Interactive toys
Here are some examples of good interactive toys. You can find them almost anywhere, but I know that you can get a good deal sometimes online at places like Amazon
This is the Castle Marble Set from Discovery Toys. It is more expensive, but I really like it. I haven’t met a student yet that didn’t love this toy and it is well made and easy to assemble which is key. There are many marble mazes out there but often the marble is too small, choking hazard or just gets lost and the maze is super challenging to build – it drives most teachers crazy. So this seems to be a good solution; easy to use and the ball is a bigger size.
These are some examples of some fun games. They are good to teach beginning rules for games and also for introducing play with peers. Some other good ones are; Candyland Castle, Crocodile Dentist, Cranium Cariboo, etc. You can generally find these anywhere, WalMart, Target, etc. You can find many good toys online at Amazon for instance and can sometimes find really good deals.
Five Little Monkeys GameDon’t Wake Daddy GameRed Rover Game
A ball popper toy similar to this one seems to be a hit with most kids. Again you can find this almost anywhere. I found it cheapest at WalMart for $15.00.
Wind up toys are also great. Again I see these everywhere. You just wind them up and they do something, walk, jump, spin, etc. They are good for interaction, because most students can’t operatethem alone and they need to communicate with you to get it to work.
There are lots of different versions of this toy. It is a spinning propeller type toy. This one you simply twist between your hands and it flies. I found one at Fred Meyer that is a separate propeller on a corkscrew and you just push it off and it spins and lights up.
Toysmith – great toys, here are some examples. They have a great light up top. Kids really love it. Tops in general are a good bet. I have found their toys at their website, online and at Fred Meyers.
(Train puzzle set)
Echo Microphone – simple toy, yet really versatile. I see this in most stores, even the dollar store.
Tops are great in general. I really like this particular set. I have only been able to find it online.
Balloon pump is a great toy. I used this at circle to work on group responses, etc. The rocket balloons, shown above make noise so some kids won’t like those, but others will love them. They are weighted on the end so that they fly all over – very fun. I don’t recommend the long balloons that you might use to create balloon animals – they break way too easily and are hard to blow up even with the pump. They have some “bumpy” balloons that work well – they are long and they don’t make noise when you let them go. I find the balloon pump at Walmart, Target and most other retail stores.
General Suggestions:
Toy telephones, pretend play toys (especially familiar characters like toy story, etc.)
Farm animals
Bubbles
Pretend food
Play dough with tools
Puppets with mouths that open – Amazon has some nice puppets – search for Aurora Puppets
Melissa and Doug – great toys, affordable and last a long time.
I have seen this used in many classrooms. There is a girl version too. It is basically a boy “doll” that you can dress up in different costumes. The pieces are all magnetic and they are great for group play. Staff have shared that they found them for $12.00, I think through Amazon, or they are at Toys R Us
Other toys:
Ice cream popper toy, this one has been really popular. I have found it at Fred Meyer but you can find it online as well. Look for the Toysmith Brand.
This wooden car set I also use and it is really popular.
These are stacking robots – they are made by Schylling Toys and I think if you just google that you should be able to find them. These are nice because they are very sturdy and you can stack them in many different directions.
Balloon Race cars – I find these in most stores too, Target, Fred Meyers
Animal Poppers are also a fun toy. I find them on Amazon but recently also found them at Walgreens. They are by Hog Wild.