This is sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.

What do you look for when picking out the best preschool toys?

We have two preschool aged boys in our household.  They love picking out their own toys, but honestly they are not very good at it.  If a toy has their favorite TV or movie character on it they will ALWAYS prefer that to other toys.  Most of those toys will only last about 10 minutes and then they never play with it again.

Does your kid do this too?

My girls weren’t much better at their age and who can blame them?  TV and movie characters hold a special place in our hearts and minds.  This is why I try to help them when they are making their toy lists for birthdays and Christmas.

I will still buy them some of the things that they THINK they want, but I’ve learned a few things when it comes to picking the best preschool toys.

My 5 Tips for Best Preschool Toys that they’ll Love to Play With:

1. Give them a toy that has a fun challenge appropriate to their age.  Most of us love a fun game or challenge and preschoolers are no exception.  My kids love to play with toys that allow them to make decisions through the process.  The best preschool toys give them a sense of accomplishment and helps them with their decision making skills too.
2. Pick a toy they can learn with.  We all know that preschool aged children learn best when they are playing and it turns out that “learning” toys are some of the most loved by my preschool aged children.  We recently got a Fisher Price Rocktopus toy and my kids keep constantly busy with it because it has three play modes: math, music and games. They love showing off all the things they are learning with it to me.  That’s a sign that they will still be playing with this toy many months from now.
3. Give them toys with a musical aspect.  Toys that play or make music are always a big hit with my kids.  They love banging on drums or hitting the keys in a keyboard, but my new favorite is the Rocktopus because it’s an introduction into many different types of musical instruments.
4. Pick toys that have an element of creativity and imagination.  One of my favorite things about preschoolers is that they are so creative and imaginative.  They love toys that are open ended and that they can use in a variety of ways.  This is why blocks are so popular with kids of many ages.
5. Pick hands on type toys.  Preschoolers need to have hands on toys.  I allow my kids very limited time on hand held electronics because they do best (and have more fun) with hands on toys.  I like to pick toys with elements they can pull apart and put back together.

The Think & Learn Rocktopus™ is a toy that we got for my preschoolers because I knew they would just love to play with it.  Since we got it around a month ago it’s been the favorite toy of theirs to play with.  It’s no surprise to me that they love it because it is a toy they are constantly learning with and have fun making new sounds with.

We love that this toy also helps to develop their attention skills.  It’s so fun to watch them listening intently to the Rocktopus™ so that they know what steps to take next.   It also fosters their creativity by letting them make their own music and picking out which sounds they want!  It has 15 musical instruments to explore and learn about.  I love that my kids are starting to recognize the different instruments already at such a young age.

Music has always been very important to our family.  My husband played the trumpet in school and I have been a vocalist for as long as I can remember.  It’s really neat to me that the Rocktopus™ lets my kids explore a variety of musical styles while learning about different instruments, rhythmic patterns and more.

When it comes to the best preschool toys, a musical toy is a “no brainer” for us to choose!

Want to know the cutest thing that happens when my kids play with their Think & Learn Rocktopus™?  They love playing for me their own musical masterpieces they created with the Rocktopus™!  The kids are just too cute when they show me how proud they are of their music creations.  I know this toy will be one that they will want to play with for many years to come and one that I won’t mind them playing with all the time.

One last thing about the Rocktopus™ that I’ve noticed with my kids is that they also share with it.  Hallelujah! Don’t tell them I noticed this because I don’t want to jinx it. lol  There are plenty of parts to this toy that makes it easy to share and fun to play with together as well as alone.

What tips do you use for picking the best preschool toys?

If you are looking to buy your own Rocktopus™ for the holidays then you can easily find it at Walmart in the toy section.  Remember the 5 tips on your next shopping trip for preschool aged kids: creative, imaginative, musical, hand-on and learning!  If it has one or many of these qualities it should be a great pick for a preschooler.

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