or scooter or play with his r/c car.

We have tons of board games that go unused and puzzles that sit dusty.

This year for xmas DS asked for LEGOS... Crocs, art supplies and books


----------



## Ruthie's momma (May 2, 2008)

DD is 27.5 mo. I try to rotate the toys so as to keep them "fresh." DD seems to really enjoy everything listed...

*Animal figurines

*Cars!!! These are DD's current fave!

*Little People

*Caring for her stuffed animals

*Reading/being read to

*Drawing

*Phone, wallet & keys in her little handbag

*Stacking/nesting cups (DD has enjoyed these since she was a little babe)

*Radio Flyer Scoot About (she also has a RF balance bike for later). Some additional outside toys include a little pool, soccer ball and bucket w/ shovel.

We are _planning_ on getting her either a dollhouse (w/ furniture and figurines) or a play kitchen (w/ wooden and felt food, dishware and cookware) for Christmas.

DD also spends a good amount of time playing with non-toys!


----------



## oceanbaby (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Cascadian* 
I know...crazy, huh. When DD1 was born, I researched the heck out of every toy (um, micromanage much?







) and went for lots of uber-expensive wooden toys, and stuff I thought they'd like because, you know, it increased gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination and pattern recognition...

Blah..

I'll give some credit to multinational toy corps...they do their homework. Focus groups, focus groups, focus groups. Maybe, in the end, the reason the toys are so successful is not all about the spin-off cartoons and related acessories...but maybe the stuff's actually FUN!?!?










Yeah, I can't tell you how many wooden helicopters and wooden trucks and wooden everything I ended up getting rid of because my kids never liked it, and always wanted the plastic version that did more. They never cared about the playsilks either. They wanted stuff that beeped and "did stuff."


----------



## SquishyKitty (Jun 10, 2005)

Wii on occasion, but that goes in spurts
Legos almost nonstop. Seriously. The kids room is 98% legos, 1% bed, and 1% clothes.
Computer games
K'nex were huge here for awhile
Matchbox cars-we have about 300 of the bloody things, because DS inherited a ton from his uncles, and from his older cousin.
Bionicle Legos are also a big hit. He's got buckets of bionicle parts, he creates some of the coolest things with them.

When he was younger, the wooden train set was a big hit, we're actually considering selling it now because we've got a ton of pieces/parts. I don't know, I also kind of like having it around. We'll see.

Play Doh was also a big hit. Especially once DS learned how to vacuum up his own crumbs lol.

He also went through a big airplane phase, and a big tractor phase, so we had tons of really nice metal and plastic airplanes around. I've kept a couple, especially his big red one that he pretty much lived with, and the tractors we kept as well because a lot of them are the nice die cast Brio ones.


----------



## BetsyS (Nov 8, 2004)

Ds is 3 (September). He mostly plays with match box cars. He has a train set, but mostly it's for cars. LOL. He has one train (Peter Sam) that he really loves, but the rest are hit or miss. And, he has lots of sizes of cars that he plays with (mostly model cars granddad picked up thrifting that have become toys). He likes all of them, but matchbox the best.

He plays with duplos sometimes.

Sometimes colors.

Sometimes, my cooking stuff (an empty pot, a spatula, and a wisk). He has a workbench that he calls his grill.

He plays with a set of plastic tools he has (saw, drill, screwdriver, etc).

In our house, we'd be fine if we only kept books and matchbox cars.


----------



## childsplay (Sep 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2abigail* 
I used to have a home daycare. I had a TON of toys. About 6 months ago, I got rid of everything. Seriously. I only kept the baby doll stuff, dress up stuff, wooden kitchen set and play food and various sets of blocks. We have wooden, cardboard, and a few sizes of Lego/Duplo blocks. That is it. And a MILLION books and craft supplies. My kids are happier and so am I. It takes us less than 5 minutes to clean up. They are using the blocks creatively and they play with them more often. All in all though, I could honestly get rid of all toys and my kids would be fine. They aren't big into toys.










I did the same. With my own kids first, firing all the plastic junk into storage. Then when I started the childcare it all came back. For a very brief time







It's all gone now except a few carefully selected plastic toys (gears , waffle blocks, and a few cars and trucks. I kept, and added to our wooden block, wooden animal, dress up, wooden doll furniture, books and art supply collections.
The kids love it. At two years old they're focusing on single 'tasks' like play feeding a doll , lining up and pushing small cars, spinning gears, stacking a tower, scribbling on paper, trying on masks etc....rather than dumping plastic junk all over the floor then leaving it as it's too overwhelming.
Clean up's a breeze too!


