Open-Ended Play and Sensory Materials Gift Guide

I say this a lot and you will read it throughout this post, but how I wish I knew what I know now about open-ended play when my now 11 year old daughter was younger....I would have done things so differently. While she is a truly creative kid, I think that had I encouraged more sensory and open-ended play to her at a young age, she may not be so hooked to her electronics! 

Open-ended play materials encourage children to be more independent and creative thinkers, help them make choices and really foster creativity and imagination. By definition, open-ended materials do not have a pre-determined use....kids are in charge of deciding what will do with these materials. For example, a block can be a person, car, rocket ship, etc.. Children who engage in more open-ended play tend to develop wonderful problem solving skills. Sensory play is critical for development as well. Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, social interaction and so much more.

If you are interested in building up your child's open-ended play experiences, be sure to check out my gift guide below. I have tried to include things that can be played with as toddlers through childhood. 

1. Tegu Baby's First Magnetic Blocks-I've always loved all things Tegu and always include them on my gift guides. They are especially great for children who have motor coordination difficulties because the magnets inside the blocks allows them to be successful with building and putting structures together. Ideal for children 6 months and older but I have a feeling some of my bigger kids would love these two. The brightly colored set of magnetic square blocks come in appealing colors and are easy to wash. Perfect for working on hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills, and encouraging fine-motor, grasping and manipulation skills for your little ones. 

2. Magna-Tiles Doodle Tiles-I am always looking for ways to make handwriting and drawing more fun and knew that my magenetic-tile loving kids would most definitely be motivated to practice graphomotor skills with these. My 11 year old daughter and her friend were even motivated enough by these to put their phones down for a while to test them out for me! This Magna-Tile and Crayola collaboration is so great and will encourage creativity and imagination skills while also working on developing fine motor, grasping, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and work on improving hand-eye coordination and bilateral coordination. Each set comes with 8 small square tiles, 2 large square tiles and 5 Crayola markers that easily wash off. Compatible with all other Magna-Tiles. 

3. Magna-Tiles Jungle Animals-another awesome new set from Magna-Tiles that again be used with any other Magna-Tiles in your collection. This 25-piece set includes colorful tiles with different jungle patterns on them and 5 of the most adorable magnetic animals that stick to the other pieces. These are great for encouraging creativity, imagination and language skills while also working on developing fine motor, grasping, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and work on improving hand-eye coordination and bilateral coordination. 

4. Silicone Pop Fidget Building Blocks-one of my speech therapy colleagues tipped me off on these and I am now obsessed. Think a fidget pop-toy that you get to build yourself! These incredibly well-built and sturdy building blocks come in a variety of colors and can be snapped or slipped together to make shapes, objects or to even practice learning how to make letters. Great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and works on motor planning and organizational skills. You can also work on sorting, matching and following patterns. A great on-the-go building material that will keep your kids entertained for a long time. 

5. Grapat Lola Building Toys-this beautiful open-ended building set is definitely what I would call an investment piece (a toy with a bigger price tag but that will last forever and has endless play and learning potential. This set comes with 72 pieces....36 colorful Lola dolls in various colors and sizes. Kids work on improving matching, sorting, stacking, problem solving and categorizing skills while also working on improving fine motor, grasping, manipulation and hand-eye coordination skills. Playing with open-ended play materials is also great for working on encouraging creativity, imagination skill and early storytelling skills. 

6. Grimm's Shapes and Colors Block Set-another investment toy that will last you forever. This brightly colored 70-piece set from Grimm's comes in a variety of geometric shapes and sizes. Kids can learn about shapes and colors through open-ended building and exploration. Introducing block building with kids at a young age is so beneficial and helps them develop life-long skills. It helps children develop language and vocabulary skills, encourages creativity, imagination and play skills and helps them learn about things such as early math skills, balance, motor planning, organization and problem solving skills. When building with siblings or peers, block building can teach children about turn taking, accepting other people's ideas and collaboration. 

7. Magic Color Changing Dough Jars-I saw these and thought about how much fun my kids at work would love to see these glittery white balls of play dough magically turn into a mystery color. I actually have ordered a bunch of these to give each of my kids this holiday season. I love how the simple act of manipulating the play dough works on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills. Once they find out what color it is, they can build whatever they want. I always like to have tools such as a rolling pin, scissors, beads or whatever else I might have lying around to spark their creativity and imagination. 

