Top 10 Toys for Boys!
When you start having kids your home becomes inundated with toys, especially when your first child is the first GRANDCHILD on both sides of the family! Very quickly, you start to see which toys hold your child’s attention the longest, which toys hold up and stand the test of time, which toys collect dust after the initial 30 minutes of play time, which toys enhance the child’s curiosity and creativity, and which toys seem to be a waste of money. After having my 3rd boy and observing my boys’ toy usage over the last decade I have made the following list of the top 10 best toys for boys. The following list is in no type of order, but it is tested, tried, and true (for us).
Legos- My boys went from mega blocks to Duplos to now, Legos. These building blocks stand the test of time and provide years (and years) of entertainment. Legos allow my boys to be creative and use their imaginations. It also strengthens their fine motor skills! The variety of Lego kits is astounding and my eldest will stay so focused putting a kit together that he’ll forget to eat! Aside from Lego kits, we love the creativity that comes from just a box full of Lego pieces. Having some specialty pieces like Lego people, wheels, gears, etc. makes for some interesting creations. In our house, we sometimes have tears about cleaning up the Legos and destroying the creations. So some of our solutions have been: taking a picture of the creation before it is taken apart, discussing the fact that Legos are awesome because you get to build and rebuild different creations, and sometimes leaving creations on the counter for a few days as a showcase model. Legos made the cut to full-time RV living and we have 2 bins of Legos as well as a bin of Lego creations that live under the bunk beds.
Play-dough- Playdough offers so many opportunities for play. First of all, there is a myriad of playdough colors from neon, to sparkly, to real-world colors like red brick and green grass and asphalt black. Then there is the assortment of play-dough tools from simple to really cool like the battery-operated drill that my boys love to play with during play-dough time! Nowadays, they have all kinds of play-dough kits as well, from an “ice cream sundae” maker to a construction zone kit to a grill set to an underwater scene set and so much more! Play-dough is another “toy” that strengthens imagination, creativity, and fine motor skills. Play-dough did not make the cut into the camper just because both grandmothers have play-dough and various tools that the boys can play with when they visit. Update: After 3 years in the camper, play-dough has been brought back in by my 2 youngest boys ages 9 and 7.
Magnetic Blocks- I first saw magnetic blocks at a friend’s house and was intrigued. My mom bought a set for my eldest at the time (he was probably 3 or 4) as a Christmas present and my son loved it! Magnetic blocks have been a hit for years with my boys and the friends that come over. Since then, we have added to the original set. I would definitely recommend magnetic blocks; the fun and play time will last for years and years! These DID make the cut into the camper and get played with consistently.
Scooters/Bikes- These are big toys, but are used all the time at our house. We have 3 razor scooters that the boys have had for years and they have played hard with them. (As a boy family, we prefer the metal frame Razor scooters. The plastic ones we got one year only lasted a few months!) Scooters and bikes allow our boys to get outside and exercise while playing. These made the cut and the boys have enjoyed using bikes and/or scooters in various campgrounds around the country. Update: we now only travel with the scooters just because the bikes were much harder to transport.
Games/Puzzles- There are so many options of games and puzzles out there. My boys loved the Melissa & Doug floor puzzles. We had 6 of them and when they were little I would sit on the floor with them and help put the puzzle together. Now, they are old enough that they get it down and work together on the puzzle. We have a few classic games that they enjoy and consistently play with: CandyLand, Uno, Go Fish, Checkers, and Guess Who. At 9, 7, and 5 they are old enough to where they will play the games together, as brothers. Games and puzzles could easily overtake a playroom or closet so I would change them out over a period of time as the kids grow and their interests change. (Now at 11, 8, and 6 they like Taboo, Battleship, Phase 10, Sorry! and are getting interested in Chess.) We are at the stage of passing our floor puzzles along to a younger set of kiddos. Games/Puzzles have made the cut into the camper and we have several board games, puzzles, and card games that live on our school/art shelf in the bunkhouse. Update: now that the boys are 12, 9, and 7 we have let go of Candy Land, Connect 4, and Sorry! But have added Apples to Apples, National Parks Monopoly, and Risk.