----------



## bwylde (Feb 19, 2004)

I have a 7yoDS and a 5yoDD. Here is what they both like:
-Wii/DS/GameCube
-Computer
-Cabbage Patch Kids
-Little People (yes, both STILL!!)
-lego
-paper and crayons/paint (well really, any art supplies)
-dress-up

Unfortunately this stuff overtakes the house as other than the first two items, they have way to much of everything. They aren't getting much for Christmas.


----------



## riverscout (Dec 22, 2006)

I don't think my kids have any toys that they don't use regularly. I don't think they have enough that they can really be that choosy







.

Some of my almost 4 year old's faves:

Stuffed animals
Playsilks
Arts and crafts stuff, especially paint
Musical instruments
Balls
Her fairies and treehouse
Playfood and kitchen accessories (even more so than the play kitchen itself)
Blocks (apparently she is an oddball







)
Dress ups
Legos
Cars
Playmobil 1-2-3 stuff
Her collection of what most people would consider junk that came from goodie bags, the dentist's "prize box," and Chick-fil-A kid's meals








Some of my recently turned one year old's faves:

His Uglydoll
Balls
Blocks
Yogurt containers
Musical instruments
My keys
Anything his sister, his dad, or I have
Anything he is not supposed to have
ETA - and they both LOVE their sand and water table


----------



## traceface (Feb 17, 2003)

Our big collection of various sets of sturdy wooden blocks (with all kinds of interesting pieces, shapes thrown in there) has gotten far and away the most use


----------



## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

My boys are 3.75 and 6.75.
They love:
-Legos
-Wii
-stuffed animals
-Schleich (plastic) animals
-dress-up clothes
-outdoor stuff-- basketball hoop, balls of all types, bikes, scooters, sleds, rollerblades
-dollhouse (out of favor now, but was my oldest's favorite toy at 3)


----------



## noobmom (Jan 19, 2008)

Just to spite me, DS spent all day yesterday playing with the stuff I put on his "doesn't play with much" list. Mostly his play kitchen and asking paint. LOL.


----------



## jlobe (May 1, 2009)

Has stood the test of time for us... (DD5, DS3)

-Dress up clothes, blankets, assorted household items, laundry baskets








-Puzzles
-Craft Supplies
-Playmobil
-Lego


----------



## ShadowMoon (Oct 18, 2006)

DS will be 3 in December

Toy blocks
Toy trains
Fridge magnets
Guitar
Toy trains
Golf clubs and balls
Bouncing balls
Stacking cups
Hand drums
Balloons
Paper towel rolls and empty soda bottles
Flashlight and glowsticks

At the toy store he loves:

Big wheels (or other ride-on toys)
Elmo Live
The toy you push that has popping balls


----------



## Dabble (Jun 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Smokering* 
Heck, I do the same - I bought lovely heavy ceramic mixing bowls, but half the time I just grab the nasty plastic mixing bowl that came with our wedding-gift kitchen scales. Because it's easier and lighter and I'm phenomenally lazy.









OMG, this SO hits the nail on the head for me! My heavy mixing bowls are beautiful too, but just thinking about having to lug them out, wrestle them in the dishwasher, and put them away again... I always reach for the plastic ones too! I also blame it on my own laziness.

I think you're on to something about the weight of wooden toys for little ones... if they are hard to lift, they aren't going to be played with very much.


----------



## ssh (Aug 12, 2007)

My DD plays with all of her stuff, even mixing different types of toys, like painting her myponies or attacking her schleick model animals with her fathers old jurassic park dinosaurs. And she has way too much stuff. My MIL and my DHs grandmother do garage sales and my DH kept all his dinosaurs and star-trek toys. Oh, the schleick model animals love riding in the back of the shuttle craft when they're not hanging around the geotrax train and tracks.

Outside we have balls, a sandbox, basketball hoop, bike and lots of leaves.


----------



## Tilia (Nov 18, 2006)

DD is almost 4. She rarely plays with her toys and she has a ton of them. She does play with these things:

playsilks
books
balls
wooden puzzles
dress-up
jewelry
art supplies
little people
board games
floor puzzles
magna doodle
poingo

From 2-3 she played with:

play kitchen
wooden blocks
balls
playsilks
wooden instruments
dolls
wooden trainset
aqua doodle
cars
leap pad


----------



## sapphos (Nov 9, 2006)

subbing to a fabulous thread so I can come back and post as well.