8a. Build A Snowman Sensory Sand Bin-sensory bins are a great way to keep kids occupied as the weather gets colder and it gets dark earlier. I know so many parents are trying to limit the amount of screen time since 2020 and 2021 meant so much screen time for their kids. I am in love with this Snowman Sensory Bin from Young, Wild and Friedman and think it would be a great gift, especially for those little ones who might not get to actually experience snowy weather. This set comes with homemade moldable sensory sand and cloud sand, various snowman figurines, SNOW glitter letters and a bucket and shovel all stored in a sensory bin with a lid. What a fun way to work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourage hand-eye and bilateral coordination, encourage sensory and tactile exploration and encourage imagination, creativity, language and play skills, right? If snow play might not be your kid's thing, be sure to check out the extensive collection on the Young, Wild and Friedman website. 
**If you are looking for a way to contain your child's sensory play or make it easy to move around your house, I can't encourage the Hope Learning Tray enough. I have one at work and at home and it's been so incredibly handy. I have referenced this amazing sensory tray in my Baby and Toddler Gift Guide so be sure to go and check that out for more information.

9. Bristle Blocks-each year I like to include some of the classic toys in my gift guides. I think that a toy that has been around as long as I have been must be doing something right! Bristle blocks are not only a wonderful building toy, they offer a sensory and tactile experience that no other blocks do. They are also pretty indestructible which is a real bonus for some of our rough and tumble kinda kids. Young children can work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye, bilateral coordination and motor planning skills while playing with these blocks. As grown-ups, we can teach kids about shapes, colors, size, etc. while they play with these blocks.  

10. Roll and Bounce Tower-I will never not be mesmerized and fascinated by a marble run and have often wondered how to introduce this toy to little ones but was always so nervous about the safety risks because of the marbles. This set comes with 27 chunky track and tower pieces that can be mixed and matched to be a different path each time. Kids place the large ball into the starting point and watch it go through the tunnels while watching panels flip and spin. This toy is great for working on improving hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, increases grasp strength, fine motor skills and manipulation skills and teaches kids about cause and effect. Since there are an infinite ways to put the tower together, kids won't get bored or feel like they are playing with the same toy over and over again. 

11. Stained Glass Jewel Mandala Loose Parts-while looking through Etsy I stumbled upon these beautiful blocks and thought they would be a beautiful addition to any child's toy room. This 15-block set comes in a variety of colors and are great for open-ended play and can be used with any other blocks. These blocks can be stacked, sorted by color and can be used to work on sequencing and following patterns. 

12. Design and Drill Toolbox-we have had a different version of this toy at my gym for years and it is a big hit amongst the kids. I chose this new drill set from Educational Insights this year because of the storage box which is always a selling point for me. In addition to the power drill, the screws and the board, this set also comes with a handful of other tools including a hammer, measuring tape and much more. Kids can make their own designs or can work on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills while copying the designs on the cards included with the set. This toy is also great for working on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination and can be used to encourage creativity, imagination and expand play skills. 

13. Way To Play Road Pieces-I have loved these interchangeable road pieces since I first saw them a couple of years ago and recommend them to any of my families who have a little car lover in their life. This set of 40 interlocking pieces helps your little one create different routes and paths allowing your child to make his/her perfect path. The best part is that because they can design their own paths, they don't get bored and can change it up anytime they want. They are made of a soft, flexible rubber so you can create obstacles over other toys. Playing with these road pieces are great for working on improving fine motor and manipulation skills, improves bilateral and hand-eye coordination and encourages motor planning and organizational skills. Pair with your favorite cars and let your child's imagination take the steering wheel!

14. Rainbow Peg Dolls Sorting Set-I have a set of sorting dolls and with boxes and work and they have been one of the best purchases I have ever made. This set of 12 rainbow colored peg dolls comes with a cotton bag for storage that also doubles as a play with the numbers 1-12 in colors for kids to work on matching skills. Kids not only work on color and number recognition, they can work on developing counting skills. When not used for matching and sorting, they can be used during open-ended play which encourages creativity, imagination, play, organizational and language skills. 

