The 10 Types of Kids Toys to Pick from

At Capikooa, we believe the best toys are engaging and educational, toys which will help our kids have fun while nurturing their natural development and growth. The good news is, most toys provide some ‘educational’ benefit! Keep reading to find out what the 10 main types of kids toys are and how each can help your child through play.

What different types of kids toys are there?

The most popular types of kids toys are:

  • Construction toys
  • Open-ended / Montessori toys
  • Role-play toys
  • Creative toys
  • Movement toys
  • Musical / noisy toys
  • Small world toys
  • Wooden toys 
  • TV & Character based toys
  • Sensory toys

Let’s look at what to expect from each type:

Construction toys

Any toys which encourage your child to create and build! Can come with instructions to guide your child’s imagination or best used without prescription to let your child express their creativity. 

Examples of construction toys: Lego, Meccano, play dough, magnetic tiles

Open-ended / Montessori toys

These are toys which have many ways to play with them, leaving your child to be in charge, imagine and experiment as they play. Open-ended toys encourage imagination and strengthen many areas of natural development including communication, problem-solving, creativity and motor skills.

Examples of open-ended play: wooden balance boards, natural small bits, wooden blocks, stacking toys

Role-play toys

Perfect for strengthening communication skills and nurturing their imagination, role-play toys allow your child to safely explore the world, process their emotions and gain a sense of control over any situation they can conjure up! Brilliant for encouraging the joy of storytelling too. 

Examples of role-play toys: toy food, toy kitchen equipment, dolls, costumes

Movement toys

Kids naturally want to keep active and use their bodies as much as possible. Movement toys are a brilliant way to support development and keep them moving. The use of movement toys can also help with building body confidence, spatial awareness and sense of balance. 

Examples: rocking balance boards, ride-ons, climbing equipment

Musical / noisy toys

Us grownups may find them irritating, but noisy toys are a lot of fun for young children and are a brilliant way to engage your child's sense and help boost their communication, social and listening skills. 

Examples: musical instruments, percussion, shakers, electronic sound toys

Small world toys

Small world toys are another lovely way to help your child use their imagination while helping them understand the world around them. These can be used for open-ended play but specifically relate to the sort of play which children do by manipulating other characters and figures as they create stories (rather than acting out the stories themselves). 

Examples: mini figures, action figures, animal figures, cars, trains

Wooden toys 

This category can crossover into the other types of toys but deserves a mention on its own too. Wooden toys (typically open-ended in nature) have increased in popularity over recent years due to their simple aesthetic and sustainable nature. Wooden toys are also more hygienic than plastic and metal toys.

Examples: wooden play food, wooden balance boards, wooden open-ended toys

TV & Character based toys

You may be keen to skip this category in your home... but don’t be surprised if your best intentions are swayed by what your children love! If you do find these in your toy box, don’t worry they can provide great educational merit too. As children play with their favourite characters toys, they are using their imagination, practising communication skills and getting better at storytelling.

Examples: plush toys, action figures, playsets and electronic toys

Sensory toys

Sensory toys are any toys which engage more than one of your child’s senses to help them learn information about themselves or the world around them. They can be great for calming your child and ensuring they are getting enough stimulation to help their mind and body process and regulate their everyday experiences. 

Examples: stretchy / squeezy toys, slime, bouncy balls, silk scarves, movement toys

Which of these types of toys are you most interested in? For us it’s open-ended play! 

Browse our balance boards to see our collection created to help your child make the most of open-ended fun whatever their age.

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