Books- I LOVE books and so do my boys! We had books in the boys’ bedroom and several different spots in the playroom. Books are a fantastic form of entertainment! We have a variety, ranging from board books, to picture books, to chapter books. With such a wide range of topics and reading levels all my boys can find something to read or peruse. Many times I will find them in the playroom, in their beds, or in the den reading from stacks of books. It’s really fun to hear my eldest read to his 2 younger brothers (and now it’s my middle son reading to the youngest). Books absolutely made the cut into the camper-we did have to downsize, but we kept a few book series, a few of our favorite books, and a variety of picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction books that all live on our tri-level book cart in the bunkhouse. We also have utilized libraries as we travel the country. One of our favorite things to do in new places is check out the local library; the boys and I will spend a good amount of time just reading and exploring the libraries. Update: my eldest is now curating his own book collection. We change out our books through our storage unit. (see post about reading and book lists)
Wooden train set- This toy was given to my oldest when he was a toddler/preschooler and it has been added to over the years. Our train set has provided HOURS (and years!) of fun for the boys. It is another one of those toys that spurs their imagination. They love to build new routes and even get their dinosaurs out to make a dinosaur world. I would absolutely consider this a staple to a playroom. Our train set did not make the cut because my boys were growing out of it-they probably would have played with it for a few more years if we were in the house, but since camper space was limited we donated it to a mom who had a toddler.
Cars- My boys love toy cars and trucks! This was actually the theme of my eldest’s 2nd birthday party! We had 2 baskets in our playroom filled with cars and trucks. Over the years they have had no race tracks, or one or two, now they have quite a few different race tracks and race track accessories. Regardless of the race tracks, I have found that the cars/trucks have been a hit. They take them outside, on the porch, to different parts of the house, even in the van sometimes! With or without race tracks, the boys will use their imaginations to play with the vehicles. They have even made tracks out of random things found in the garage, yard, and house! The cars made the cut! We left the race track sets at Grandmommie’s house for the boys to play with when they visit, but we have a bin of various cars/trucks under the bunk beds that the boys will take out and play with quite often.
Crafts- We had a craft area in the playroom as well as a craft closet in our old house. Our craft closet held markers, crayons, paint, yarn, rubber bands, beads, glue, scissors, different colors and types of paper, stamps, stencils, glitter, popsicle sticks and more. We also had coloring books, but I have found over the years that while the boys color in the coloring books every now and then, they mostly enjoy creating things from scratch. They like white paper so they can create their own picture. They love putting together different materials and making 3-D creations. I did not always have a whole craft closet. It started with a pack of construction paper, a few sheets of copy paper, and a pack of crayons. Over the years our collection of craft supplies has expanded. Crafting, drawing, and creating absolutely develops children’s creativity and imagination. Craft & art stuff made the cut! We had to dwindle down some (glitter did not enter the camper!), but we have quite an assortment of craft & art supplies in the bunkhouse and the boys have used it often for school time, art time, creation time, play time, and more!
Balls- When my middle son was 2 we actually threw him a ball-themed party because he just loved all types of balls! There have always been balls in our home- small, soft ones in the playroom, outdoor ones in the garage, and inflatable ones in the pool area. My boys were always playing with balls no matter what game they had made up. Although we had to donate some, a football, kickball, basketball, and soccer ball made the cut into the camper. We have also had opportunities to play pickleball in campgrounds that provide the necessary equipment and Gaga ball which the boys LOVE!
It’s so tempting to purchase the toys that don’t hold value for years to come. Commercials are enticing. Colorful, noisy, “educational” toys seem perfect. Things that have batteries and move & talk seem engaging. BUT, in my experience, those toys are the quickest to break or lose the child’s interest.
Invest in things that will allow the child to create and imagine.
Collect products that will grow with the child and keep them interested for years to come.
Find items that will add value to their life, not brief moments of sheer entertainment.
What have you found to be the “best toys” for your kiddos?
