5 All-Time Favourite Toys for Ages 1 to 5
Features affiliate links – see disclaimer
In today’s post, I wanted to share the best all-time favourite toys for ages 1 to 5. I have a 2-year-old and an almost 5-year-old (both girls) and over the years we have bought and been gifted lots of lovely toys. However, there are some stand-out toys which have been the most played with over the past 5 years.
So let’s get into the best all-time favourite toys in our home
The biggest common thread has to be that most, if not all of these are open-ended toys. Open-ended play refers to a type of play where there are no specific rules or predetermined outcomes. It allows for limitless creativity and exploration, encouraging children to use their imagination and come up with various ways to interact with the toys or materials. If you’re looking to limit the number of toys you buy then I’d always recommend thinking about what type of toy it is before you buy and prioritising those that are open-ended.
Magnatiles
Magnatiles are amazing. They are perfect for young children and are still used years later. Magnatiles allow children to create and construct various structures by connecting the tiles using their magnetic properties. They can be used to create a simple tower, to very complex creations. My 2-year-old will build a simple house and my 4-year-old will use it to create a castle which she will fill with her frozen figurines.
They’re amazing for STEM learning and developing fine motor and spatial skills, and there are endless uses for them. There are so many sets available and they’re a great gift as you can never have too many. We have multiple sets from glow-in-the-dark ones to ones which have different features such as window and car bases.
IKEA play kitchen
We bought the IKEA kitchen and some of their accessories for Florence’s first birthday and it has been played with most days. My two adore role play and having their own kitchen is a dream for them. The kitchen has the IKEA mini pots and pans, kids’ utensils and we also bought some of their kids’ cutlery, plates and bowls which live in there too. They use all of these constantly, along with lots of play food.
I have no doubt that any play kitchen will be popular but I do find the IKEA one to be a fantastic option. It has a sink, microwave and hob with light-up rings, and lots of storage space for all of the accessories. And it’s so reasonably priced too.
Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Set
I could rave about the Melissa & Doug ice cream set for days. It’s played with most days in our house and I can guarantee that it will be played with at every play date we have.
It’s a really gorgeous toy set that includes two cones and a cup, a variety of ice cream flavours and toppings and a scoop. All housed in a storage container designed to mimic an ice cream parlour. There’s a menu too – ours is absolutely covered in pen but is still constantly being used. We have the Melissa & Doug sandwich counter which is also great, but the ice cream set is the winner by far.
Duplo bricks
I had to include Duplo as although it’s not used as much as other toys in our house, when we go to my Mum’s the girls are always playing with it as she has a big box. From the age of 5 I think they naturally move on to Lego but until then, Duplo is ace. I found a big box of bricks for a bargain price on Facebook marketplace and although we have some train and farm-type sets, they are always drawn towards building their own creations.
The girls love building houses but we have also created supermarkets and mini garages out of Duplo. When both girls were little they would simply enjoy putting the blocks together. It is so versatile!
Stacking cups
Stacking cups definitely get more play when they are younger but I wanted to include them as our stacking cups are still used so often by both girls. We have used our set so much, from building towers to using it in water play. It is hands down our most used bath toy – the girls use it for pouring, role play (tea parties in the bath!) and for filling with bubbles or fun soap.
They are very versatile and can be used in so many ways, even more so if you get a set with different colours and numbers. I took it on an 8-hour flight when Florence was 8 months old and they were great for using to entertain her, as well as being so compact to pack.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our best all-time favourite toys from ages 1 to 5. These really have stood the test of time and I couldn’t recommend them enough.
