Are you a brand new SAHM? Or thinking of becoming a SAHM?
If you are a new SAHM, you might be wondering what kinds of toys and such you need, for your child. Because chances are, if you are a SAHM, you want to be sure your child spends plenty of time learning new things. 😉
So, if you are wondering what to buy, to keep your child endlessly entertained – while still learning a ton – you are in luck!
I used to work in a preschool classroom. I also used to run my own daycare. And these are (tried and true!) toys that will keep your child happy and learning at home!
[By the way, these links are affiliate links from Amazon, which means if you decide to purchase something from one of these links, I will earn a small commission. It costs you nothing extra, though. For more information, see my disclosure policy.]
Happy shopping!
1. Classic Hardwood Learning Toys
Wood learning toys were one of my favorites, both in the preschool classroom and as a SAHM. They have a great old-fashioned feel about them and they teach your child all sorts of things!
You could get shape sorters, puzzles, the ABC’s, blocks, Lincoln Logs…pretty much anything. They are great for fine motor skills, imagination, and learning.
2. Marble Racers
My boys loved this one so much! When my oldest went to preschool, he was in love with the marble racer. So much so, that his preschool teacher allowed him to “check it out” for a week and bring it home! But, when it was time to bring it back, he was one sad little boy.
So, after that, we always made sure to have one in our toy closet!
And now? My little man is a 6th-grade teacher!! 😁
The marble racer is good for learning how to think outside the box. It takes a lot of imagination, trial, and error to design a race for your marbles that actually works! I know – I’ve spent hours doing it with the twins and my little man R. 😉
3. Trains
The Thomas Wooden Railway was our favorite. A colleague of mine introduced us to Thomas. She was a child advocate, and her son was just a couple of years older than my oldest. My boys fell in love with Thomas!
So much so, that they brought them to preschool to show their teacher…who then bought some for her classroom!
Thomas tracks teach engineering skills, of course. It’s more than just putting train tracks together. You actually need them to flow in a way that the trains can safely travel around. It requires problem-solving, imagination, and of course, engineering.
4. Dolls
We have had three dolls in our house. One for each of my little boys. ☺️ Boys like to place house too!
But daycares and preschools always have dolls. The more realistic, the better!
Playing dolls helps children to model the skills they see their parents performing. This is a great way to introduce them to responsibility. Plus, kids just love to play make-believe, and there are so many ways you can play pretend with a doll.
5. Toy Kitchens
Every SAHM should have a toy kitchen in their house, even if all you have is boys! ☺️ Boys love to play make-believe just as much as girls do. And besides, playing kitchen (along with seeing daddy cooking in the kitchen) encourages boys to cook meals for their families later in life!
6. Make Believe Items
Oh, the things you can pretend with dress-up clothes!
My boys have the vet outfit pictured above. One has a nurse’s uniform and one has a doctor’s uniform. And they played doctor and vet all of the time! It was fun to watch. (They’ve outgrown them now, but I’m saving them for my upcoming grandbaby!!)
But you can get all sorts of different dress-up clothes. You can even just go through your own closet – or grandma’s – and find things you no longer want or need, and add them to your child’s make-believe closet. Don’t forget things like jewelry, hats, purses, and other accessories.
Old Halloween costumes make great dress-up clothes as well.
7. Puzzles & Games
We play puzzles and games nearly every evening in the winter. It’s a great time to come together as a family. Sometimes, on weekends, we’ll play longer games, such as Monopoly or Risk.
When I worked in the preschool classroom, puzzles and games were used as quiet activities, in the mornings, while all of the kids were still arriving, and in the afternoon, as kids were leaving. If you need quiet activities, consider using puzzles and games.
Puzzles and games teach all sorts of skills: patience, problem-solving, creativity, cause and effect, and even social skills. If you want to know my favorite games for teaching social skills, check out this post: The Best Board Games That Teach Social Skills.
8. Crayons, Paints & Markers
Of course, no SAHM setup is complete without color supplies! It’s also a good idea to save every scrap of paper you can and old envelopes. Kids love that stuff!
9. Coloring Books & Construction Paper
Of course, you need something to create on!
10. Books
As a SAHM, a good portion of your day will be spent reading. 😁 You can read in the mornings, before or after nap time, and before bed. You can even read to your child while in the bathtub!
