Education

What toys should parents buy for infants, school-age children? These guides help

By Lina Ruiz

February 2, 2026 5:30 AM

The Center for Transforming Lives Arlington Child Development Center provides childcare in a March 28, 2025 archive photo. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com

Parents are faced with several options when considering children’s toys for birthdays, holidays or day-to-day play. Child development experts have insights on which ones are most appropriate for different ages.

In general, experts recommend hands-on, sensory-rich toys that can be used in multiple ways. The kinds of toys that are provided to children matter, as 90% of brain development happens by age 5. This period of rapid development sets the foundation for a child’s education, health and quality of life as they grow older. Coral Care, a pediatric therapy services platform, provides a guide to parents to help choose toys that are developmentally appropriate for children from infant age to early school age.

Jen Wirt, CEO and founder of Coral Care, noted how some toys can continue to be utilized as children grow older, such as kitchen sets. She gave an example of a child pulling apart a velcro pizza and reassembling it at an earlier age but then creating a menu for an Italian restaurant when they’re older.

“With these toys, it’s just a really great way to know that you’re investing in your child’s development through play, but it also helps to give you a better window into where they’re struggling, where things feel a little bit harder,” Wirt said, adding that they can give parents insight into whether their child might be delayed in meeting certain milestones.

Carolyn Perry, assistant professor and director of clinical education for the Department of Speech Language Pathology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, said developmental skills that can be cultivated through toys include fine motor skills, gross motor skills, postural or perceptual skills, speech language development skills and sensory skills

Sometimes people can get hung up on high-tech, flashy toys, but it’s important to remember that “anything can be a game,” she said.

“I mean, blowing bubbles — I can make blowing bubbles last for 20 minutes with a kid. Turning a pot upside down and making different drum rhythms,” Perry said as examples. “It doesn’t take the big, fancy, flashy, expensive toys with batteries to get a good game going.”

Perry also recommended guides for age-appropriate toys and games from the American Red Cross and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Here’s what parents could consider when deciding which toys are best for their children, according to Coral Care:

Newborns to 12 months

This stage of development is defined by movement, repetition and sensory experiences. Look for toys that support tummy time, grasping and visual engagement.