I will say in the meantime that this thread has helped me to choose a better toy from my return/exhange with Magic Cabin. all of a sudden all those "cool" wow gotta have em's have a different appeal (or not)


----------



## Shannie77 (Jan 16, 2007)

Great thread!









My DD is 2.5
--- arts & crafts (scissors, glue, painting etc.)
--- imaginarium train set
--- various puzzles
--- ballet music, tutu, slippers etc...
--- wooden barn with animals
--- Cranium bingo game
--- wooden kitchen & accessories DH built
--- Polly Pocket
--- Books
--- Flashlights
--- Wooden Blocks


----------



## RoadBuddy (May 19, 2005)

DS is 2.5
Books
wooden puzzles
maracas/tambourine/keyboard/bells/drums - if it makes music, he's there
shape sorter (both the easy baby one and the harder 4 sided wooden one)
fridge letters
play food
little people figures (we have the barn, the dollhouse, an airplane, and a Christmastime-only nativity set)

Not so much into (but still pulls out occasionally)
dolls and stuffed animals
crayons
play-dough
train set
cars
blocks (duplos or wooden)


----------



## verde (Feb 11, 2007)

Toddler trampoline. She's worn out one (DH repaired it 3 times and then it just fell apart) and she just got a new one as a gift.


----------



## sewchris2642 (Feb 28, 2009)

Ever since he was about 5, Dylan has consistantly asked for one thing for Christmas and birthday--Legos/Bionicles. He doesn't care what sets or characters he gets. He is just as happy with duplicates instead of all different sets. He wants the parts the sets contain. He will build the set as pictured only once. Then he will start "improving" it and go one to building originals. One year, that's all he got for Christmas. I think it was something like 13 Bionicle sets. He was thrilled.


----------



## ann_of_loxley (Sep 21, 2007)

Well - my son is four and for the past year he has mostly only played with his Brio trains. This now include a nice collection of Thomas ones. But yeah...I am surprised how many hours of his day ...everyday...he still plays with these things! hehe


----------



## Dahlea (May 15, 2008)

My 14 month old son likes
bead maze
wooden cars, trucks, train (anything with wheels)
thugs that make noise (books with music, puzzles that make noise)
empty cardboard tubes
pots, pans, things to make noise with
broom (he "sweeps" with his mini broom)
little tykes lawnmower to push outside
anything that's not supposed to be a toy (my phone, he adores my iPod touch-I have tons of apps on for him)


----------



## redvlagrl (Dec 2, 2009)

My 15 mth old loves:
Wooden blocks
wooden shape sorter (though she can't shape sort yet)
Pull and push toys - one that looks like a wooden lawn aerator from ikea and a pull wooden hedgehog
A big plastic megablocks truck (this has been a fave from about 9 mths)
A fisher price telephone that makes noise - her only 'noisy' toy. She loves it
Wooden puzzles
Books
Playsilks
Wooden cars - they are small enough not to be too heavy for her.
Plastic nesting/stacking cups - these were a fave from 5-12 mths and she still likes them! The best gift ever!
Toy glockenspiel/keyboard combo
Stuffed duck and teddy

We have a mix of plastic and wood toys, though I prefer wood as it's harder for them to be broken/shatter. She's not yet interested in the Waldorf doll I made her.


----------



## Just Kate (Jul 30, 2009)

DS1 is 3.5 and plays with:

Wooden train set
Matchbox cars
Larger plastic firetruck and bulldozer
Step2 rocking horse
playdough/ cookie cutters/ rolling pin
wooden puzzles
Our piano
A gloworm that is his "baby"

He's also really into making tents/ houses with boxes, blankets, tables and chairs.

DS2 is 26 months and plays with:

Wooden train set
Wooden stacking ring
Mega Bloks
Rody
Step2 rocking horse
Mr Potato Head
Little People farm
Our Piano
Wooden puzzles

Niether boys plays/played with:

The nice set of wooden blocks we have.
Most of the stuffed animals (we have a toy box full that have been gifted to us over the years.
Our hand/finger puppet collection
The wooden school bus or airplane.
The wood and metal bead chase.


----------



## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

My 7 year old basically plays with her bryer horses and a pet vet kit she received for Christmas last year or her doll house she is gettign into real board games games and of course loves doing art.. With friends she'll get out her barbies and little pet shop toys. The marble run we got her several years ago **** gets good use as in an old "thomas the train set" she got as a hand me down gift. and she loves her bike and scooter and would probably rather be outside with those than indoors.

