What do your toddlers REALLY play with?

[OnEarth]

I'd like to hear about your toddlers favorite toys/games/activities, along with their ages. I feel like DD (21 mo) needs some new toys, but don't know what to get her. I'm interested in any age though. Also- do you encourage them to play with their toys, show them how etc. or do you just let them figure it out on their own? I have a feeling this will be less of an issue as she gets older, she's already getting into her own imaginative play with no help from me. I am probably silly for even wondering.

[Everrgreen]

I have a hard time getting my DS (22 months) to play with his toys.  I do sit down and try and show him things to do with his toys.  But on his own his favourite activities are things like: exploring my closet (especially the shoes!), taking books off the shelves, exploring the bathroom closet (I keep dangerous stuff out of reach), exploring the kitchen cupboards, or chasing the cat.  I'm hoping that as he gets a bit older he will enjoy imaginative play with his toys more.

[snadaska]

My DD is younger than yours(almost 16mos) so this might not apply but recently I decided to stop getting toys because its seems that she doesn't really play with them and often the packagaging is more interesting to her.  The things I have found to have more staying power are books and puzzles. With puzzles I will play with her a little bit but also encourage her to play on her own. We have tons of puzzles in our house. I have also found that crayons and playdough (or some version of it) provide many hours of fun.

[odenata]

My DS turns two next month.  He likes playing with trucks, blocks, ride-on toys, Little People (I have the vintage 70s stuff), our play kitchen, balls, baby doll and stroller, and Schleich animals.

I think the fact that he watches his older sister play with these things as well makes them more interesting to him.

[odenata]

Originally Posted by snadaska  I have also found that crayons and playdough (or some version of it) provide many hours of fun.

Playdough and markers are also big hits around here.   Forgot to mention them.

[crunchy_mommy]

DS is 22mos & rarely plays independently. He likes 'cooking' (with his pots & pans & a bowl of dry beans) and he loves puzzles as long as I sit right there so he can hand me the pieces & I can hand him back to him when he's ready to put them back in lol. He has a tool set that he often takes out for a few minutes here & there to 'fix' things & he goes & rocks on his rocking horse for a minute or two several times a day. One thing that he will very occasionally do independently is take out a musical instrument (we have a basket of them) and sing a song or just play music. He likes pushing little cars around for a couple minutes, and he loves arts/crafts/coloring/etc. but needs you to be beside him otherwise he doesn't enjoy it much. His all-time favorite thing is listening to books, he would love to read all day long. So for the most part, he doesn't play with anything for more than a couple minutes.

Besides reading, he spends most of his time at home 'vacumming' the house or standing on a chair at the counter pretending to cook or actually cooking. Or jumping on the couches/climbing on the table/etc.

Oh and he likes playing with blocks too but not by himself. He has a few pretend play things he does but they are semi-scripted (things he picked up from me or DH for the most part)... neither DH nor I were ever really into pretending though so I don't expect tons of it from DS either.

[OnEarth]

Originally Posted by odenata 

I think the fact that he watches his older sister play with these things as well makes them more interesting to him.

I think my expectations of what her play should look like are not necessarily age appropriate, she loves to do all the stuff you all mention, but doesn't necessarily love to play with her toys, except lately her babies, and her blocks, if I get them out and encourage her to play with them. Give her some markers, or some cups and access to water and she goes to town!

I think that my seeing another kid who is a bit older than her, but also has an older sibling to imitate, is probably contributing to this. DD isn't seeing a big brother/sister play with toys all the time, so why should she care.

I'm still interested in getting her more toys for christmas, just because that's convenient timing, but if it takes her a bit to grow into them so be it. Would still like to know what older toddlers really get into....

[jmo]

My ds is almost 21 mos and plays with kitchen stuff a lot.  He also has an older sister to imitate.  Right now he is mixing up several concoctions and bringing me over various bites to try.  We have a bunch of wooden and felt food and then several mixing bowls and this will keep him busy for quite awhile. Trucks are also a big hit.  Playsilks too.

[journeywooz]

dd loves kitchen stuff.. we have a cabinet she can go through.  she enjoys watching us cook and bake.  at this age, they really love to imitate.  dd likes books, balls, drums, bubbles, blocks and time outside.  otherwise, she's not too crazy about toys.  makes it easier for us to keep it simple--especially when we're moving! yeee-ha!

[ShadowMoon]

DS didn't really get into imaginative play until around 3 yrs old. His favorite toys right now are:

-Trains and train table

-Army men

-Airplanes

-Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars

-Baseball, golf, and bowling sets

[Angelorum]

ds is 16 mo.  We're going to get him some duplos for christmas.  He got a megablox truck that came with like 6 blocks for his birthday a few months ago and he seems to enjoy putting the blocks together and taking them apart.  He also really likes for us to build towers for him to knock down.  I think the duplos should be a good lasting toy for a while, even if he doesn't get into them a ton at first.  I do sometimes take time to show him things he can do with his toys, things like how the shape sorter works, how to push his truck around, how to cover things with his play silks.  It does seem to help him enjoy his toys, though he still spends most of his time pulling everything out of any drawer or cupboard he can reach!  He doesn't have an older sibling to imitate, or other playdate opportunities. 