In daycares and preschools, they revolve their crafts and other lessons around the story that week. So, if you choose to read a book about mittens, you might paint some mittens or do a mitten craft.
If you do nothing else that involves learning, at least read to your child. It is a great way to bond with your child, but it also sets the stage for all other learning.
11. Sensory Bins
Okay, so a preschool classroom and most daycares have sensory bins. We’re talking those nice big water tables and sand tables. 😁 And you can do that, too!
Or, you can create your own… on a smaller scale. 😉 It’s easy to do, with totes and Tupperware. You can also use your bathtub, and your sandbox, if you have one.
12. Water Toys
Water toys are great for outside during the summer, of course, as are sand toys. But in the cooler months, you want to bring that water play indoors!
You can create a sensory bin full of water and fun stuff. Or, you can use your bathtub!
Either way, it calms your child down (thank you, soothing sounds of running water!) and it teaches your child fine motor skills.
13. Stuffed Animals
Stuffed animals are just like dolls; you can play any pretend game with them. My boys like to play camping and survival games with their stuffed animals. 😆 They will go as far as the imagination takes them, so be sure to have a nice stock of animals on hand!
14. Playdough
Daycares and preschool classrooms have a lot of sensory toys on hand. Water bins, sand bins, and sensory bins are common, but so is playdough.
You can put playdough in a bin, or you can go old school and just play on your kitchen table! I like to grab cookie sheets to keep the playdough on because it gets in the cracks of the table otherwise.
Playdough helps with fine motor schools and creativity. But it is also therapeutic – it can calm down an energetic or upset child.
It’s a good quiet activity for mornings or evenings, and great fun on storm day!
15. Legos
Legos are another great toy for fine motor skills and creativity. They teach kids to think outside of the box, problem-solve, and of course, engineering and design skills. If you buy sets with instructions, they also teach children how to follow step-by-step instructions.
16. Barbies
Barbies are another great way to play house and other creative make-believe games. Kids like to make sense of the environment around them by acting out things they have seen. This is good if their role models are good. 😉 Because then they learn to practice and internalize life skills.
I remember playing wedding with my barbies. 😂🤣 I don’t know why that was my favorite game. I think I just liked getting them dressed up. Maybe I went to a lot of weddings as a kid. I don’t recall.
When my oldest got married, my youngest three played wedding for months afterward. They used stuffed animals, though, because we don’t have barbies in the house.
17. Beads
Beads and pipe cleaners are a must! 😆 When I worked in the preschool classroom, the kids loved bead time. It was a great quiet activity that they could do to wind down at the end of the day, before heading home.
It teaches kids fine motor skills because those little beads are hard to grab and string up!
But kids love to give away their creations. There’s nothing more satisfying to them than giving mom or grandma a bracelet they made themselves. Beading can teach them generosity.
18. Cars & Trucks
There are so many ways to play make-believe! Cars and trucks are yet another way for kids to act out what they see in their environment.
Their cars can race, yes. But they can also travel to grandma’s house, or Disney Land. They can go to the lake, go to McDonald’s, or go shopping.
Cars allow kids to play creatively, using their imagination. And if you have car tracks as well, they can practice their design and problem-solving skills.
Bonus points
My boys’ favorite car track was Mattel Hot Wheels Highway Race Track Sets. We had tons of them. They could build their own track, connect the sets, and drive all over the living room. It was great!
Sadly, those tracks are not sold on Amazon. I did some searching, and it turns out they are vintage. 😱 Who knew?!? 😂🤣 Why do they discontinue the best toys all the time?!?
So, if you want to find one for your kids, you’ll have to do a search for Mattel Hot Wheels Vintage Race Track Sets. Below is an image of one I found that looks awesome!
19. Farm Toys
I realize the majority of families live in cities. But we live in farm country! 😆 And every child here plays farm at some point or another. Because, again, kids like to act out what they see.
But if you live in a city, it would be fun for your kids to play make-believe and pretend to be farmers. Plus, it is a great learning opportunity, especially if you are doing a farming sahm unit.
20. Floam & Sand
Yet another popular sensory play item, floam and sand rank right up there with playdough! In the preschool classroom, we’d alternate between floam, moon sand, and play dough.
21. Blocks
Blocks come in all shapes and sizes! You can get little ones, to practice fine motor skills, or big ones, to practice large motor skills. Either way, you’ll child will have a blast building and letting his imagination run wild!