Deanna


----------



## Guinevere (Apr 17, 2004)

I agree with many of the others here that the toys that have stood the test of time through all of my children are usually the most open-ended ones. For myself, I love natural, exquisitely crafted, heirloom-type toys and have invested considerable time and $ either purchasing or making them over the years. For instance, I spent countless hours 2 yrs. ago making a gnome family out of wood and embroidered wool felt to go with a gorgeous wood treehouse. I've needle felted bugs, knitted vegetables and fruit, stitched Waldorf dolls, sewn green eggs and ham, pancakes, butter, and syrup, dyed a bazillion playsilks, cut and sanded tree blocks, altered Goodwill finds into dress-up clothes -- you get the picture.

But with a few exceptions, these are NOT the toys my children adore, which is such an interesting disconnect. I, too, puzzle over why what appeals to me as an adult is not what appeals most to my children. But I've also matured in my parenting enough to recognize that it's really not about me, lol, so I no longer keep out toys, even gorgeous, handcrafted toys, that my kids never touch.

Another dynamic which comes into play in our household that affects toy play is the wide range of ages (11 yrs. to 4 mos.) As my kids have gotten older and we've added new little ones to our brood, I've gradually come to detest any toy with smallish (or numerous) parts, because while it may happily occupy an older child, the littles only use it for throwing/scattering/losing/ingesting. Legos fall into this category, as does any building with furniture or accessories, although we've tried to solve this by relegating these kinds of toys to the kids' bedrooms instead of leaving them out in the communal playroom. Still, doors get left open, and chaos invariably ensues.

Finally, one of our children has SN, and that has been such a learning experience wrt toy play, as well. Prior to her birth, we owned very few, if any, electronic toys, super-noisy toys, etc. But Sophie is drawn to and engages with bright lights, sounds, buttons, and electronic "bling" SO much more than any other kind of toy. So now we own a whole forest of these things, much to my bemusement. And she's beyond thrilled! She really represents her very own category in our family in terms of toys.

Oh, I also wanted to mention that I'm sure if we owned a video game system of any kind, it would be constantly played with by my older kiddos. Their grandparents own a Wii, and when we visit them, it's all they want to do. Which actually is why we don't have one ourselves, b/c I know I would be hard-pressed to enforce strict limits with it in the craziness of our everyday life and therefore we couldn't use it in a balanced way.

So anyway, here's my short list, based on what ALL my kids (with the possible exception of Sophie) have played with, boy or girl, at most all ages:

Dress-up clothes
Playsilks
Books, books, more books
Legos or Duplos
Mini trampoline, tumbling mat, hammock swing, couch cushions and blankets to make forts, balls of all sorts
Art supplies
Play kitchen and food

The boys also love(d) wooden swords, bows/arrows, stick horses, and Nerf guns.

The girls also love(d) dolls, doll clothes and diapers, and baby carriage.

After age 5, they all love board games of all types -- Haba and Ravensburger are some of our fav brands.

Sophie (3 1/2 yrs.) also loves her chewelry, electronic phones, VTech toys that count or do colors or sing, and above all, her Signing Times videos.

Guin


----------



## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

DS will be 5 in a few days. He loves electronics, so he got a lot of learning toys for Christmas. He will play for hours with his Computer Cool School, Leapster, and vSmile. I especially love the Computer Cool School because he's learning a TON and he can wear headphones, so Mommy doesn't have to listen to annoying music for hours. He also got a Tag that we haven't gotten set up yet, a handwriting set, and an art kit. Everyone was just wonderful this year about getting him educational stuff, since they know that we're homeschooling and he has a ton of toys already.


----------



## Down2Earth (Jan 23, 2008)

DD is 14 mo and this is what she plays with daily right now:

M & D pound and roll tower - she LOVES this thing, and it's been a big hit with her little friends (usually 15-19 mos, but even 6 yo & 9 yo cousins like it) The. Best. Investment. I can't say enough about how great this turned out to be!
Rope and Beads
Lots of books! - She loves Biscuit and Pal & Sal and Where's Waldo
Pull and push toys - we also have the ikea one but we call it a vacuum since we have no idea what it's suppose to be!
Nesting/Stacking cups
Stacking rings
mp3 player - it's a baby one with three buttons
Plastic bear that honey came in (he's for bath time)
Rubber ducky
Bathtub markers
Stuffed bunny
Baby doll with removable dress

She has other toys that she will play with but not every day:

Kitchen stuff
Wooden coins and box
Imbucare box with ball
Shape sorting box
Wooden blocks
Bead roller coaster
Electric keyboard
Alligator glockenspiel
Ukulele
Feather duster
Old computer keyboard
Old cellphones

I guess it just depends on what I have out since we don't have a toy chest but have all the toys on shelves that are divided. So I try to have only one toy per cubby. I can't think of any toys that she doesn't play with. She's getting too old her for her rattles and board books but will still occasionally play with them. Oh, I guess I would have to label the stuff animals as unplayed with toys!!! Oy, why do they have to be so cute and so useless?

