Watching a child in pretend play is a mother’s mini-reward. But it requires taking kids offline, and stimulating their imagination. Today I am sharing my favorite toys that inspire creative play.

I used this simple criteria in picking these toys:

1-Will it inspire their imagination through creative play?

2- Will it help them in any of the developmental milestones?

· Fine and gross motor skills
· Language skills
· Cognitive skills,
· Social skills

3- is it fun and engaging?

I focused on toys for  Toddler- preschool ages 2-4 as well as kids entering elementary school…ages 5 and up!

Click the video above to watch Tana Hallows share mom’s best favorite toys that inspire imagination..

1. This first item comes to your door every quarter in a “special delivery” Toy Subscription box. This company Little Pnuts takes the guess work out of everything and provides a special curated box of some of the most amazing toys…this is the best thing I have seen for a mom of One or a mom of Five….it doesn’t matter it’s simply amazing!

•  All of the toys that come in each box follow our simple criteria above…
•  They challenge your child’s imagination while keeping them on track for their    developmental milestones…
• Each box comes with a little leaflet sharing details about each item and how that toy will  challenge specific skills.
• They also encourage you to play with your child…it helps promote brain growth and  development.

Here is my 10 year old son Austin putting together a helicopter from Mic-o-mic that comes in the Little Pnuts Fall back to school box for ages 5 and older. Order yours now! For the budding engineer this toy will challenge your  child’s cognitive thinking and fine motor skills. He loved it!

2. Folkmanis Character Puppets

Puppets encourage…

• Imagination…increases cognitive skills…focus and concentration
• Open ended play…invention…. make believe…language and social skills.
• Lots of hugs and a fun companion.
• You can also go to their website and download a script to have your very own puppet show!  go here to download a puppet show.

We love how they try to make them look life- like…

3. Tegu (Tay-GOO) Stacking Blocks
These are so cool! Blocks have been a playroom staple forever… but Tegu takes them to a whole new level of imagination by adding a magnetic system!

The creative possibilities are endless…they will challenge your child’s imagination and help them fine-tune their motor and problem-solving skills.  You can pick up a set  from Blickenstaff’s here….

4. Tobbles- 6 uniquely weighted pieces, stack, topple, spin and balance…little hands delight in a never ending discovery. Tobbles encourages sensory exploration, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and visual spatial awareness, you can buy them from Blickenstaff’s here….

Perfect for any age, my daughter Presley age 2 loves to stack them!

5. United States Bingo game
As you play bingo, the child can understand more about where they live as well as imagine it in relationship to the other states. It will sharpen their recognition for each state and capitol….and what each state is known for….we picked up this fun educational game from Blickenstaff’s here…

6. Spot it!  Travel version…
Inspires quick thinking as they look for a match to win! The scenery comes alive too as they search the landscape for matching images. 6 different games in one. Find it here too….

7. Super Boink

This is super simple but so fun! It will challenge your child’s hand eye coordination and social skills as they interact in a super boink war! Buy it here…