As a former preschool teacher turned stay-at-home mom, I'd like to think of myself as an expert when it comes to play! I'm passionate about toys and books that inspire learning and imagination, and I know which toys preschoolers will return to again ...
Sections
7
Books
Games & Puzzles
Imaginative Play
Building Toys
Outdoor & Gross Motor Play
Arts & Crafts
Books
These are some favorite books from my preschool classroom and current favorites I share with my preschool-aged child at home. Whether you're shopping for a kid with a big imagination or a curious mind, you're sure to find a perfect book on this list!
You just have to experience this book for yourself. It made my little one belly laugh, and it was requested on repeat!
The Book With No Pictures
A classic for a reason! Sweet story with beautiful illustrations.
Make Way for Ducklings
This is the perfect book for kids interested in animals. Full of amazing illustrations and fun animal facts.
Actual Size
A sweet and inspiring story for the creative kid in your life.
Beautiful Oops!
This was a favorite for my preschool students. Introduces color theory in a pretty *magical* way.
Mix It Up!
The Paddington books are genuinely funny (for grownups too) and make the sweetest bedtime stories.
Paddington Classic Adventures Box Set: A Bear Called Paddington, More About Paddington, Paddington Helps Out
My preschooler loves to learn about animals, and we love exploring all the pictures and facts in encyclopedias like this one together!
First Animal Encyclopedia: A First Reference Guide to the Animals of the World
With detailed illustrations and lots of interesting facts, this is an amazing book for any kiddo interested in rescue heroes or things that go!
Working Boats: Safety, Salvage, and Rescue: An Inside Look at Eight Adventurous Watercraft
This is a beautiful book to teach kids about feelings, and there's something magical to them about the little heart-shaped windows on each page.
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings
I am obsessed with Brambly Hedge for its gorgeous illustrations and heartwarming stories, and it's a volume we keep coming back to at home.
The Complete Brambly Hedge
I grew up with this delightful collection of stories, and now I get to enjoy it with my kids!
The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury: Celebrated Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud
I don't want to spoil it, but this book is one of those gems that is just as delightful for the grownup reader as it is for little ones.
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (Caldecott Medal Winner)
Brian Floca's books are a win for kids and grownups. Locomotive takes you on an unforgettable and up-close coast-to-coast journey on the first cross-country railway.
Locomotive
Moonshot feels like taking a journey to outer space. A perfect read for the aspiring astronaut in your life.
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Dreaming Up pairs photos of real architectural wonders alongside illustrations of children building similar structures with a variety of materials. A fun book to pair with a building-themed gift.
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building
The Little Bear stories are filled with sweet friendships and big imaginations. We love them!
Little Bear 3-Book Box Set: Little Bear, Father Bear Comes Home, Little Bear's Visit
The Frog and Toad stories are sometimes silly, sometimes wry, and always heartwarming.
Frog and Toad: A Complete Reading Collection: A Box Set of all 4 Books From the Classic Animal Friendship and Adventure Series
These delightful chapter books introduce science to young readers through the magical adventures of Zoey and her spunky cat Sassafras.
Zoey and Sassafras Books 1-6 Pack
This is a favorite in our house for its delightful, silly, and imaginative stories and illustrations.
Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
Any of Gerda Muller's books are perfect for the nature-loving child in your life.
A Year in Our New Garden
Not a Box inspires imagination and creativity through the adventure of a rabbit who discovers all the things a box can become.
Not a Box
Games & Puzzles
Crocodile Creek puzzles are adorable and come in the most fun boxes! This one is perfect for dinosaur lovers!
Crocodile Creek puzzles are adorable and come in the most fun boxes! This one is perfect for train lovers!
36pc Shaped Box Floor Puzzle - All Aboard - Best for Ages 3 to 7
Crocodile Creek puzzles are adorable and come in the most fun boxes! This one is perfect for pony lovers!
36pc Shaped Box Puzzle - Pretty Ponies - Best Puzzles for Ages 3 to 7
So nostalgic to play this with my kids. A great introduction to board games!
Hasbro Gaming Candy Land
Spot It! is easy to learn and comes in lots of different themes.
