1. Count with Me
I love this one because it ages with the child. It has different textures as well so you can feel the edges of the page when you trace a number. It's larger with thick pages which makes it super durable to tag along. There's also a matching book for letters!

2. Peek-a-Flap series
This is one dirt and as you can see from the cover, it's all about tractors and moving dirt. Instant favorite! These flaps are super thick and are more like pages in themselves. The story in each is also very informative and uses great vocabulary to build knowledge!

3. Chug Chug Tractor
This one is a double whammy because not only does it have dozens of cool flaps but one flap per page has a sound effect, too! It's full of animal sounds, foods, and the text is accurate and informative. Perfect for a tractor-loving kid!

1. Motion Bubblers
This is our favorite, but there are so many different sensory bottles you can get and so many you can make too! This is similar to a lava lamp. When you tip it over, the bubbles are created by different colors. It looks so cool! Both kids will play with it and, now at 2, Lincoln loves to count the bubbles and name the patterns the colors create.

2. All-natural crayons
So, toddlers put things in their mouth constantly. These are all natural and made from beeswax. Aside from that, they're chunky and easy to hold. They resemble chalk sticks in size. The colors are vibrant and unique. The kids love to take out the box of these when doing art projects. They have quite a few bite marks, but don't have paper to peel or snap easily.

3. Cleaning set
This is actually one of my favorite purchases ever! A common phrase in toddlerhood is "me do" or "me help" and this set makes it not turn into a battle. Whenever there's a mess, Lincoln will go straight to his broom and dustpan and "help" me clean. We added a small swiffer to it so he feels included when doing that task as well! Such a fun item to have!

1. Duplo set
Okay, these are the best for 2 year olds. They still are large enough to handle for small hands, but fit together better than the megablocks. They have cute sets with cars or trucks or people and animals. The directors to make big projects are easy to follow for both of us. Perfect intro to building and creating. 

2. Magnet tiles
Again, these are a perfect set to start STEM projects. At this stage, Lincoln struggles with understanding how to balance them without a base, but we talk through it and I find he doesn't get too frustrated. He likes making things like garages and houses and barns out of the tiles. The shape recognition is also really awesome to see!

3. Water coloring mat
I got this during quarantine and at that time Link was too little to really get it. Now, he loves to play with this mat. He shakes the water marker and it makes really awesome rainbow designs. Ours features animals and letters around it and I find his tracing and trying to make straight or curved lines has really begun to show!

1. Band in a box
This set is really fun and interactive. I love that it's all wooden and metal so there's no extra plastic or anything fake. The instruments resemble real instruments and sound authentic. They have held up extremely well. We love the box, too. Easy to store! Both children approve!

2. Soft blocks
I love everything about these for 1-2 year olds. Primarily the fact that they are soft and squishy because you know they're going straight into the mouth. They feature colors, textures, sensory areas, and numbers. They are easy to stack together, but also easy to use for other projects (art! bath!).

3. Chunky puzzle set
I love this brand and this puzzle because the pieces are large but not knobs. The knob puzzles are great, but hello mouth toy! These are still large and easy to manipulate for a little person but also easy to try to fit in for when they're closer to 18 months and up. I love the themes, too! 

1. Magnetic fishing game
This is such a fun game because it has all the best features: hand-eye coordination, focusing to complete a given task, letters, colors, and patterning. I think this toy ages well since you can continue to expand on the knowledge your child is learning as they grow.

2. Duplo toy train
We love this one because firstly, duplos. This is Lincoln's lately craze, but also because it focuses on colors and numbers and eventually we can learn sequencing which there aren't a lot of toys out there that do without it being too much!

3. Skills puzzles
These particular ones are my favorite because they fit well into the spaces and are easy to turn for little hands. Again, it drills in the letters, shapes, numbers, and colors, but in a fun way that's not overwhelming.