15. Wooden Loose Parts Kit-I am in love with all of Hope Learning Toys products. This set of wooden loose parts comes with 6 3D shapes, 7 forest gnomes and 8 piece peg doll family. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I wish I knew more about open-ended play and the benefits of playing with loose parts when my daughter was younger. Not only is it great for working on grasping and manipulation skills, it encourages creativity and imagination skills, encourages play skills and is a great way to work on improving language and conversational skills. Loose parts can be used on their own, in sensory bins, with doll houses or any building toys you already might have at home. 

Once again, I have tried to link some of my favorite local toy stores whenever I could as I have always found it very important to support our local businesses but even more so now. Many of the items listed above are ones that I have seen in most toy stores I have visited all over the place. And since are all hearing about shipping nightmares and problems with supply chain, why not take out some of the stress and support your local stores where you don't have to worry about toys arriving on time. If you are shopping for family members who are not local, find out their local toy stores and see if you can shop from there. If you are in the NYC area, be sure to check out the following stores: Lulu's Cuts and Toys, Little Things Toy Store, Norman and Jules, Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store, West Side Kids, Stationary and Toy World, Mary Arnold Toys, Kidding Around Toys and Boomerang Toys. 

Again, if you are looking for specific open-ended or sensory toys for your kids or kids on your shopping list, please do not hesitate reaching out to me for suggestions. I have so many more thoughts on great gifts for the important kids in your life. I am only an email away at otmeghan@gmail.com and love to hear from and help in any way I can. 

Crafting Holiday Gift Guide

One of my favorite things to do in my therapy sessions is to hide the therapeutic aspects of things to my kids. Making therapy fun and engaging leads to increased engagement and less resistance to trying more challenging things. Over the course of my career, I have found that finding highly motivating craft activities can go a long way in getting kids to try things outside of their comfort zone. Being able to work on an activity for several sessions allows for the kids to learn about patience, flexibility and resilience and also makes them even more excited and proud of the final product. Below I share a handful of my favorite crafting, baking and STEAM activity sets. I tried to include gifts for children of a variety of ages so hopefully you will find something. Don't forget that I have so many more ideas that I am always happy to share so if you need specific suggestions for anyone, don't hesitate reaching out and asking. In the meantime, take a look at this years gift ideas and read about all the developmental and therapeutic benefits. 

1. Moulin Roty Baking Set-I've been baking with my now 11 year old since she was old enough to be an active participant and she just loves baking now. Fun fact.....during Covid her aunt in California and she would do weekly baking/cooking dates over Zoom to keep their connection and it was one of the highlights of quarantine. Baking with kids can help create a beautiful connection between kids and their grownups but making sure that you have the right tools is essential. I wish that this baking set was available when my daughter was younger because the tools are just the right size for small hands and helps them be more independent and successful when baking. This gorgeous kit comes with an oven mitt, rolling pin, whisk, spatula, pastry cutter, pie tin, 2 heart-shaped cookie cutters, a muffin pan and a recipe book. They are kid-sized and can be used for actual baking or can be used during pretend play. Baking with kids can work on so many developmental skills such as improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination while also boosting confidence and self-esteem. 

2. Giant Coloring Posters-Looking for a fun family activity to keep you all busy as the cold weather sets in? Lulu's Cuts and Toys has a great selection of these for you to choose from. I am a bit biased and really love the Brooklyn one but there are several to choose from. Depending on your living situation, you can hang this on a wall and keep up all the time for kids to color in as they please or work on it a little at a time, roll it back up and store in the sturdy box it comes in. Obviously this is a great activity to work on improving graphomotor skills but is also a great way to encourage conversation and language skills. These large pictures are big enough for a whole family to work on at the same time. 

3. Tiny Baking Kit-what's cuter than mini baked goods??? A perfect gift for some of your older, more Tik-Tok savvy kids! One of my sisters gifted this to my daughter a few years ago and she spent countless hours playing with it. This set comes with 17 miniature sized baking tools and a recipe book with 20 recipes using all baking supplies you already have at home.  Mini chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, pizzas and so much more will delight your children while working on developing fine motor and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye coordination and work on improving executive functioning skills while following the recipes such as focus, attention, organization and planning skills. 

4. Flour Shop Rainbow Explosion Cake Kit-Flour Shop is a cake store in SoHo in Manhattan and was all everyone was talking about when it first opened years ago. If you have a serious baker on your shopping list this year, this would be a really fun gift for them. The kit comes with all the ingredients you need to make this 6-layer rainbow kit (you will need cake pans): 1 pouch of vanilla cake mix, 6 rainbow colored gels, 1 pouch of cream cheese frosting mix, 1 pouch of rainbow explosion mix (sprinkles), 1 pouch rainbow polka dots (sprinkles). This is an awesome gift for an older child who loves to bake and works on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, following directions, organization, planning and task completion. 

