Toys and Supplies for the Early Years

Updated November, 2023

Through every holiday, birthday, or even just because through the year, we often find ourselves asking what the best toys for kids are. What should we be looking for? What might they enjoy? Or even beyond toys, what sorts of supplies do I need for my child in their Early Years? Because children learn through play, these are not light questions. I have tried to compile my suggestions, or links to more in depth suggestions, into this post for you.

Now as you noticed, I mentioned that children learn through play. This means that a child is going to learn much more about math, science, and the way the world works by playing than they ever will through memorization or worksheets. We scaffold and build and play to get them to the skills they will need later in life. Writing? Practice first with things like play dough. Cutting? Try tearing paper first. I have tried to be intentional about the materials I suggest and that I offer to my own children. Open ended is key.

Making Space

Now before I delve into supplies and toys, I want to take a moment to talk about making space for your children to play. Sometimes there is a desire for order, or present-ability, that takes over for us adults. Everything has to be tucked away in a nice, tidy space. Except children need space too. Space to function, to make a mess, and to leave a work in progress.

Take time to really outline whose space is whose. Do your children get a bedroom, a workspace, an area of the backyard? Are there places you want to have that are just yours, like your bedroom, or your office? Set these expectations early on. Everyone has a right to space, you just have to be clear about who the space belongs to, or is it shared. For example, my kids have a bedroom and a work room. Their bedroom can be kept in whatever condition they want, as long as they can get to their beds. In the work room though, while it is a kid centered space, the vacuum needs to be able to run daily in there, so they need to leave work on the table, but not the floor OR they need to be responsible to keep the door shut. On the flip side, the living room is a shared space, and they have stuff in there, but at the end of the day, their work needs to be put away.

Room Set Up

How you set up your children’s space can also help them and you keep organized, focused, and settled. Room set up is hugely under-rated, even in schools I work in. Have problems with children running through the room? Put a shelf that they have to navigate around. Blocks get too spread out? Put down a carpet to help define a boundary. These types of tricks can really help the house as a whole from getting out of control.

Also think about types of materials and group them accordingly. In many of my blogs about toys, I will break materials down into groups such as table toys, blocks, dramatic play, and art. Grouping like items can help your children expand on their play. For example, I always include play animals, people, or vehicles in the block area.

Once items are grouped appropriately, think about where they are in relation to each other. If we don’t want our children to color in books, don’t put art materials and books on shelves right next to each other. If you have materials that are to be used outside, make sure they aren’t in a room farthest from the exterior door.

Your children should have easy access to their shelves or anything else they are allowed to get into. And make no mistake, a shelf with 8 little cubby holes is much better than one big toy chest. We have a bench with 4 cubbies in our living room. It holds 1) balls, 2) dramatic play clothes, 3) dramatic play accessories, and 4) seasonal gear for outside. These are the only box type cubbies we have. Otherwise, the rest of their materials are kept on display, such as a small, open basket of blocks.

Kid Centered Space

Now I mentioned this briefly above, but your children really do deserve access to kid centered space. This is the space where they get to make a mess, or have a work in progress that you don’t get to touch. If you think about this in adult terms, it makes a ton of sense How many women do I know that have a craft space or an office than no one else is allowed to mess with because they are mid-project. We can’t always expect our children to finish their work on our timelines. And make no mistake, their art project or block tower is their work.

The best way you can support this is by having a truly kid centered space. This means they get a table or a corner or something where they can store works in progress or leave out a mess. This can help children transition away from work and play into other activities such as meals and going to school because they know their work will be safe. They know they can come back to what they were doing. It isn’t about not having to clean up, it’s about not having to start over.

Keeping it Fresh

Now if you have ever seen the shelves in my house, you will notice they don’t have a whole lot of materials on them. That 8 cubby shelf I mentioned earlier? Yeah, there are only 8-10 things on it. This is because you want to avoid clutter. Too many materials are going to make your child lose focus and become overwhelmed. If they take out every material they own at once, does it cover the whole floor? If so, they probably have too much stuff.

Instead of having a ton of materials all at once, keep some materials stashed up high that you can rotate out. This way as your child needs variety, or grows tired of certain materials, you have a backup of materials to provide to them.

Supplies

Now that we have talked about space, let’s delve into supplies. Supplies is the term I use for anything that isn’t the materials and toys. It’s the catch all for everything else, like the shelves their toys go on, the clothes they wear, and even the beds they sleep in.

