The Best 10 Toys for Young Children with Developmental Delays
The search for a good toy for your child can be overwhelming. Not all children have the same needs, and your child may be struggling with language or motor development. It can be challenging to sift through which toys are designed merely for entertainment and which can actually help your child’s development while they’re having fun.
We at Therapy Trails understand the struggle, and we want to help you help your child succeed. For that reason, our therapists have created a list of the top 10 toys and games that they recommend for developing language and increasing motor skills.
The first five toys on the list all center around improving a child’s verbal communication abilities. These games increase vocabulary, improve language comprehension and encourage overall language development.
The second half of the toys are focused on improving fine motor skills. These are actions that rely on coordination of smaller muscles, such as grasping or releasing. We’ve also picked toys that encourage bilateral integration (using both hands together) and visual integration (using both eyes together).
The best part is, your children will be playing and having fun while they’re learning.
Language Development
- Mindware Seek-A-Boo Game
Age: 18+ months
Price: $19.95
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Seek-a-Boo has 36 “Seek Me” cards and 36 “Find Me” cards with various images on them. Parents scatter the Find Me cards around the room and then read off a Seek Me card. The child has to find the matching Find Me card.
Why we recommend: Seek-a-Boo develops children’s language skills while also encouraging them to be active.
- Melissa & Doug Water Wow! 3-Pack
Age: 3 to 7 years
Price: $12.99
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children color the reusable pages with a water-filled pen to reveal hidden images. You can ask your child what animals, plants or objects they see as they’re coloring.
Why we recommend: This game builds vocabulary while providing an exciting hide-and-seek coloring experience.
- Melissa & Doug Cutting Fruit
Age: 3 to 5 years
Price: $16.90
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children cut and reattach various fruit pieces. You can ask your children questions about the fruits and what they’re doing with them.
Why we recommend: This game builds vocabulary, encourages interactive play with others and reflects real-life events.
- Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Frozen Treats
Age: 3+ years
Price: $9.99
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children create a variety of frozen desserts and other creations with Play-Doh. You can ask your children questions about what they’re creating.
Why we recommend: Play-Doh builds vocabulary and allows children to work on a number of words such as roll, cut and squeeze. It also can encourage children to imitate others’ actions.
- MindWare Marble Run
Age: 4+ years
Price: $34.95
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children create a marble run by snapping pieces together. They then drop marbles on the track and watch them zigzag their way to the bottom.
Why we recommend: This game improves language development as children communicate with each other to create the marble run. It also encourages problem-solving and imagination, while providing hours of fun.
Motor Skills Development
- Fisher-Price Snap-Lock Beads
Age: 6 months to 4 years
Price: $24.90
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children snap beads together and pull them apart.
Why we recommend: This toy improves children’s fine motor skills and develops their hand-eye coordination.
- Gazillion Bubbles 1 Liter Bubble Solution
Age: 3+ years
Price: $12.02
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children dip the stick into the bubble solution, pull it out and blow to form bubbles. They can pop the bubbles with their hands, elbows, knees or even feet.
Why we recommend: This game increases fine motor skills as children grasp and release the stick and try to pop or catch the bubbles.
- Oball Original Ball
Age: 3+ years
Price: $17.95
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children hold, throw and catch the ball.
Why we recommend: This game increases fine motor skills as children catch and throw this easily grasped ball. These actions improve bilateral and visual integration.
- Mr. Potato Head Playskool
Age: 3+ years
Price: $14.99
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children pull out and replace Mr. Potato Head’s body parts.
Why we recommend: This game improves fine motor skills, bilateral integration and visual integration, as children hold Mr. Potato Head, grasp his body parts and push and pull them in and out.
- Lift the Flap: Fairy Tales
Age: 2 to 6 years
Price: $8.49
Find it on Amazon.
How to play: Children turn through this board book and lift flaps to find hidden fairy tale characters.
Why we recommend: This game improves fine motor skills and visual integration as children lift and lower the flaps, while also encouraging reading and imagination.
Have Questions?
Be sure to check out our Instagram for fun activities and crafts you can do with your child. If you’re looking for more ideas for toys or games for children of all ages, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@therapytrailsga.com. It’s our mission to partner with you to help your child succeed. We’re happy to provide you with any resources you may need.