Asmodee Spot It! Animals
We love everything Richard Scarry! We play memory and go fish with these cards.
Richard Scarry's Busy World Things That Go Card Game
My preschooler picked up Uno Junior so quickly, and it's a fun pick for family game night!!
Mattel UNO Junior Card Game, 45 Cards
I had a game like this growing up, and it's fun for solo or group play.
FoxMind Games Don't Rock The Croc
Peaceable Kingdom makes cooperative games, in which everyone works together to achieve a goal. In this game, everyone works together to help five little owls get home before the sun comes up!
Peaceable Kingdom Hoot Owl Hoot - Kids Game
This game is similar to Hi-Ho! Cherry-O and oh so cute!
Educational Insights Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game
My kiddo loves watching us use power tools and loves using his very own drill.
Educational Insights Design & Drill Center
We love creating stories together!
Mystery in the Forest Create A Story Pre-Literacy Cards
Imaginative Play
I still have fond memories of receiving my own Bitty Baby as a preschooler!
Bitty Baby® Doll
We love our kitchen, and it includes lots of storage space for play food in the cabinets below.
DUKTIG Play kitchen - birch 28 3/8x15 3/4x42 7/8 "
I love this realistic set of pots and pans for kitchen pretend play!
DUKTIG 5-piece toy cookware set - stainless steel
I love this set of realistic kitchen utensils for pretend play!
DUKTIG 5-piece toy kitchen utensil set - multicolor
We love to play doctor and vet in our house, and this wooden set from PlanToys is so cute!
PlanToys® Wooden Pretend Play Doctor Set for Kids
We loved using our cash register in my preschool classroom to play store and restaurant.
DUKTIG Toy cash register
A dollhouse is so wonderful for small world pretend play, and this one from Tiny Land is so cute and spacious!
Tiny Land Wooden Dollhouse for Girls
I'm obsessed with this adorable playfood set from Tiny Land!
Tiny Land® Organic Play Food Collection
Look at this cute little family for your little one's dollhouse!
Tiny Land® Wooden Dollhouse Dolls
Both of my littles love pushing dolls, stuffies, and other toys all around the house in our doll stroller.
My First Baby Doll Stroller
We loved using the shopping cart in our preschool classroom to play store.
Melissa & Doug Toy Shopping Cart
We use our play silks for costumes, forts, and more! They are high quality and come in so many beautiful colors.
Sarah's Silks Set of 3 Playsilks - Rainbow, Blue, Purple
This is the most beautiful princess dress for any little who loves to dress up!
Antique Princess Gown
I loved my miniature tea sets as a little girl, and this one is so darling.
Suitcase - Tea Party Metal Set The Rosalies
This spaceman suit will take your child's astronaut play to the next level!
Spaceman Suit
My littles LOVE dressing up as firefighters!
Firefighter Set with Accessories
We are currently in a dinosaur phase, and this costume is amazing!
T-Rex Hooded Dinosaur Cape
Such a sweet set for any preschooler who loves being a helper at home!
Hape: Clean Up Broom Set - 6pc
I grew up playing with this set, and my kids are still enjoying it today!
CP Toys 51-Piece Dog Academy Playset
There's a spot on each stall for your child to write the horses' names!
Melissa & Doug Take-Along Show-Horse Stable
We had a playhouse outside at preschool that we used for playing restaurant, ice cream shop, house, and more!
Greystone Wooden Outdoor Playhouse With Kitchen And Working Doorbell
Building Toys
My son loves using this set to practice using real tools like mom and dad.
Panda Brothers Montessori Screwdriver Board Set
We play with our train set regularly, and I love that this beautiful set comes with plenty of storage for all the pieces.
Tiny Land® 1920 Railway Adventure Train Table
Duplos are such a great open-ended building material. We play with ours weekly!
LEGO DUPLO Classic Deluxe Brick Box
Picasso Tiles are a regular part of our toy rotation. We love building zoos, cars, towers, and ramps.
PicassoTiles 100 Piece Set
Wood unit blocks were played with every day in my preschool classroom. They are so open-ended for imaginative little builders.