5. Play-Dough Baking Kit-I am SO SO obsessed with this adorable "baking" kit for the little ones in your life. I am planning on ordering a handful of these for some of the kids on my shopping list this year and only hope that I am invited over to play with it! This kit comes with four silicone baking cups, candles, cookie cutters, a rolling pin, and pom poms, buttons, beads and jewels to decorate their cupcakes. It also comes with 3 containers of homemade/non-toxic cinnamon, strawberry and sugar cookie sprinkle play dough. First and foremost, these kits (be sure to check out all of the products from Young + Wild and Friedman because there are so many great ones to choose from) encourage creativity, imagination and play skills for little ones. They also work on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, improve visual motor and visual perceptual skills and are great for sensory exploration. 

6. Orb Factory Sticky Mosaics-I can't tell you how much my kids love doing these Sticky Mosaics and they have made my gift guide year after year. Simple one of the best fine motor crafting activities out there and the kids have no idea how many therapeutic goals they are working on when using them. For younger children, the stickers are larger and different shapes and colors which are easier for their fingers to manipulate. For older children, the stickers are slightly smaller and kids have to match the correct color to numbers. In addition to working on fine motor skills, kids can work on shape, color and number recognition, improves hand eye coordination and improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills. Attach to an easel to work on increasing upper extremity strength. Kids are so proud of the final product and love showing them off. 
***Be sure to check out your local toy and book stores for these kits. I am always seeing them and grab them whenever I do!

7. Razzle Dazzle DIY Gem Kit-I discovered these awesome sets right before the lockdown and they ended up being a great thing for my virtual sessions for some of my kids. Very much like the sticky mosaic sets above, kids match colored gems to the correct letters to create a sparkly picture of various animals. The kit comes with a template, gems, a glue pen and a frame to protect your picture when completed. This is an amazing and fun way for kids to work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye coordination and works on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. 

8. Kid Made Modern Arts & Craft Library-this is one of my favorite arts and crafts collections and love that it is appropriate for children of all ages and developmental levels. This collection comes with over 1000 pieces of art supplies including peg dolls, wooden loose pieces, pipe cleaners, beads, pom-poms, googly eyes and SO much more and come in a sturdy case with a handle so it can be taken on the go. While they give you suggestions on what you can make with the different materials, it is truly and invitation for kids to use their imagination and be creative using a variety of materials. This open-ended craft library allows children to think outside the box and figure out all the different ways they can explore and use materials to create which helps with improving confidence and self-esteem. 

9. Dress Me Threading Game-loving this "sewing" kit for kids by Haba. Kids work on improving hand eye coordination, bilateral coordination and fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills while dressing these wooden dolls. Each set comes with 1 double-sided scene card, 36 clothing tiles, a sturdy stringing cord and 3 double-sided pattern cards. Kids can make their own outfits or follow the pattern cards (which is great for improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills and working on executive functioning skills such as focus, organization and task completion). 

10. Hat Not Hate Quick Knit Loom-for younger children who are eager to learn how to knit but don't quite have the patience or coordination for knitting needles this is a great starting point. I began knitting during a sad time in my life and it's been nothing but a source of calm and comfort ever since. Post-Covid I am seeing that there are a lot of kids who need something to help them deal with some anxiety and I personally think busy hands help with that. I love this knitting loom from Faber Castell and Lion Brand Yarns that comes with all the materials needed to create two hats. My favorite thing about it is that they have also partnered with the Hat Not Hate Anti-Bullying Awareness organization to encourage children to knit a hat for themselves and then donate to the organization during Anti-Bullying month (October). This particular kit comes with all the materials needed to create two hats including 4 balls of yarn, a reusable loom, a loom hook, a tassel and pom-pom maker and two #HATNOTHATE leather tags to attach to the completed hats. The instructions are clear and easy to follow meaning kids will have success which will lead to increased confidence and self-esteem. Additionally, kids will work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. 

