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🧸 Learning Through Love: Best Educational Toys by Age From Grandma’s toy chest (on a budget!)
13
items (Picked by a new Grandmother/Abuela who’s always learning too!)
đź’ˇTips for Picking & Using Educational Toys
• Choose one or two “wow items” and a few simple ones; don’t overwhelm.
• Rotate toys: bring one out, put others away, then surprise s...
Map
Sections
5
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3-6 months
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6-12 months
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12-24 months (1-2 years)
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2-3 years
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3-5 years
3-6 months
Babies this age are developing vision, hearing, grasp reflex, tummy strength. These toys will all focus on developing these skill sets all while you both have a ball!
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Press-and-glow toys help with cause & effect, visual tracking, and reaching/grasping. Bright Starts Press & Glow Spinner Cause & Effect Musical Baby Toy
Bright Starts Press & Glow Spinner
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Stacking blocks build gross & fine motor strength. Babies love knocking them down.
Pastel Baby Blocks | Silicone & Wooden Building Toys for Infants
6-12 months
Big growth here watching them crawl and explore with mouths and hands, early object permanence.
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Push & pull “spikes” ‒ great for hand strength & fingers. Learning Resources Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog
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Learning Resources Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog: Stacking Toys & ...
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Soft stacking teaches coordination, colors, knocking things down = joy + learning. Melissa & Doug Pineapple Soft Stacker
Melissa & Doug Multi-Sensory Pineapple Soft Stacker Infant Toy
12-24 months (1-2 years)
Lots of fun’s watching them learn walking, first words, sorting, imitation.
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Pretend play + interactive learning (words, colors) while they carry their own purse! Fisher‑Price Laugh and Learn Going Places Learning Purse
Laugh & Learn Going Places Learning Purse
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Shape sorting, animal names, matching, recognizing sizes. Learning Resources Peekaboo Learning Farm Sorting Toy
Peekaboo Learning Farm
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Helps introduce letters in an easy, hands-on way with large pieces toddlers can manage. Spark Create Imagine Wooden Alphabet Puzzle
Spark Create Imagine Magnetic Puzzles | Kids Creative Thinking & STEM Toys
2-3 years
These types of toys are focused on the following language, wanting to help, puzzles, imaginative play, simple counting.
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Teaches counting, colors, early vocabulary + fun pretend driving. VTech Race & Learn Driver
VTech Race & Learn Driver
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Great for creativity, sensory play, and building those little hand muscles. Play‑Doh Fun Factory Starter Set
Play-Doh Fun Factory Starter Set - 8pc
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Sensory experience + imaginative play (pretend ice cream), also helps with hand-strength. Kinetic Sand Soft Serve Station
Kinetic Sand Soft Serve Station Sand Art
3-5 years
Getting ready for preschool / kindergarten: letters, numbers, following rules, social play, fine motor precision.
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Helps teach early addition & subtraction, counting, patterns. Good for cooperative play. HAND2MIND Numberblocks MathLink Cubes Activity Set
MathLink® Cubes Numberblocks® 1-10 Activity Set
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Shapes, numbers, sorting, pattern recognition, matching skills. Learning Shapes and Numbers Board
Magnetic Color & Number Maze Board Montessori
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Great for drawing, fine motor control, early writing skills. Etch A Sketch World’s Small
World's Smallest Etch a Sketch Red