Plan Toys Preschool Beehive

Plan Toys is a wonderful green company that uses environmentally safe and sustainable methods in all their manufacturing. The Plan Toys Beehive is a great toy to help preschoolers develop small motor skills. I’ve used a similar technique for helping preschoolers learn how to hold a pencil and it’s always a big hit.

Age Recommendation: 36 months – 13 years
Price: $29.99

The Creation Cottage by Crafty Kids

The Creation Cottage by Crafty Kids lets kids design their own playhouse and then use it for endless pretend play opportunities. The cardboard holds up extremely well. We tested out the Imagination Shuttle earlier this year and ours only fell apart after it was rained on. For a fraction of the cost of all other play houses, The Creation Cottage is a great value and will give your preschooler hours and hours of fun.

Age Recommendation: 3 and up
Price: $69.90

Corolle Tidoo Suce Pouce in Pajamas

Corolle is well known for making quality dolls, but they often come with a high price tag. The Corolle Tidoo Suce Pouce in Pajamas non only won ASTRA’s “Top 20 Toys for the Holidays” Award but at under $35, it also comes with a price tag that parents will love.

Age Recommendation: 18 Months – 4 Years
Price: $34.99

Little Tikes Sizzle N Serve Kitchen

Preschoolers love toy kitchens. It’s a starting point for so many wonderful pretend play opportunities and boys and girls alike will get years of play out of it. The Little Tikes Sizzle N Serve Kitchen has everything a preschoolers sees on a daily basis in their own kitchen at home, including a working ice-maker . An attached BBQ grill has a light up flame and sound effects (which may make a few dads a bit better about buying their sons a toy kitchen).

Age Recommendation: 36 Months – 10 Years
Price: $189.99

Moon Dough Magic Barnyard

Moon Dough is a great sensory play experience for preschoolers. This unique dough never dries out and it’s hypo-allergenic and wheat-free. The magic barnyard toy doubles as a pretend play toy, allowing preschoolers to create the animals in their farm and then use their imagination to create endless play possibilities.

Age Recommendation: 36 months – 8 years
Price $19.99

LeapFrog Tag Junior

I’m not generally a huge fan of toys with batteries but I do make a few exceptions. The LeapFrog Tag is one of them. We have purchased 2 Tags and 1 Tag Junior over the past few years because they have done so much to get our kids excited about reading that they each had to have their own. My 7 year old is now reading well above grade level and his younger brothers are just as excited about reading as he is.

Recommended Age: 24 Months – 4 Years
Price: $34.99

Haba Shopping Net with Wooden Fruit

This adorable wooden fruit set by Haba is made from hard wood with a non-toxic finish and is the perfect size for preschoolers to carry. This toy food demonstrates healthy food choices, unlike many toy food available right now, and is the perfect addition to any pretend play collection. If you want to extend the use of this toy, the brilliant colors make it perfect for teaching color names or playing matching games with your preschooler.

Age Recommendation: 3-6 years old
Price: $19.89

Melissa and Doug Standard Unit Blocks

Unit blocks are some of the best toys for preschoolers. They teach small motor skills, balance, basic math skills, and so much more. This set of standard unit blocks from Melissa and Doug is one of the most affordable sets available and comes in a nice wooden box for storage. We bought this set several years ago and it’s held up to the abuse of 3 boys so I figure it’s pretty much indestructible.

Age Recommendation: 3 Years and Up
Price: $59.99

Little Tikes Anchors Away Water Play Table

Water play can keep most preschoolers busy for hours, but if you are looking for an alternative to your kitchen sink, the Anchors Away Water Play Table form Little Tikes brings water play down to your preschoolers level and includes some great details, including a water fountain that flows from the center mast.

Age Recommendation: 24 Months – 5 Years
Price: $99.99

Melissa & Doug Car Carrier

This great car carrier from Melissa & Doug is sure to be a hit with any little boy. This is compatible with standard wooden train tracks so you can add it in with your train collection. The easy load ramp will help your preschooler develop fine motor skills as he loads and unloads the cars.

Age Recommendation: 3 and Up
Price: $19.99

Toy Story 3 – Classic Mr. Potato Head

With Toy Story 3 reigniting nearly every preschooler’s interest in your favorite Toy Story characters, the classic Mr. Potato head is sure to be a hit during the holiday season. Mr. Potato head is a classic for a very good reason – It is a great toy for helping preschoolers practice fine motor skills.

Mr. Potato Head has been a hit with all my kids and was heavily used during my years as a home daycare provider.

Age Recommendation: 24 Months and up
Price: $12.99

Playmobil 123 LARGE ZOO

Playmobil is well known for their quality, but the many small pieces have historically not made them a great choice for younger children. The Playmobil 123 series features larger pieces and offers the same great quality and play opportunity for preschoolers.

Age Recommendation: 18 Months – 3 Years
Price: $49.99

Thomas  and  Friends Wooden Railway – Early Engineers Busy Day on Sodor Set

Thomas and Friends is always a hit and they are sturdy enough to hold up to anything your kids can throw at them. This great set features shorter engines that are perfect for small hands and the tracks themselves will still fit together with all standard train tracks.