11. Knitters of Tomorrow Beginner Kit-do you have someone in your life who would like to learn how to knit but not sure where to start? This beginners kit is one of the best that I have seen when searching for friends. It comes with 2 balls of yarn, a set of light-weight knitting needles, a plastic sewing needle for completing your projects and a beginner's guide pattern book with lessons broken into reasonable and appropriate lessons. There are also suggested links to online video tutorials to guide the children as they learn how to knit a hat and scarf. Knitting, once mastered, is such a wonderful skill for children. It's not only an amazing fine motor, visual motor and visual perceptual activity, it's great for working on improving executive functioning skills such focus, attention, organization and frustration tolerance. Most importantly, when a child masters knitting, they have increased confidence and self-esteem. 

12. Kid-Friendly Succulent Kit-I'm loving all the great DIY gardening kits made for younger children and am completely obsessed with this succulent kit! Gardening is a great hands-on activity that not only encourages sensory exploration, but works on improving fine motor, grasping, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination and visual motor and visual perceptual skills. These kid-friendly kits come with a succulent (easy for kids to take care of), a ceramic animal pot, mini gardening tools, stickers for decorating and a bag of soil. In addition to all the therapeutic benefits, kids learn about responsibility by watering the plant. 

13. Classic Friendship Bracelet Making Kit-it's so fun when an activity from my own childhood comes back so when I saw these friendship bracelet kits from Purl Soho, I immediately bought them for the tweens/teens in my life. Each kit (you choose your color-wave) comes with enough materials for 9-18 bracelets depending on the width of the bracelets you make. Each set comes with a safety pin and 5 spools of Chinese Knotting Cord in a really nice storage box with a step-by-step friendship bracelet pattern book. Great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination and works on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and task completion. 

14. Arcade Claw Game-for your STEAM loving kids, this is a pretty awesome gift. The Arcade Claw Game from Klutz Maker lab will get your kids excited for learning and creating. Kids follow the child-friendly, illustrated instructions to build their very own arcade claw game from a variety of materials (chipboard parts, acetate windows, cotton string, dowels, tall and short pulleys, carriage, claw and plastic snaps) . Once built, kids can fill the claw machine with 3 prize capsules and try and use the claw to grab them. This toy encourages the development of fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, spatial reasoning, hand-eye coordination and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, following directions, planning and organizational skills. 

15. S.T.E.A.M. School Deluxe Studio Science-another STEAM gift but more appropriate for younger kids, this kit contains 10 amazing arts and crafts projects that has some kind of fun science, math and engineering concepts built in. Each activity comes with a fully illustrated card to make it easy for them to follow along for task completion. Some of the activities included are building with conductive light-up dough, playing with gears, making paper gliders. Kids will learn so much about engineering, electricity and so much more while working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, work on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills and improve executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. 

16. The Kindness Mission Box-I felt like it was important to complete this list with this awesome activity box. There is never a time to not try and teach our children about the importance of kindness and how they can spread it themselves. This activity kit includes a series of "secret missions" for kids to complete that teach kids about caring for themselves, their friends, family, community and environment. Children go through all 4 "training missions" by making clay friendship pots, a wooden birdhouse and origami creations before they move onto a deco of over 50 kindness missions to complete throughout the year. In addition to all the crafting materials and the cards, the kit also includes a self-care checklist which helps create healthy habits in children. Kids have no idea that while they are engaged in these activities, they are also working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improve visual motor and perceptual skills and are engaged in constant social emotional learning. 

Once again, I have tried to link some of my favorite local toy stores whenever I could as I have always found it very important to support our local businesses but even more so now. Many of the items listed above are ones that I have seen in most toy stores I have visited all over the place. And since are all hearing about shipping nightmares and problems with supply chain, why not take out some of the stress and support your local stores where you don't have to worry about toys arriving on time. If you are shopping for family members who are not local, find out their local toy stores and see if you can shop from there. If you are in the NYC area, be sure to check out the following stores: Lulu's Cuts and Toys, Little Things Toy Store, Norman and Jules, Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store, West Side Kids, Stationary and Toy World, Mary Arnold Toys, Kidding Around Toys and Boomerang Toys. 

Again, if you are looking for specific crafting or baking ideas for your kids or kids on your shopping list, please do not hesitate reaching out to me for suggestions. I have so many more thoughts on great gifts for the important toddlers in your life. I am only an email away at otmeghan@gmail.com and love to hear from and help in any way I can. 

