Buying gifts for young children is always so fun but that doesn’t mean those gifts can’t serve a purpose too. There are a lot of toys out there that do not facilitate learning, strengthen fine or gross motor skills, and do not keep kids’ interest. These toys always end up buried in the back of the closet or under the bed, never used. Why not get toys that kids enjoy, strengthen fine motor skills, and help kids learn?
As a former teacher, it pains me to see how much time kids spend on tablets, phones, and video game systems. My kindergarten students had no fine motor strength in their hands because they rarely played with toys. They would complain that their hands were tired after coloring or writing for 2 minutes. These toys are fun, strengthen fine motor muscles, and encourage creativity and reasoning.
9 Toys Kids Enjoy for Elementary Kids
- Magna-Tiles – Magna-Tiles are a classic magnetic building block that encourages kids to use their imaginations, use their hands, and get creative. There are several different sets and colors available to keep the building and learning going. You can get this set from Amazon here.
2. Kinetic Sand – I know this one is a little messy but Kinetic Sand is SO fun! I find it therapeutic to run my hands through it and squeeze it. This is great exercise for those fine motor muscles that many kids need to use more. They can dig in it, squeeze it, shape it, use molds in it, and sculpt it. There are several colors available. You’ll want to make sure you have a good bin to store it in and a good tray to play with it in to help contain the mess.
3. Play Doh – A little less messy than Kinetic Sand, Play Doh exercises the fine motor muscles in a similar way. Squeezing, rolling, smashing, cutting, and pressing Play Doh is great fine motor exercise. There are so many fun colors and tools to use to keep kids interested for way more than 5 minutes. I also used Play Doh in my kindergarten classroom to teach table manners. We would roll out the Play Doh into logs and use plastic knives and forks to practice cutting food properly.
4. Legos – Legos are a great way to exercise those fine motor muscles in the hands and encourage imagination and creativity! There’s no end to the things kids can imagine and create with Legos. Legos come in so many fun colors and sets now that kids will never get bored! My kids would spend hours building with Legos when they were little! Now that my kids are young adults they’re getting into the specialty Lego sets like flowers and super cars. You can find all of these sets here on Amazon.
5. STEM Blocks – These STEM Blocks are so fun to put together and kids feel grown up using the wrenches and drill. I’ve seen my students build some pretty amazing things with these blocks! These blocks help with grip strength, imagination, and creativity. These are great toys that kids enjoy.
6. Spirograph – This was one of my favorite toys when I was little! Spirograph is great to work on pencil grip, hand strength, and control. It’s also fun to make the colorful designs.
7. Marble Track – This was the MOST requested toy in my classroom for indoor recess on rainy days! Kids love building the tracks and watching the marbles go through. This is great for problem solving and logic skills. When the marbles don’t go the way they think they will or get stuck, kids naturally find a way to rebuild the track to fix it. It’s also great for fine motor strength. Try this Marble Track with larger marbles for younger kids.
8. Directed Drawing – This was another favorite in my classroom. Kids love to draw and love to find little tricks to help them draw better. These Directed Drawing books from Amazon have easy to follow step by step directions that help kids draw all kinds of things. There are so many to choose from you can find one for any interest: animals, dinosaurs, cars & trucks, and everything!
9. Sewing Kit – This kid friendly Sewing Kit is another great fine motor exercise as well as working on hand-eye coordination. This will help kids develop confidence and independent skills. The colorful fabrics and fun projects will keep kids busy for hours!
Gifts can serve a purpose
These toys kids enjoy and others similar are great to hold kid’s interest, challenge logic and reasoning, encourage creativity and strengthen fine motor skills.
A great gift idea for older kids and adults is a journal. Take a look at this post to learn more about different types of journals and journaling tools.
Most of the gifts on this list are under $20 and are available on Amazon Prime with 2-day shipping if you procrastinated on buying a gift. If you don’t already have Amazon Prime, you can always grab a free 30-day trial here!
I would love to hear your questions and comments so please leave them below. Please share this post with your friends! Until next time…I’m praying for you, please pray for me!