Q: I have a hard time buying my toddler toys. He gets bored with many of his toys very easily. But we have noticed that he is very mechanically inclined. He likes small things with moving parts that he can explore and play with, a metal key chain of a robot with moving limbs, for example. At the same time, in typical toddler fashion he gets very frustrated with tasks that are beyond him. We would like to encourage his mechanical exploration with appropriate toys. Are there toys like this? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Sent by Shaunna
Editor: I think my son and yours would get along very well or at least gravitate toward the same kinds of toys so I'm eager to hear readers' suggestions. One toy my son loves is Frigits which is a magnetic marble run. We first bought it when he was about 2 and we mostly set it up for him and he'd drop the marble. Now that he's three he can move the parts around by himself and figure it out. Readers - what are your ideas for toddler-friendly mechanical toys?
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Wow - Frigits seem awesome!
My son is the same way. I recommend the Battat Take Apart toys. There cars, airplanes and trucks. The main tool is a battery operatored drill. I think there was also a Handy Manny toy similar to this that came out last year and another from Leap Frog.
I have two VERY mechanically-inclined, building-obsessed boys. My two year old loves those little wind up walking toys (they break pretty easily, so don't spend more than a couple dollars on them). For something longer-term, both of my kids love this gear toy we have - the gears stick to a magnetic board (but the magnets aren't small at all, my 2 year old still tries to eat everything) and you can change them around and then turn it on and see the gears move. http://www.amazon.com/Tomy-6526-Gearation/dp/B00000ISEH/ref=sr_1_10?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1310495043&sr=1-10
OH, and my oldest used to love this Melissa and Doug latches board, too. Although I think it may have helped him learn to undo all of our childproof locks. :)
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Latches-Board/dp/B000NVBE1A/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1310495254&sr=1-1
This wind-up radio was big with my daughter: http://www.amazon.com/Totes-Weather-Works-Emergency-Radio/dp/B000YFKUNI She liked cranking it, tuning the stations, etc.
Roll-a-rounds may be too young, but worth considering: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-G9511-Listen-Up-Rounds/dp/tags-on-product/B000643A4S
If you want a marble run without the little pieces, check out Rollipop Toddler Ball Run.
Ditto wind-up toys. Also the cars that have tension, so you can pull them back and let them go. And a spinning top, the kind with the screw to push up and down.
I have a three year old and he loves tinker toys. My husband is the brains in the family behind the designs and together they have built simple levers, winches, swings, cars, cranes, pavers, tractors... you name it. The best part is that my son never gets bored.
We were also thinking of getting some simple PVC plumbing pipe for him to put together. We figure he could start building simple structures and the pieces are nice and big.
Also, SuperMagz, Geo Magz or Magna Tiles are neat and have a long shelf life in the toy bin. They stick together perfectly and can be put together in a million different ways.
And of course all the "gears construction" sets are a huge hit: http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toys/toy_categories/building_construction/gears_construction_sets/index.cfm
i think marble runs are fantastic investments. our daughter got hers when she turned 4 or so and we've given her little add-ons to her set nearly every birthday and holiday since then. she's turning 8 next month and still pulls them out 2-3 times a week. we have the haba marble run, but i'm sure there are a kazillion brands that would do the job well.
should say that i love the haba ones because they are so open ended. combinations and subsequent complexity of the runs baffles me, but can still be simple building fun for smaller ones.
In the broader category of manipulatives, there are the gear buckets you can find at toy stores -- loads of gears to make different "machines" and vehicles.
Jr. Zoobs and Zoobs. Magnatiles, etc.
Build-a-robot toys.
Wooden train tracks and playsets.
Log builders/log cabin blocks.
Snap blocks like Trios, etc.
Take-apart toys like cars, trucks, planes, clocks.
He may still be too young for them, but my daughter loves her Automoblox. She will sit and take them apart and put them together endlessly. She also likes to play with Tinker Toys and Legos, though my husband and I often build things for her to play with (and take apart and change).
The magnetic marble run reminded me of Magformers. My son loves them at age 3 and the older kids and adults love them too! I'm not sure if it qualifies as "mechanical" since it doesn't involve gears. The creations "move" in the sense that the links are not static. you can watch the demo on QVC to see what I mean:
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.aol_refer.false.tpl.detail.msn_refer.false.item.T30243.ref.GBA?cm_ven=GOOGLEBASE&cm_cat=Sports%20&cm_pla=Toys&cm_ite=T30243
What is the name of the toy in the picture accompanying this post? It looks great!
Found it! Thanks for all the great suggestions!
Constructables -- modular parts that let you build your own vehicle, or dinosaur, or dino-car. Really simple to put together, and really fun.
Duplo blocks (much better than Mega blocks) are awesome as introductory building toys, especially if you add some characters and trains. The train tracks can be purchased as a set or you can buy lots on ebay. They are much easier to assemble and operate than regular wooden tracks.
Fixed marble runs are great. The Haba line is really designed for a much older child.
Thanks Shaunna for the question and the ideas from everyone else. Ours isn't a toddler yet, but I'll get to use these ideas someday soon.
Shaunna, I remember LOVING marble runs when I was a kid! But I'm thinking marbles are against the rules for toddlers (swallowing hazard)... maybe you could try the link below using larger cardboard rolls and the some of the age appropriate balls you have laying around your house. I would think a craft, art, or shipping supply store would carry larger paper tubes or thick paper so you could make your own tubes. Also I bet the dollar stores are full of fun objects that could be modified (like plastic funnels) to make your homemade set up even more fun.
http://familyfun.go.com/playtime/marble-run-844525/