I'm very careful to only give her toys she's developmentally ready for. So we will get out the wooden train set but she gets easily frustrated when the cars fall off the track so she ends up throwing the cars and pulling apart the track. I'm sure she will love it once she's old enough for it, right now she just doesn't know how to play with it.

I don't find that she likes the plastic toys better than the wood. We have plastic toys so she can have them in the tub. She still manages to play with her wood toys, even though they are so heavy.







But I really don't sweat it. She's a baby, she will like what she likes, not what I want her to.


----------



## redvlagrl (Dec 2, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Down2Earth* 
DD is 14 mo and this is what she plays with daily right now:

M & D pound and roll tower - she LOVES this thing, and it's been a big hit with her little friends (usually 15-19 mos, but even 6 yo & 9 yo cousins like it) The. Best. Investment. I can't say enough about how great this turned out to be!
Rope and Beads
Lots of books! - She loves Biscuit and Pal & Sal and Where's Waldo
Pull and push toys - *we also have the ikea one but we call it a vacuum since we have no idea what it's suppose to be!*
Nesting/Stacking cups........

LOL! We don't know what it is either, but DD loves it! We decided it looks kind of like a lawn aerator, so that's what we call it! I kind of like playing with it myself!


----------



## meco (Mar 1, 2004)

My son is 7 in a few weeks, and it's all about LEGOs, art supplies and making movies right now. He is either drawing or painting or sculpting, building Lego creations or making reviews or movies with the Flip.

Otherwise, He loves playsilks, dress up clothes, robots, marble tracks, building blocks, games, taking photos and musical instruments, and they get a lot of use as well.


----------



## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

My son (5 1/2) and foster daughter (almost 3) love very similar toys. They adore play kitchens (have used them for years at school and/or Pottery Barn Kids and children's museums. We just were given one for Christmas, though.

Wooden trains and tracks are still popular. We have several sets of Sure Track (clips) so they can create track that are up in the air. Our Nilo table is never used for trains.

Lots of art supplies.

But the absolute favorite for both (and really any child ages 18 months-adults) are Magnatiles. We've got about 200 of them and they are the best thing every. We use them inside (on the floor or on our small light table) or outside on a blanket.


----------



## Down2Earth (Jan 23, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Polliwog* 
My son (5 1/2) and foster daughter (almost 3) love very similar toys. They adore play kitchens (have used them for years at school and/or Pottery Barn Kids and children's museums. We just were given one for Christmas, though.

Wooden trains and tracks are still popular. We have several sets of Sure Track (clips) so they can create track that are up in the air. Our Nilo table is never used for trains.

Lots of art supplies.

But the absolute favorite for both (and really any child ages 18 months-adults) are Magnatiles. We've got about 200 of them and they are the best thing every. We use them inside (on the floor or on our small light table) or outside on a blanket.

I had never heard of Magnatiles so I had to do a search for it. Oh my! they look awesome. Aaaargh! I now have to figure out a way to buy some without irritating my DH since I just ordered an expensive wooden play kitchen online.


----------



## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Down2Earth* 
I had never heard of Magnatiles so I had to do a search for it. Oh my! they look awesome. Aaaargh! I now have to figure out a way to buy some without irritating my DH since I just ordered an expensive wooden play kitchen online.









We got most of ours gradually (and then were given a big set.) Learning Express carries a few different sets and they always have a coupon. Makes it a bit easier. I orginally started getting them to use in my classroom and then they would come home with me so my son could use them. The see-through ones are way better than the solids since you can explore light and colored reflections with them.


----------



## Hu Xiaoqi (Oct 15, 2013)

Any plastic toy with a predetermined outcome.


halloween masks

Fisher Price makes lots of these, I've only ever bought one thing (the Dance Dance Monkey thing) it was a dust collector. But we've recieved tons of it as gifts or hand me downs. The FP garage became a step stool, the farm a storage box for the billion plastic animals and people, you get the idea...


----------

