The Best Development-Boosting Preschool Toys

These development-boosting preschool toys are the perfect way to promote developmental skills while having fun!

Preschool.  It’s one of our very favorite ages here at The Inspired Treehouse!  Kids at this age are active, imaginative, and ready to play and learn!  And, when provided with some fun toys and props, preschoolers can create all kinds of fun play experiences!  Here are some of our favorite development-boosting preschool toys.

The Best Gross Motor Preschool Toys

1 || Yo Baby Kick Flipper – Like a skateboard without wheels, Kick Flipper is an excellent way to learn the balance, footwork, and coordination basics that are essential for skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing.  Kids can give it a try on carpet, grass, or sand.

2 || Skuut Bike – Kids kick off the ground as if running, pushing or scooting themselves and the bike forward.  Perfect for learning balance, steering, coordination and independence to progress toward a 2 wheel pedal bike.

3 || Scooter – If you’re on the market for a well-made, durable, and versatile toy for kids, look no further than this little square scooter.  Nothing can get a kid more excited about therapy than whizzing down the hallway on one of these babies!  Try one of these awesome scooter activities and keep them busy for hours!

4 || Stepping Stones – This simple toy is perfect for tackling all kinds of developmental skills – teaching balance and coordination while providing sensory feedback in the form of proprioceptive stimulation.  Give a child and watch their imagination run wild as they play!

5 || Teeter Bridge – Encourage some amazing balance with this rocker board that would make the perfect bridge in the middle of an obstacle course or a great place to stand at a countertop to color while getting the wiggles out!

The Best Fine Motor Preschool Toys

1 || Magna Tiles – A great toy for fine motor manipulation, these 3D magnetic building tiles that are designed for open ended play and to captive the minds and creativity of young children.

2 || Velcro Cutting Food – Beautifully painted and incredibly real, this food is held together with velcro making it easy to “cut” through and serve.  Kids love the pretend play this set inspires and we, as therapists, love the bilateral coordination and grip practice they get!

3 || Penguin Popper – These poppers are crazy fun!  And, surprisingly, they are fabulous for core strengthening, hand strength and more!  Your child will giggle out loud each time he squeezes the penguin’s belly to send the ball flying across the room.

4 || Bee Hive Tweezer Game – I don’t think I have ever seen such a cute toy!  This one helps your child develop fine motor skills and learn to use her super fingers by matching a bee to hive by using a set of tweezers.

5 || Take It Easel – With a whiteboard on one side and a blackboard on the other, your child will get to choose his surface for writing on a whim!  Bonus:  vertical surfaces are a great way to work on a whole host of developmental skills!  

The Best Sensory Preschool Toys

1 || Boomwhackers – If you’ve never played with Boomwhackers before, trust us…you don’t want to miss out on one of our favorite toys for targeting all kinds of developmental skills…all while making music!  Check out 10 ways to play with Boomwhackers here!

2 || Body Sox – This sack-shaped costume made from Lycra Spandex with a hook-and-loop closure assists in developing spatial awareness through balance and resistance and encourages creative movement for children 3 to 5 years old.

3 || Crash pad – Perfect for jumping and crashing (great proprioceptive and vestibular input) or just sitting and relaxing, a crash pad is an awesome prop for sensory play!

4 || Spooner board – This awesome toy is like a snowboard…without the snow!  Kids can spin, twist, slide, wobble and more!  All awesome input for the vestibular system.

5 || Liquid Motion Bubbler – These awesome toys can offer soothing and calming visual stimulation for kids, similar to a lava lamp.

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Lauren Drobnjak

Lauren Drobnjak is co-author of The Inspired Treehouse blog and a pediatric physical therapist who currently practices in the educational environment. She has been a physical therapist for 18 years, with 17 of those years specifically in pediatrics. Her drive to make a difference in the lives of kids has led her entrepreneurial spirit in the direction of creating opportunities for play-based wellness and child development. She is a busy mama of 3 who thrives on chaos. To come down from the stress, Lauren enjoys exercising like she’s still 20, yoga, chocolate, a great book, browsing Pinterest, and anything crafty!

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