Baby and Toddler Holiday Gift Guide 2021

I haven't done a toddler specific guide before but I felt like it was really important this year. When you think about it, toddlers are entering a whole new world and even if they were born before Covid they don't remember life before it. One of the things I am seeing a lot with my younger kids is a lot of sensory seeking behaviors so I am including some gift ideas to help with that. The other thing I am noticing is that this particular group of kids hasn't really known anyone outside of their circle of people without masks so I am also including a handful of toys and games that will work on feelings, emotions and being able to read facial expressions. And each and every one of these toys will also help with the development of fine motor and grasping skills as well as improve visual motor and visual perceptual skills. 

1. The Hope Learning Tray-sensory play is so important for little hands and overall development. I've always been so jealous of those who don't live in the city who can set up elaborate sensory play set-ups for their children but that is not always possible for people. That's where this sensory tray comes into play. This beautifully designed and very sturdy sensory tray is perfect for all children and can be used in a million different ways. My 11-year old uses hers for jewelry making and I use it at the office for all kinds of sensory play such as water beads, kinetic sand, play dough and so much more. Pictured here is the limited edition Winter Sensory Kit which comes fully stocked with homemade play dough, snowmen peg dolls, stampers and SO much more. 

2.  Learn A-Lot-Avocados -I am a sucker for any toys that have a built in a social-emotional component so when I saw these I fell in love. Kids can work on developing fine motor skills, increase grasp strength and manipulation skills in addition to color matching while also learning about feelings and emotions. In this set of 4 avocados that are perfectly sized for toddler hands, kids work on bilateral coordination and manipulation skills by pulling them apart. Once they are open, kids can work on matching the colors inside. Each avocado has a spinning pit inside with two emoji-style faces that change which is great for working on labeling and talking about a variety of feelings and emotions. Another added bonus, this comes with a storage case which makes clean-up a breeze. 

3. Wobbel Board-this is what I call an investment toy because it has a big price tag but will last for years and years. I have always had a balance board in my office and when Covid, lockdown and remote therapy began, I needed to give families ideas of what they could get to not only assist during therapy sessions, but to offer a safe movement option for kids during their remote school day. The Wobbel Board is something that will last forever and can be used to provide sensory input to help with improving focus and attention, works on improving overall body strength, balance and coordination skills. Be sure to check out the WobbelCards that are free and in a bunch of languages. 

4. Plus Plus Big Picture Puzzles-I am a huge fan of the original Plus-Plus blocks and was really happy when they created these larger blocks for little hands. This set of blocks can be used as an open-ended building toy or you can use the 60 different color Plus Plus blocks and complete the puzzles on the cards. Each card has two sides with the same picture but one has lines for the kids to match the blocks up to and the other side is free-form. Great for working on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination and visual motor and perceptual skills. 

5. Fine Motor Peacock Pals-Learning Resources has so many great toys for early learning and these peacocks are definitely one of my favorites.Young children work on building hand strength and manipulation skills while pulling out and replacing the peacock's feathers. Kids can work on matching the correct color feathers to each bird or mix and match. One of my favorite features of this toy is how the feathers are all different textures so children can work on sensory and tactile exploration while also encouraging bilateral coordination and visual motor and visual perceptual skills. 

6. Peekaboo Lock Boxes-this is one of my all-time favorite purchases from Norman and Jules and my kids love it as well. This is a shape sorter on steroids because it so much more than just matching shapes. It works on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, works on learning colors and shapes and encourages problem solving and motor organizational skills. This six box set comes with a tray which kids have to match the colored boxes to. Additionally, each large and durable box has a different kind of fastener which kids have to problem solve how to open and close. I love watching the kids figure out different ways to play with the boxes once they put the shapes in. One of their favorite things to do is build a big rainbow tower with them which is great for working on increasing overall body strength and coordination. 

7. Silly Sortin' Monster Puzzle-another fun game that will help your little ones develop fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills in addition to developing hand-eye coordination and visual motor and perceptual skills. This comes with four colorful shapes for sorting, a spinning roller with three funny facial expressions (great for working on identifying feelings and emotions for these little ones who have spent most of their life seeing people in masks) and feet that move up and down when they grab them. This toy is great for working on tactile and sensory exploration

8. Sesame Street MagnaTiles-Magna-Tiles are easily one of the biggest hits at my gym and always make my holiday gift guides. The benefits of these open-ended building blocks are endless but include encouraging imagination and creativity, problem solving and organizational skills. Additionally, they are great for developing fine motor and grasping skills, improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination. When I discovered these Sesame Street Ones (which are compatible with all other of our other MagnaTiles) I had to get some of them. There are many to choose from but the Cookie Monster set is a favorite of mine. Kids can help build a giant cookie for Cookie Monster using the tiles. One of my favorite features of this set is that kids can work on learning and matching the shapes that are on the cookies. 

