We don’t have kids, but we do have a niece, a nephew, and a lot of friends with kids. Sometimes kids end up at our place for the evening, and we’d like to be able to occupy them – indoors, relatively quietly, and preferably without making too much mess.
So if we wanted to buy a few things to have on hand for unexpected kid guests, ages ~ 1 year to maybe 10, what should we pick? We’ve already got a tub of stuffed animals and some basic art supplies (crayons, markers, etc.) I’m thinking Lego, but what else? We don’t have a ton of extra space.
I’m go with Disney/Pixar videos myself as a first line of defense. Perhaps get some of that Baby Einstein stuff for the younger kids. I suppose some basic larger toy cars and transformers (larger so there are no small parts that can be swallowed by younger kids), as well as Barbie/Brats dolls for the girls would be a good idea. Again, with those, don’t get the smaller accessories that could otherwise be swallowed and/or used to make a mess and get lost. The truth is though that the same toy that fascinates a 1 year old will be of no interest to a 10 year old, so it’s a tough question to answer.
We have kids in the clan who are 9-11 and still play with the Playmobil or Imaginext sets while at grandma’s. I’m sure they’d rather have a Wii and wouldn’t want to admit to their school friends that they were playing with “baby toys” but that castle set sure has seen some use.
You could go for a more unisex thing like this if you have mixed genders. Only issue is that it’s not “cheap” but you could get years out of it for the kids 3+.
My son’s old daycare provider had a set of the larger pseudo-Legos (not Duplo but some other brand) that were more toddler friendly and still saw daily use from all the kids.
I just want to say it’s very nice of you to do this! When the Kiddo was little and we’d be invited places we always appreciated (but didn’t expect) it when people had toys for him to play with.
In addition to the other suggestions, a set of wooden blocks is always a good idea.
Yeah, I think $70 is a bit rich for my blood, unless I start trolling garage sales. Which I may do.
P.S. I should also mention that many of the parents of the children in question have a strong crunchy-granola bent, and would prefer that their kids minimize time spent watching TV or playing with electronic things, and would also prefer that their kids’ toys have some kind of redeeming educational or artistic component - things that involve building, puzzles, brain teasers, etc. Any recommendations like that, mostly for the older kids?
There’s another kind of building set called TRIO that are great for appealing to a wide audience. All four of my kids (ages 1 to 5) like playing with them. My 7-year old nephew likes them too. A big bucket (the lid doubles as a building base) can be had for around $25 on Amazon.
I’d go with the blocks, Legos (or their various cousins), Lincoln Logs, etc ideas then.
Honestly though, if some parents are going to get worked up that the toys their childless friend bought aren’t good enough, I’d tell them to get bent and keep their kids at home. Or at least bring their own entertainment.
Well, honestly, if I had kids I’d probably feel that way too (though my friends’ older kids generally do bring something with them, or I will point them toward some of the fantasy/sci-fi books we have hanging around). And mostly, this thread was brought about by yesterday’s unexpected guest - my 6-year-old nephew. The one who is super-smart and loves to build things, but who, at home, is exposed to IMO far too much in the way of violent contact sports and booty-shaking rap videos. He does love puzzles and anything that involves building things, though, so I try to give him those opportunities when I can. The Magna-Tiles I gave him one year for Hanukah were a huge hit.
(And honestly, those same friends would probably be just as likely to play with Lego if I put a tub of it out on the table after dinner.)
Setis a fantastic card based game for ages 6 and up (both by the label and by my experience with kids; 5 and they don’t grok it, 6 and they may beat you!)
UNO is still hugely popular with school aged kids.
Blocks, Lincoln Logs and Lego can all be found at garage sales for cheap.
A few dollar store coloring books would be nice, too. Or if you’re feeling a little richer, my daughter and I love this fairy themed “stained glass” coloring book. (We also have one that’s Witches, and the Wizards and Dragons one also on that Amazon page.) It’s printed on thick, translucent paper, so when you’re done coloring, you can hang them in a window and they’re very pretty when the light shines through. It’s really nice to have a coloring project that is actually pretty enough that I *want *to hang it up and display it! The Mandala one looks great, and may have more appeal to older kids, and even adults.
A dozen large scarves makes an awesome addition to any toybox, and they fold up and stuff small. They’re perfect for open ended, creative play. It’s a cloak! It’s a dress! It’s a turban! It’s a carrying sack! It’s a babydoll sling! It’s a hat! It’s a handbag! It’s a pterodactyl! I like the really large 35" square ones, but they tend to run more than $10 per scarf. You can find slightly smaller 27" ones for like $2 a scarf, though. But there’s no reason they have to be solid colored and made for the purpose - some pretty scarves from the thrift store would be great, too.
If you’re not hip to watching the youngins for every second while they’re there, I would not suggest coloring stuff until the youngest is maybe 3 or 4. In the meantime, consider Color Wonder markers that only color on special paper. They’re not the be-all-end-all of coloring (they’re a little awkward for real, serious coloring) but they are better than marker stains on the furniture or swallowed crayons.
Truly, those littlest ones (the 1-3 set) are often happiest playing with your pots and pans, plastic storage ware, wooden spoons, and old paper towel rolls, so I wouldn’t worry too much about appealing to them. You likely have a bunch of random stuff around the house that they love. (Empty boxes - don’t forget those - babies/toddlers love them!)
For the slightly older set, I like the suggestions of Duplo/Lego/Lincoln Logs/other building toys. Books, coloring books, and art supplies are fun, and consider sorting through your closet for a dress-up box for the preschool/early school set. (If you’re like most of us, there’s a too-small outdated sparkly dress or two, a couple of too-wide ties, and some shoes that pinch your toes somewhere in the back of your closet. Add some cheap costume jewelry, an old purse or two, a couple of hats, and voila! Hours of fun for no real money. Store them in that suitcase you only use every blue moon - when it’s time to pack the suitcase for your own travel, just dump the dress-up stuff on the bed until you return.) The slightly older set probably would enjoy Uno, Skip-bo, or other card games - very compact storage!
