our most-loved kids’ toys: toddlerhood through childhood

Knowing what toys to get your kids can be hard. With so many choices, and only so much space in your house, it can be a bit tricky to figure out what you should get, so you don’t end up with a bunch of stuff your kids rarely touch. Although that likely can’t be entirely avoided—we’ve all bought a toy we thought our little one would  a d o r e, only to have them hardly care—seeing what other kids enjoy an be helpful. Right now, I have a 6 year old, and a 3 year old, and we’ve got a really good idea of what toys they love, and what toys span childhood pretty well, so I wanted to share what toddler + kids toys have been the most beloved (not including large things, like, say, a play kitchen, or a nugget couch), and have been fun from young toddler into childhood.

I’ll share our top 10, but they’ll all be in order, so you’ll get the top 5, and top 3 (aka ‘if we had to toss out everything else what few things would we actually keep’):

1. Play Silks – these are by far the most versatile, and useful toys our kids have. I didn’t grow up with them, so, for the uninitiated, they are just squares of silk that you can let your imagination run wild with. Obviously, they make great capes (for kids, or stuffed animals). But my daughter used to make elaborate costumes with them—pinning them together with hair clips—and still uses them for outfits for stuffed animals. They can be part of other games, like a lake for dolls, or ya know lava; you can build something, and cover it with a play silk to make a landscape. They can be turned into bags or sacks; be doll blankets; used to create an airy fort; or be tied to a stick to create a flag. My daughter loves to tie them onto her house bed to make hammocks for stuffed animals. Right now, both kids are using them to pretend to be My Little Ponies. They make excellent wings. You can get standard size, mini, large, or really large, too! If they could only have one toy, it would absolutely be these. We have purchased Sarah’s Silks, and have these, which we also gift a lot.
2. Schleich Animals – when my daughter was a toddler, we had her pick three for a trip, and she loved them. However, it wasn’t until I bought a bunch of farm animals for my son (because he had no figurines of any sort of his own) that I realized how much fun our kids could have with these. My 6 year old has even made paper outfits for them to wear! With so many animal choices, it’s relatively easy to build up a nice set over time. Plus, they are realistic, so the kids can get familiar with different animals. Our kids play with them almost every day. Mostly, they just make up games you could probably play with Barbies, but they prefer the animals. I mean, they are super cool. We have a bunch of farm animals, and a bunch of woodland animals + a bison. You can find them online, at local toys stores, and even bookstores.
3. Stacking Rainbow – though these can be pricey, they are worth every penny. When my daughter was 2, we gifted her one for Christmas, and it has been used extensively. Daily, or almost daily since then. You can stack it, make cool designs, or a cave, etc. Our children like making houses or other structures for any of their other toys. Even before my son was 2, he was loving it, and making ‘barns’. He received his own for Christmas, and now both rainbows are almost always out. We have a Grimm’s one, which has been super durable, and an Ocamora one, which is a bit rougher, but still really pretty.
4. Blocks – any blocks, but make sure it’s a lot. My daughter has some really cool castle blocks, and has used them to make structures for every other kind of toy, just about. When we still had out ‘block in a box’ out, the kids would even take those few to add to their structures, so I really am not sure you can have too many blocks (as long as you can store them!). I thought about buying a large set of rainbow blocks for my son this Christmas, and the only thing stopping me was the fact that we were getting him two other building toys already.
5. Stuffed Animals – our kids are crazy about them. Now, I try to not overdo it—too much of a good toy means it’s not such a good toy anymore. However, our kids have their favourite 1-2 stuffed animals, and then a larger favs cast of maybe 6 total (both kids together. There’s about 11 in our home) that they play with constantly. My daughter’s all time most-loved toy is a stuffed animal. This only didn’t make the top 3, because it’s more about the individual stuffed animal than ‘all stuffed animals in general’. Most of their stuffed animals are Jellycat, gifted by their grandma.
6. Other Figurines/Dolls – I know, this feels like useless catchall. But it just depends more on your kids. When my daughter was a toddler, we bought some tiny My Little Pony figurines. Their faces are kind of off, but they have been used SO MUCH. Weekly, at least, ever since. They play with them with the stacking rainbows, and the castle blocks, and the train set. We also have 2 sets of regular-sized My Little Ponies that are still played with on and off. My son was gifted a Mario figurines and he plays with it a lot. When he was 2, he loved a soft baby doll; and my daughter’s favourite toy used to be a MiniLand baby doll. They also play with Barbies. Which figurines you have it up to you + your kids, but, at least in out house, lots of options for figurines/dolls are appreciated.
7. Train Set – again, get lots to maximize fun. The kids love making different configurations, and sometimes add figurines into the mix. It’s just good fun. We have never felt like this toy wasn’t getting enough attention, even if it’s not a daily, or weekly toy. My only complaint is that I need more splitters, so I can make the complicated designs I want to!
8. Stacking Cups – these are somehow crazy versatile. When stacking cups were coming into popularity, I wasn’t really sure why. But we ended up with some when my son was a baby, and both kids still use them all the time. They can be bowls for stuffed animals; chairs for dolls or figurines; furniture in a rainbow stacker house; bath toys; and a way to hold up tippier toys when they’re on carpet; dishes for play food—you get the idea. Ours came with a baby Kiwi Crate, but these are all cute options.
9. Lincoln Logs – right now, our kids are both loving these. However, they are a less open-ended building toy, and trickier for kids under 3, for sure. Like with the other building toys, though, they can—and are—used with other figurines, and allow them to problem-solve how to get a solid house structure.
10. Pull Animals – I’m pretty sure, when you buy pull animals, they say ‘up to age 3’? Our kids have both seemed to like them even more starting at age 3. They can take their animals for a walk, and the fact that they can move themselves with just a little effort seems to be really fun. They’re basically just an animal car. We packed my daughter’s away, and when it was down, again, she was in love with it immediately.

Every kid is different. If you ask the next mom over, she might give you a totally different list. When I was a kid, Barbies were the be all end all for me. Though my kids like them, and play with them some, they just aren’t  t h e  favourite toy for them. Growing up, I had some favourite stuffed animals, but never played with them the way my kids do. The best thing may be to see what your kids are drawn to at other people’s houses, and to start with one, or just a small set of different toys to see how much play time they get. Regardless, I hope our ranked list helps you figure out what long-lasting toys might be worth adding into your home!