9. Pop-Up Toy-simple but very satisfying wooden toy for little hands that works on matching and cause and effect. Children can also work on developing hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination and grasping skills when playing with this toy. They quickly discover that if the push down hard enough on each of the peg people once they are in their spot that they will pop out of the box. While so many think kids are much more motivated by the toys that light up and have all kinds of sounds, I find that those kinds of toys become overstimulating for children fairly quickly and that they seem to hold their attention and focus for these simple toys for much longer.  

10. Monkey Around Game-Peaceable Kingdom has been my go-to for early childhood games for years. First of all, they are typically super easy to learn how to play and are incredibly well made which is great for those sometimes little and destructive hands! What I love about Monkey Around is it is a movement game which I think is really important at this age. Sitting down and playing a game can be challenging for 2 and 3 year olds but add movement and you'll find they will be super successful. In this non-competitive game, kids work together to place all the bananas on the tree. The directions are very simple: take a card, do the action pictured (some are solo and some are done together) and place the banana on the tree. Playing Monkey Around works on the following developmental skills: improves gross motor skills such as motor planning, balancing and coordination skills, works on identifying body parts and works on developing social emotional skills such as turn taking, working together and being a good sport. 

11. Stampies-these interchangeable stamps are great for little hands and can be used in a variety of ways. I plan on using them at work with play dough and stamp pads but they would be great for baking as well. Each set comes with a wooden stamper perfectly sized for toddler hands and 15 food-grade silicone animal stamps. In addition to learning about all kinds of animals, kids work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, increase grasp strength, work on visual motor and perceptual skills and improve bilateral coordination skills. Use this with your favorite play dough or make it even more therapeutic by making your own play dough. 

12. Zingo Matching Game-this is another one of those super simple games that packs a powerful developmental punch. The game is a child-friendly version of Bingo where kids will increase their vocabulary while working on developing visual motor and visual perceptual skills, matching skills and improving hand-eye coordination. The kids love when it's their turn and they can slide the Zinger tile holder (which is great for developing fine motor and manipulation skills) to reveal two tiles and then the race for the players to grab tiles that match pictures on their board. Playing games with kids at home, and playing fairly, is crucial for developing healthy peer relationships. I always encourage parents to play fairly when at home so kids learn how to be both a good winner and a good loser when they are playing with friends. 

13. Easel-this is another one of those investment pieces but one that will last forever. My daughter got an easel for her first birthday and used it for years and years. I encourage getting one that has multiple options such as a magnetic dry erase board, chalkboard and one that has a rod on top to hold a roll of painting paper. Working on an upright surface such as an easel is really great for development and helps with increasing upper extremity strength and encourages appropriate grasp on writing instruments.

14. Ooly Art Supplies-Ooly is my go-to art supplies company. If you were to come to my office you would see that I have tried just about everything of theirs. I believe that good and well-made art supplies are important in encouraging creativity and interest in drawing, coloring, etc. with little kids. One of my favorite gifts to give young children is a collection of art supplies. Below, I will list a handful of my favorite Ooly products perfect for those little hands:

a. Mighty Mega Markers-these brightly colored markers are a perfect height and width for little hands. I find young kids, especially those with decreased grasp strength, are much more successful when using markers because it doesn't require as much work on their end. Because these markers are thicker than most, they encourage children to use a more appropriate grasp on the marker. 

b. Brilliant Bee Crayons-I always encourage parents/educators/caregivers to use smaller, triangular crayons with young kids in order to encourage a proper grasp on crayons. If you find that your kids are still using more of a fisted grip when holding these crayons, make a game out of it and break the crayons into smaller pieces. The smaller the crayon, the more likely it is they will use a tripod-like grasp. 

c. Chunkies Paint Stix-these are great for kids who have decreased grasp strength as they don't require a lot of pressure to make marks on paper. These brightly colored stix are easy to hold, dry easily and are far less messy than traditional paints. 