Age Recommendation: 18 Months – 5 Years
Price: $49.99

Little Partners Learning Tower

Preschoolers are always looking for ways to be more involved with what mom or dad are doing, but sometimes having a preschool underfoot can prove to be a safety risk, for you and your preschooler. The Learning Tower from Little Partners solves the problem of how to allow your toddler to help out in the kitchen (or stay safely occupied while you work) by bringing your preschooler to a comfortable height to work at the counter, without the risk of falling off a chair or stool. Great add ons like the art easel or puppet theatre help you extend the use of the Learning Tower and make it an essential part of your kitchen.

Age Recommendation: 18 Months and up
Price: $199.99

Pillow Pets

Preschoolers are crazy for Pillow Pets this year. These snuggly stuffed animals convert into a pillow and are great for holiday travel or an adorable comfort item. Pillow Pets come in a great variety of choices so you can find something for the preschooler on your holiday shopping list and they are a great alternative if you generally give your child a stuffed animal for Christmas.

Age Recommendation: 3 years and up
Price: $23.00 and up

CitiBlocs Cool Colors Precision Cut Building Blocks

CitiBlocs are different that any other building toy you have seen before and it has already won 17 Toy Industry awards. Each block is precision cut from grade A radiata pine from certified renewable forests in New Zealand. All it takes is a little bit of balance to be able to create fun creations that aren’t possibly with other toys. My preschooler loves trying to build towers taller than himself with his CitiBlocs and he doesn’t even realize that’s practicing his fine motor skills and balance at the same time.

Age Recommendations: 3 Years and up
Price: $24.99

Velcro Kids (TM) Pirate Ship Adventure Deluxe Playset

I ran into Velcro Kids at Toy Fair last year and absolutely fell in love with the concept. As a kid, I always loved playing with paper dolls but they are hard to find now and they don’t hold up well to heavy use. The Velcro Kids line uses velcro to put the playset together (so you can rearrange it to suite your needs) and attaches the dolls to the playset as you play. The pieces themselves are nice and thick so they will hold up to extended use.

Age Recommendation: 3 and Up
Price: $29.95

Wikki Stix Alphabet Fun Cards

My kids are long time fans of Wikki Stix. They’ve used them for everything from creating 3D sculptures to adding them to paper art projects. Wikki Stix has a great line of educational toys as well. Their Alphabet Fun cards are a fun way to teach letter recognition to preschoolers and a great quiet time activity for home or the car.

Age Recommendation: 3 and Up
Price: $14.95

Fisher-Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning System

If your kid is stealing your ebook reader or ipad, you may want to look into the Fisher-Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning System. This high tech toy acts as an ebook reader, MP3 player, photo viewer, game player, notepad, and art studio. If you are going to be doing any holiday travel, this may be your new best friend.

Age Recommendation: 36 Months – 6 Years
Price: $79.99

Learning Curve Dinosaur Train – InterAction Tiny

Dinosaurs are always a hit. These lovable characters, based on the Dinosaur Train cartoon, have smart talk technology that allows them to recognize and interact with other Dinosaur Train toys. Each character has fun, educational phrases that will help your preschooler learn interesting facts about dinosaurs.

Age Recommendation: 3 and up
Price: $14.99

Preschool Active Toys

Monkey Business Sports EZ Bat

Preschoolers love staying active but they don’t quite have the coordination for baseball. The EZ Bat from Monkey Business Sports makes it easy for your preschooler to join in with older siblings for a game of baseball. Rather than trying to hit a ball mid-air or even trying to aim for a ball on a t-ball stand, the EZ Bat ball comes off the bat mid-swing, adapting the sport until they develop the coordination to play with a regular ball.

Age Recommendation: 36 Months – 7 Years
Price:  $19.99

Radio Flyer My 1st Scooter

The Radio Flyer My 1st Scooter has been out for a little while (Check out our review of the Radio Flyer My 1st Scooter here), but it’s still the best choice out there when it comes to preschool scooters. The 3-wheel design gives preschoolers a stable base to stand on, and the base tapers towards the back to give tiny feet plenty of room to scoot.

Age Recommendation: 24 Months – 5 Years
Price: $65.99

Strider Balance Bike

These two wheeled bikes with no pedals may seem strange at first, but they are fantastic for teaching preschoolers how to balance. Most preschoolers who use a balance bike are able to go straight to a 2-wheel bike without using training wheels because they have learned the most essential skill for riding a bike already – balancing. Strider Balance Bikes are extremely light weight and have an adjustable seat so they grow with your child.

Age Recommendation: 18 Months and up
Price: $99.99

Preschool Games and Puzzles

Cranium Duck Duck 123

If you are looking for a fun way to teach your preschooler how to count, check out Cranium Duck Duck 123. I have a preschoolers who is obsessed with ducks so this one automatically caught my eye. This preschool game will help teach cooperative play, counting skills, and encourage fine motor development.

Age Recommendation: 3 and up
Price:  $12.20

Melissa & Doug Wooden Shape Sorting Clock

This great clock puzzle from Melissa & Doug really grows with your child. It acts as a shape sorting puzzle for younger children, can help teach number recognition and can later be used to help teach your child how to tell time. We used this puzzle from the time my children were toddlers through early elementary school, even incorporating into part of our homeschool curriculum for 1st grade last year. This puzzle is well made and is a great educational tool.

Age Recommendation: 36 Months – 5 Years
Price: $9.88

UNO MOO Preschool Game

UNO is one of everyone’s favorite so why not let your preschooler join in the fun. Preschoolers will have a blast matching each farm animal by color or type of animal and they’ll be practicing important developmental skills at the same time.

Age Recommendation: 36 Months – 7 Years
Price: $29.99