The best toys for kids will change depending on a child’s age and level of development. At early ages, the types of appropriate toys can change significantly year to year. For instance, toys for 3-year-olds can include more complex pieces than two-year-olds can handle, and toys for four-year-olds can incorporate smaller pieces that younger children could be tempted to put in their mouths.

For all ages, it is good to choose versatile toys that encourage spontaneity and creativity, rather than toys that limit the child's input. Building sets and blocks inspire children to build miniature houses, towers, and creative locations. Dolls contribute to the ways children enact imaginary scenarios. Meanwhile, stuffed animals and plush toys serve as both a comfort to cuddle and a character during play.

Play is how children learn. Building (and toppling their creations over) demonstrates the basic mechanics and physics behind structures. Creating imaginary scenarios helps them understand behavior and human interactions. Playing with other children, which really becomes important by age three, builds bonds of friendship and encourages learning about sharing, compromising and working together.

If you want to increase learning opportunities through play, you could look for educational toys. There are many reasons why parents choose educational toys. Some STEM toys for preschoolers develop skillsets that a child may need to work on, like counting, learning colors and more. However, you don’t have to limit your shopping to educational toys if you want your child to learn. Every toy brings unique learning opportunities.

Children can learn a lot from playing with toy cars and vehicles or from pretend play and dress-up. You will even notice that when toys are not around, children turn just about anything into a toy: a kitchen towel becomes a shawl, a stick becomes a sword, a chair becomes a doll’s bed. Play inspires innovation in all kinds of ways, so providing kids with a range of actual toys that are both safe and versatile is a way to stoke their imagination.

Whatever toys you choose for your child, the most important part is ensuring that they have time for unstructured, self-directed play. This might be on their own or with friends. Whatever the case, it is essential for children to start exploring their world independently through play.