Melissa & Doug Solid-Wood Building Blocks
I grew up with Lincoln Logs, and they are so fun for building houses, farms, etc.
Lincoln Logs 100th Anniversary Tin
Bring the magic of a children's museum right to your living room!
Fat Brain Toys Original Air Toobz STEM Toy
Take your magnetic tile play to the next level with this fun construction set! Magna-Tiles and Picasso Tiles can be played with together - we have a combination!
Magna-Tiles Builder 32pc Set
Outdoor & Gross Motor Play
Every kid loves a ball, and this one comes in the cutest patterns!
7 inch Playground Ball - Best for Ages 3 to 4
This climbing set is perfect for letting kids get energy out indoors.
Tiny Land® 7-in-1 Rainbow Climbing Set with Play Pad
We love our play tent and tunnel at home! This set also includes a ball pit and comes in several colors that will compliment your home decor.
Tiny Land® Compact Adventure 3-in-1 Play Tunnel
These go with the play tent and tunnel set!
Tiny Land® Ocean Ball - 200 pcs with Varied Colors
Our Nugget couch is one of my very favorite play items in our house. It's cozy, cute, and endlessly versatile.
The Nugget®
The Chunk from Nugget looks so fun for all sorts of games and doubles as an adorable little ottoman!
Chunk®
This Stapelstein stepping stone dupe looks amazing for indoor and outdoor gross motor play!
Nuby Stepping Stones StepPebbles & Board
Remember these from gym class?!
Blue Indoor Scooter Board with Safety Handles for Kids Ages 6-12
A play set is a perfect “big gift” for preschoolers who are developing their gross motor skills.
Castlewood Wooden Swing Set / Playset With Clubhouse
This is the best gift we've ever bought our kids. They want to play in their sandbox DAILY.
Octagon Wooden Sandbox w/ Cover - Creative Cedar Designs
We love our Micro Maxi scooter!
Micro Maxi Foldable LED Scooter
This little wagon is so cute for pulling stuffed animals and dolls around the house.
Radio Flyer Mini Classic Red Wagon for Kids
My kids love helping in the garden, and it's so special for them to have their own tools!
Nature Fun - Gardening Tool Set
Arts & Crafts
An easel is essential for any artsy kid!
MÅLA Easel - softwood
We loved beading in my preschool classroom!
Bead Bouquet - Best Arts & Crafts for Babies - Fat Brain Toys
You can never go wrong with chalk, and this set comes with SO many pieces and colors for creating outdoor art all summer!
Crayola Washable Sidewalk Chalk - 130 Count
Ok, these are so smooth and fun to draw and paint with! I love them.
Kwik Stix Solid Tempera Paint - 12 count - Best for Ages 3 to 10
Not going to lie, I want to play with these myself!
Ooly Rainbow Sparkle Metallic Gel Crayons
What little artist wouldn't want sparkly watercolors?!
Chroma Blends Watercolor Paint Set - Pearlescent
Every little artist needs lots of paper!
Paintology Canvas Paper Pad - 15 Sheets
How fun to turn a window into your little artist's canvas!
Rainy Dayz Window Gel Crayons - Set of 10
I love that this finger paint set comes with a (very necessary and very cute) smock!
Finger Paint
Every preschooler LOVES stickers, and if they're sparkly gemstones, that's even better!
Gemify® Mega Sticker Booklet
Sensory Play
We love our Kinetic Sand around here for indoor sensory play!
Kinetic Sand, 5.5lbs
I love this gorgeous tray for keeping sensory materials organized and creating a variety of fun sensory play invitations for littles. To give as a gift, fill with fun sensory materials like pom poms and rainbow rice!
Inspire My Play Sensory Bin with Lid & Inserts
I used these fine motor tools for sensory play daily in my preschool classroom.
Learning Resources Helping Hands Fine Motor Set
This wooden set of sensory tools is so beautiful and perfect for dry sensory play with pom poms, rice, oats, etc.
Hiceeden 11-Piece Wooden Sensory Bin Tools
Having lots of different fillers for a sensory bin is so fun, and rainbow rice is one of the best. We used this for a birthday-themed sensory bin and added number candles and silicone cupcake liners!