15. Suction Cup Animal Toys-I have shared Squigz suction cup toys every year on my gift guide and while I still love them and gift them to so many people, I have become obsessed with these creature toys. This 36-piece set of animals comes in an adorable and convenient egg-shaped storage container. These cute little suckers can stick to each other and a variety of surfaces including windows, mirrors, bath tub walls, high chairs and so much more. Kids work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye coordination and improve play and imagination skills. 

16. Lalaboom Snap Beads-pop beads or snap beads (whatever you call them) have been a staple in my closet for years and years but I got rid of my traditional pop-beads when I discovered these. This set of snap beads not only works on bilateral coordination by pushing together and pulling apart the large beads, each bead is two pieces that kids can twist and turn to mix and match with other beads which is awesome for the development of fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills. Each part of the beads offers a different tactile experience which is awesome for little hands and they are BPA-free so if you have a teething kiddo, you don't have to worry about them putting them in their mouths. 

17. Inny Bin-I truly love this baby toy and wish I had had it at the ready for when my daughter was little. Leave it to Fat Brain Toys to come up with a simple but brilliant toy that encourages sensory exploration, object manipulation and problem solving for your babies. The Inny Bin comes with 6 shapes with varying textures which they have to pull out and push back into the bright colored elastic bands. What's really nice about this toy is that you can use whatever objects you want and that you know will motivate your curious little ones. I have put Frozen figurines, trains and cars and other character toys in it and it's always worked like a charm! 

18. Busy Poppin' Pals Pop Up Toy-cause and effect toys are timeless and should be part of every babies toy choices. Introduce this toy to babies while they are in tummy-time and do hand-over-hand assistance for the five buttons. Babies and toddlers learn about problem solving, cause and effect and grasping and manipulation skills as the figure out how each animal comes out of their boxes. I love that this toy is still around and have witnessed the joy it continues to bring kids after all of these years! I remember having the Sesame Street one as a child and am really happy that simple cause and effect toys are still being made. 

19. Jaq-Jaq Bird Reusable and Erasable Paper and Markers-over the last couple of years, I have begun to be more conscious of how much paper I use during my sessions and have been trying to alternate ways to have kids practice drawing and writing. I have been so happy with this reusable/erasable and feel better that I am not throwing away tons of paper every day. The set comes with 10 pieces of double sided sheets of paper that you can use chalk markers, gel crayons, traditional chalk or the Jaq Jaq Wishy Washy Markers. These clean easily with a wet paper towel or a baby wipe. The paper is lightweight and durable so it's perfect for on-the-go entertainment to keep kids busy while waiting for an appointment, out to dinner or while traveling. 

20. Multicultural Alphabet Peg Dolls-SOOOO obsessed with this peg doll set and just might have to add it to my work collection! I have a set of rainbow peg dolls at work and it's one of the most asked for toys to play with. While many still believe in teaching the alphabet to young ones the traditional way like flashcards, I believe that kids learn better through play and exploration. So when I stumbled on these peg dolls, I knew that they were going on this year's list. The set includes 26 peg dolls with uppercase letters on one side and lowercase on the others and comes in 6 different skin tones. Another investment piece that your children will go back to for years and. years. Be sure to check out all of the beautiful products from this Etsy store owner, Twenty-two Turtledoves. In addition to working on learning and identifying upper and lowercase letters, playing with peg dolls encourages creativity and imagination skills. 

I have tried to link some of my favorite local toy stores whenever I could as I have always found it very important to support our local businesses but even more so now. Many of the items listed above are ones that I have seen in most toy stores I have visited all over the place. And since are all hearing about shipping nightmares and problems with supply chain, why not take out some of the stress and support your local stores where you don't have to worry about toys arriving on time. If you are shopping for family members who are not local, find out their local toy stores and see if you can shop from there. If you are in the NYC area, be sure to check out the following stores: Lulu's Cuts and Toys, Little Things Toy Store, Norman and Jules, Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store, West Side Kids, Stationary and Toy World, Mary Arnold Toys, Kidding Around Toys and Boomerang Toys. 

If you are looking for specific ideas for your kids or kids on your shopping list, please do not hesitate reaching out to me for suggestions. I have so many more thoughts on great gifts for the important toddlers in your life. I am only an email away at otmeghan@gmail.com and love to hear from and help in any way I can.