Educational toys for 1-3 year olds

The educational toys for 1-3 year olds gathered here are built around the two things toddlers do constantly: touch everything and copy everyone. Busy boards and busy books give small fingers zips, latches, buckles and laces to work through, which is where fine motor skills quietly get their practice. Soft stacking blocks, basketball stackers and fishing sets add the aim-and-release stage, when a child starts to hold a plan in mind before their hands catch up.

Sound matters just as much at this age, so learning toys for toddlers here include drum sets, play mats with drumsticks and musical discovery kits for cause-and-effect play. Montessori wooden boards and personalised name boards suit quieter moments at a low table. Most of it works just as well on a rug as at a desk. If you are choosing a first birthday or second birthday gift, these developmental toys for 1 to 3 years tend to be the ones still in use months later.