22. Shape Sorters
Preschools generally do not have shape sorters, because it’s the wrong age group. But daycares do. And I recommend every SAHM have a shape sorter. It is one of those classic educational toys that can teach colors, sorting, sizes, shapes, fine motor skills, and problem-solving skills.
23. Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs can be used for imaginative play or in conjunction with a SAHM unit. My boys have a Hot Wheels Young Reader Book that involves dinosaurs and love to recreate the story with their car tracks and their dinosaurs. They are pretty lucky because they have their older brothers’ “vintage” toys 😆 so they even have a cave to send their cars through!
24. Plastic Animals
The preschool classroom also has plastic animals, of all varieties. Safari, farm, pets, you name it! They, too, are great for creative play or for additional learning alongside a SAHM unit.
25. Doll Houses
My dad made me a dollhouse when I was little. Oh, my heart. ❤️ I absolutely loved it. He’s very handy and creative, and my stepmom was crafty, and an artist. So it was beautiful.
Dollhouses are just one more way for kids to act out what their parents model and teach. It’s great for creative play and role-playing. Kids use their imaginations and start to grasp concepts such as responsibility and the roles of household members.
26. Toy Tools
Toy tools are also a must-have for make-believe! I can’t tell you how many things my kids have “fixed” around this house! 😂 Their dad is in the maintenance department at his place of work, and he can literally fix anything here at home.
My boys love to model what they see him doing on a daily basis.
My favorite is the day they fixed the basement, then broke for pizza, from the toy kitchen. 🤣 🤣 I’d show you the video, but my kids had a habit of running around in their underwear when they were little…. so it wouldn’t be appropriate. But suffice it to say it’s adorable!!
27. Magnets
These handy little magnets are another way for kids to engage in creative play! They can build with them, just as they do with blocks. They teach design skills, problem-solving skills, and patience!
28. Puppets
Puppets are great for telling stories and incorporating with SAHM learning units. They are also wonderful for creative and imaginative play. But you have to be careful with puppets. Some kids are scared by them. I recommend them for preschoolers only – not toddlers.
29. Tents, Tunnels & Other Inside Outside Toys
We have listed so many toys that can help develop fine motor skills…but what about gross motor skills?
Well, outside play is good for that. So is dance. But if you live in a city, or in a place where you have freezing cold winters 🙋🏻♀️ you can’t always get outside. So, you need to figure out how to get in the movement that your kids so badly need during the day.
If you have room, tents, tunnels, and trampolines will do the trick! We used these in the preschool classroom.
30. Sand Toys
Every child should have access to sand. 😁 It could be an outside sandbox, access to a beach or a park, or a sensory bin. It can also be an inside sandbox. Here’s a few ideas to get you started, and some toys you should consider.
31. Classic Toys
Awww 💕 I’m old school. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include some of my favorite toys over the years These are great toys that have stood the test of time. You may or may not find them in daycares or preschools. But I still highly recommend you try to get as many as you can into your home!
At the end of the day….
And there you have it, momma! The toys you can find in a preschool classroom or at a daycare.
Did you notice I have no electronic toys on this list? That’s because I am old school, and believe in kids using their creativity and imagination to the best of their ability. Technological toys are great and educational, but in my mind, they just don’t compare.
Plus, you don’t find them in a preschool classroom.
And they eat up way too many batteries. 😆 Who can afford that, on a stay-at-home mom’s salary? 🙃
[Read: Budgeting to be a Stay at Home Mom: How Much Should I Save?]
So, use these toys to ramp up your daily SAHM schedule. They will help you to keep your kids entertained all day long, while still teaching them important skills and concepts.
See, momma, that’s what it’s all about. Playing with your kids.
A child’s job is to play. That is how they learn. That is what they were designed to do.
And so you can use playtime to teach them what they need to know. But you can also use it to build a strong relationship with your child.
Because the relationship is the foundation to all things parenting.
Your relationship with your child will literally make or break your parenting.
So get playing!
Want more products for your daily SAHM schedule? Check out these:
Momma Must-Haves: the Complete Guide to Products I Love
The 17 Best Financial Literacy Books to Teach Your Preschooler About Money
The Best Board Games That Teach Social Skills
Classic Gifts to Encourage Bonding With Boys
My Favorite Resources: My Go-To’s as a Momma & Business Owner