[Marissamom]

DD is 18 months. she plays with her bath toys, her baby doll, my kitchen stuff, her books, crayons, cell phones and anything electronic, and anything she can dress up in (shoes she can put on herself, her jackets, her boots, hats, bags she can carry)

[JBaxter]

Jack is 25 months he plays with blocks, playmobil people, matchbox cars, Thomas trains ( wooden ones) and magna tiles little tykes shopping cart ( think racing laps in the house with the cart filled full mickey mouse toys) Plan Toys garage ( with the match box cars)  Little people nativity set.   OH and ANYTHING with Mickey Mouse on it.

LOL that is the stuff I have out.   

[alittlesandy]

My son is 21 months and loves books and puzzles. He will sit with a stack of books and "read" through them. It's very cute. He loves simple puzzles but gets frustrated and needs help with them, so that's something we enjoy together. He also likes to color and scribble with crayons and pencils. He plays with legos and blocks, Thomas trains, nesting cups, shape sorters, some wooden pegs that he hammers with a little wooden hammer, and hats. My mom gave him a ton of dress-up hats (fireman, cowboy, knight, baseball hat, etc.) and he LOVES these. Comes into the living room wearing one at a time, for applause. He is just now starting to play with some little wooden cars and trains. He has some little people sets (a house, airplane, and castle) but does not yet seem interested in that type of imaginative play. I think his favorite activity is simply putting things in and taking them out of a container.

[2lilsweetfoxes]

She'd be in high heaven if I got her an iPod Touch (she's always after daddy's), and a computer. She has a little toy laptop and it is scary how she's got one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse.  Daddy--the primary SAHP--is a writer and we are both gamers, as well as her older sister.  She has that old-fashioned fisher-price pull-along phone.  She doesn't know what to make of it.  She likes her see-and-say and will point to the animals and name them.  For her, anything that makes noise and gives feedback.  But, she also likes her books.

[starling&diesel]

My DD is 22 months. 

Schleich animals: these are her favourite things.  She can spend an hour arranging them, having them talk to each other, taking them on trips around the house, nursing them.

Playsilks:  We bought a few large scarves at the thrift store, but they work the same as playsilks.  She uses them as slings, capes, blankets, dress-up clothes, hats, etc.

Stuffies: She has a few stuffed animals that she loves to treat like babies.  She tucks them into her 'sling' (playsilk) and nurses them, or takes them on trips around the house.

Books:  She loves to sit in the dog's bed and read to herself or her stuffies, or have us read to her.

Crafts: anything that involves colouring, drawing, painting.

Instruments:  she loves her harmonica and shakers and bells and xylophone.

[MrsBone]

DS is 23 months and obsessed with cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc, balls, stacking blocks, and coloring. He plays with all of that pretty much every day and doesn't get bored. The coloring thing is recent though. I used to try and get him to color a few months ago and he didn't care about it..now he can't get enough. As your kiddo gets older, they'll probably discover what they like.

[pumpkin]

My 21 month old is obsessed with her baby dolls.  She undresses them, makes me redress them, feeds them, kisses them, and carries them around in a sling.

She also really likes "real-life" toys.  Her cash register, grocery cart, and dishes are definitely tops.  She gravitates to the toy vacuum and microwave at her cousin's house.  He also has a doctor's kit she really enjoys.  We are getting her a play kitchen and accessories for the holidays.

Craft supplies are a huge hit.  She mostly plays with crayons and stickers because that is what I am willing to get out regularly  She probably colors 4 or 5 times a day.  She likes paints, glitter glue, and pens, but I have to be ambitious and willing to get messy to break those out.  She also likes her magnet drawing toy. 

She wants her own ipod touch.  We are going to make her wait a little longer on that, but will probably give her a hand-me-down for her 2nd birthday or there abouts since we have one available.  I'm tired of fending her off my iphone and worrying that she is going to break it. 

[cyclamen]

My 17mo DD likes toy cars, baby dolls, plastic animal figures, balls, books, my scarves, and Duplos.  That's pretty much what she plays with.

And water.  Give her a tub of water and she'll be happy for hours.

She also likes copying anything she sees me or her dad doing.  She likes her push popper and uses it while I sweep and vacuum.  She also likes putting clothes and shoes on.  And scribblign on pieces of paper I have already written on.

[tzs]

we're going on 15 months.

-ride-on toys are big

-pushing toys are huge (chairs, big metal tonka dump truck to haul loads of stuff she finds, she just got a little radio flyer wagon...)

-books

-balls

-anything that "contains" things (she has a little set of drawers from ikea that i put random stuff in, a "barrel of monkeys" game that she dumps out and rearranges...)