Clothes

Simply put, your child is going to grow every year. We know this already. I admit I actually looooove clothes shopping for my kids (much more than shopping for myself, and trust me, they need new clothes far less than I do). I personally keep a running shared document that all our family and friends have access to and make sure my kids’ current size or next size up are always up to date. Clothes are always an easy, affordable gift from others.

I can’t really advise you on how many of each size you are going to need. All I can say is have fun with this! Your kids need clothes, so you might as well get adorable outfits. I even went through a phase where I bought a whole bunch of adorable matching outfits (link coming March, 2022) for me and my kids.

If funds are tight, don’t underestimate how many great, adorable outfits you can get second hand. These can be thrift stores, hand me downs, or even find some good looks in my Second Hand Steals Shop. Don’t forget as your children get older to let them pick out their own clothes. They are the ones that have to wear everything, after all.

Furniture

I trend towards furniture that is multi-functional and will grow with my children. I also like things that can be moved pretty easily. This means I tend to avoid tall book shelves or really heavy pieces.

An example of multi-functional are my tables. All of my kids tables have shelves built into them. One of my favorites that I very recently purchased is our art table that lifts up for storage inside that I can put extra art supplies in and has 3 open cubbies underneath that the kids can store their work and supplies it. Their work table has a glass top with storage underneath and 4 additional shelves as well. In case you aren’t catching the theme, I really like storage space under our work surfaces.

Shelving in general is pretty useful in my opinion. I prefer open shelves where I can store items on display without the items getting lost. My kids’ dad has a cute little shelf with a toy chest storage that I really like, and also a book lounge shelf where the kids can sit and read. My approach in general with shelving is to avid boxes and make sure that children can see their options.

I feel like the other most common furniture piece to think about is beds. I actually did a combination of cribs, toddler beds, and bunk beds as my kids got older. That was what worked well for me. You can read all of my bed suggestions here.

Essentials

When it comes to essentials, I admit that I am a cross between thrifty and generous. When it comes to things like dishes, I tend to shy away from sippy cups and baby plates. I much prefer just letting my children use whatever dishes I would use for the adults in the room. My children clear their dishes after meals as well, and honestly, us adults are the only ones who have broken dishes so far. On the flip side, I really like these new step stools that help your children work around the kitchen with you while keeping them safely enclosed. I would spend the money on one of these for the kitchen in a heart beat. Need something a little more affordable? I will admit that a good old step stool offers the same height advantage and is very easy for your children to move around on their own. Plus it folds up and you can tuck it out of the way. Other essentials involve things like a toothbrush (make sure to get the right size for them!) and toothpaste. I have never been a big user of kids shampoo, so I don’t have suggestions for those types of products. But think everyday items under the essentials category. Looking for a suggestion for a specific type of product? Leave a comment and I will look into options.

Outside Play

Our children these days don’t get anywhere near enough time outside. It’s a simple fact. I am acutely aware of our growing disconnection between us and the natural world. Thus far the effects of this disconnection, termed nature deficit disorder, is largely unstudied.

My goal is to help kids get outside more and more. Be this through a hike in the mountains, activities and sports, or even just playgrounds. I know my own children have a backyard playground (link coming) to help entice them outside.

Other simple purchases for outside play can be things like bicycles, soccer balls, and sand boxes. There is something for everyone. We just have to make the time to take them outside. I know not everyone has a backyard to play in, so never hesitate to look for a local park.

Toys

In my world, toys are about a lot more than entertainment for your children. They are a tool to help your children learn. They are about expanding their minds and helping them make sense of their worlds. I put a lot of thought into the materials I get for my children. I avoid electronics and screens. I really think electronics these days are changing our children’s brains. I try to ensure their materials are open ended. I really value materials as more than just toys.

I’ve written a lot of blogs about toy suggestions depending on ages. It really is about developmental appropriateness, which is why some age groups are as short as 6 months. I have them listed to the right for the sake of ease. If you need suggestions for your child, find their age listed to the right and browse material suggestions there.

Don’t underestimate group learning. I love board games (link coming) and card games for learning with my children. Not every gift or learning opportunity has to be about material items though. Don’t forget the value of experiences. Those are just as important, if not more so, than the toys you fill your house with.

Learning Through Reading

I know I’ve talked a lot about the importance of reading, and that’s because I really value books. My children have thus far demonstrated that they don’t need to be taught how to read. They just need to know that reading is about love and spending time together. So I have made as many book suggestions as I could think of. Reading is more than about learning the words on the page. It’s about love, freedom, and creativity.