Toys With Longevity
Filed Under: Parenting
My son pulled out some old-ish toys this evening and got me thinking about how some toys have so much longevity. Kids can use them in different ways as they grow, and they can all be educational. So if you have some last-minute shopping to do, here are my recommendations:
- Cash register
- Play kitchen or play food
- Art supplies
- Doctor’s kit
- Classic board games, such as chess, checkers, backgammon, pachesi
- Yahtzee!
- Blocks of any kind
- Action figures, animals, dolls, or anything that can be categorized as “playing with the guys”
How about you? What toys do your kids come back to again and again?
PHAT = Parenting, Homeschooling And Technology. That about sums up my life at the moment. 
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Sarah | Dec 23, 2006 | Reply
This is a great list. My daughter defintely gets the most use out of her collection of farm animals (mostly horses), small dolls, art supplies, play kitchen, and games. I would add Uno and Bingo to the list of games.
Angela, Mother Crone | Dec 23, 2006 | Reply
Two that my kids have used steadily over a decade are a wooden easel that had been MINE (talk about longevity!) and a pull-wagon. The pull-wagon has been used as an outside toys to help them create all sorts of forts, gather veggies, make traveling picnics, cart Beanie Babies, taken imaginary vacations, deliver Girl Scout cookies to neighbors, tote cd player, and more recently, haul wood! The plastic finally cracked, and we all decided the wagon must be replaced.
Stephanie | Dec 23, 2006 | Reply
You have to include legos on this list! Between the legos and bionicles, these are the most played with toys. Jason is 10 and still enjoys these as do most of his friends.
Other building toys such as knex and geo mags get a lot of playing time as well.
Margaret | Dec 23, 2006 | Reply
Legos, of course, and playmobil. Those little figures and accessories are the best. They can be expensive but the play value is extraordinary. And hey, they’re educational too! Once my kids put all their figures (vikings, civil war soldiers, hazmat guys, etc) in chronological/historical time period order. They often use them to “play” books we’ve read, too.
The New Parent | Dec 24, 2006 | Reply
Well, my little girl has stayed with some very basic things: scissor and construction paper, Play Doh (which she can sit with for quite a while), her doll stroller and most of all—her books.
She seeks out toys and things that are not so skill limited.
Most toys after one or two uses–she gets them.
But the above allow her to go back and continue to develop her skills.
Laurel | Dec 24, 2006 | Reply
My daughter, who is five, loves stuffed animals, blankets, clothing of nearly all types (no denim please), scarves, and child-sized chairs — basically anything that you could use on the set of a play. She has also always loved books.
Ave | Dec 26, 2006 | Reply
What kid can’t live without Legos? We have enough building toys in our house to build our own dining room table. The cash register is a great recommendation. After my 10 year old became obsessed with the act of counting money and aking change, I have to admit, I almost purchased a used cash register - one that you would see in a store. I refrained, but may still get one.
Great list….
Joanne | Dec 26, 2006 | Reply
Uno, colored chalk, legos, jigsaw puzzles, our box full of happy meal toys, viewmaster and connect four.
Arp | Dec 26, 2006 | Reply
Our son finally has the dexterity to use Lego bricks, which has please us to no end. Those, Matchbox cars, Playmobil and toy food & plates are in constant use.
Dana | Jan 16, 2007 | Reply
My little one loved his cash register, too. He played with it so much it broke!
Jenny | Sep 16, 2007 | Reply
I have bought those little rubber-like animals that come in the tubes…we have almost every set and my kids absolutely LOVE them (they sell them at craft stores too)… I store them all in a small clear rubbermaid tub. They use them with their cars, in the sandbox, in the bathtub, my daughter uses them with her dollhouse. Sometimes they lay them all out and take turns picking one at a time to form “teams” of animals and have battles against each other. Also, I am a HUGE fan of the Playmobil line of toys. They are very high quality, durable toys that are cleverly designed to spark a child’s imagination. Finally, my kids seem to always come back to the toys that can be pulled or pushed (shopping carts, wagons, pull puppy)…if they can put stuff in it and pull/push it around, that’s a bonus.