5 Best Toys For Your Kids That Are Absolutely Free

Written By:

Written By:

Best Toys For Your Kids That Are Absolutely Free 2

Do you want to know about some of the best free toys for your kids, even best toys for your newborn? Playing with your kids are some of the best times you will ever spend with each other. Even though getting them toys from the market can make them happy, there are some “toys” that can make them even happier. Explore some of the best toys for your kids that are absolutely free.

KEY POINTS

  • Everyday objects—including your own self—make the best toys.
  • No matter what age your child may be, your attention and enthusiasm are more valuable than any toy.
  • Great toys trigger imagination, but many toys inhibit the imagination by prescribing one way to play.

At the risk of being blacklisted by toy companies, here are five types of “toys” that are readily available at no extra charge—no batteries or assembly required.

Related: 3 Things Emotionally Intelligent Parents Do

5 Best Toys For Your Kids That Are Absolutely Free

1. You

The best toy for your newborn baby’s development doesn’t cost anything at all and is always available. You! Babies love faces. Staring at your face will probably be their first activity besides sleeping, eating, and crying. Later, they will make faces you can copy, then they will copy your face. This is the baby’s first turn-taking game.

After a few months, you can start playing peek-a-boo, one of the simplest and most fun games ever invented. Connection is crucially important for babies, and peek-a-boo is a game perfect for helping children build security while learning to cope with small separations.

The amazing thing about peek-a-boo is that most adults instinctively get the timing right: If the period of time is too short, there is no excitement or edge-of-danger feeling that brings the laughter of relief. If the time is too long, the baby will either lose interest or panic, and the fun is lost.

When the timing is just right, laughter is spontaneous and contagious. A few years later, the same basic principles and themes are repeated in games of hide-and-seek. Too short a time before the finding is boring; too long and it’s scary.

Another great baby game that only requires your body is to nudge them with your face on their face or body, rolling them gently from side to side.

When children get a bit older, you can have them lie on your stomach as you lie on your back on the floor or the grass. Wrap your arms around them and roll over and over, making sure to protect them from getting smushed under you by putting weight on your arms and elbows as you roll.

Even bigger children love the Steamroller game. They may be too big to cuddle, but make it into a roughhousing event and suddenly it’s cool to cuddle!

No matter what age your child may be, your attention and enthusiasm are more priceless than any toy.

Best toys for your kids

2. Trees, water, sand, sticks

The natural environment is a boundless playground. Children can find their own level of risk based on how high they choose to climb in a tree, or how close to get to the edge of a creek.

Pouring water back and forth, building with sticks, or making temporary dams provides sensory pleasure as well as natural experiments in physics and architecture.

Unfortunately, a rich natural environment is not accessible to everyone. There is a big class divide in the availability of safe outdoor play spaces, especially non-plastic ones. What changes in policy and practice would be needed for every child to have access to nature?

In the meantime, the urban environment can also provide a rich playground, if we see it through the eyes of a child. There are many safe opportunities for climbing, jumping, exploring, and discovering.

3. Pillows and blankets

You probably have enough pillows at home for a full-scale pillow fight—just be sure to not use pillows with outside zippers or buttons that can hurt.

Bigger pillows and cushions make great additions to forts made out of sheets and blankets tossed over chairs.

Blankets are also great for giving kids rides, either sliding them along the floor or tossing them in the air if you have adults or big kids to hold each corner.

Related: Invaluable Life Lessons I Learned From My Mom

4. Everyday objects

The first turn-taking game for many babies is copying faces. When they get closer to a year or eighteen months, a new favorite turn-taking game is handing objects back and forth.

Just like with peek-a-boo, timing is important. If you hold onto the spoon or toy too long, the child will be righteously indignant, or they will lose interest.

Follow the child’s lead, and don’t tease them by holding it back to make them beg for it or demand it. Hand it over generously, and accept it back graciously.

At a recent Playful Parenting lecture, a father demanded to know why his toddler son preferred to flip the light switch on and off instead of playing with the expensive toy dad brought home from a business trip.

The audience laughed in recognition at this annoying phenomenon, and all I could offer was my empathy. Most toys—especially ones with lots of bells and whistles that look exciting to grown-ups in the store—are not as enticing as a light switch, or the box the toy came in. That’s because many fancy toys have two problems.

First, they do all the work. A toddler wants to make magic happen, like making the light go on and off through the force of their will and their fingers.

Second, most expensive toys can only do one thing, while the box the toy came in can be a dozen different things, from a hat to a car to a treasure chest to a dinosaur.

A great toy triggers the child’s imagination, but many toys inhibit the imagination by prescribing one way to play. Besides, empty boxes, shoestrings, and other odds and ends from your junk drawer make wonderful playthings.

They come in all textures and sizes, and you can make up fanciful backstories for them, such as the lonely shoestring looking for its shoe.

5. Dedicated graffiti wall

Not everyone is a graffiti tagger—fortunately. But nearly everyone has an urge to make their mark, to declare “I was here” in some fashion. A dedicated place to do this, inside or outside, can be a wonderful way to channel this self-expression, for everyone in the family.

It could be big pieces of paper or torn grocery bags taped to a wall. It could be an abandoned car, part of a fence, or the wall of a shed. Materials can be long-lasting, like paint, or more temporary, like sidewalk chalk.

Related: 6 Signs You’re Ready To Start A Family

Don’t be limited to two dimensions. You and your children can glue random objects onto the graffiti wall, like feathers, leaves, or stuff from the junk drawer. Don’t worry about it being “good” art. This is for fun, for joy, for self-expression. It’s too big to go easily to an art gallery anyway!

Want to know more about some of the best free toys for your kids? Check this video out below!

Sign up for Lawrence J. Cohen’s newsletter by emailing “subscribe” to [email protected].


Written By Lawrence J. Cohen  
Originally Appeared On Psychology Today
best toys for your newborn

— Share —

Published On:

Last updated on:

— About the Author —

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Up Next

Should Parents Set Consequences for Misbehavior or Not?

Should Parents Set Consequences For Misbehavior? Key Points

You want your child to grow up responsible and disciplined, but should you set consequences for misbehavior? Let’s learn the right balance between discipline and understanding.

Should we set consequences for our children when they don’t do what we want?

Key points

Research shows that physical punishment predicts negative outcomes in children.

Authoritative parenting has been found to be the most effective style that yields the happiest children.

Parents need to be able to tolerate their children being upset, disappointed, sad, or even angry with them.

Up Next

Does Gentle Parenting Work?

Does Gentle Parenting Style Work? Important Things To Know

Can setting firm boundaries with kindness raise well-behaved kids, or does it lead to entitlement and defiance? Let’s learn more about gentle parenting style!

A look at the data on gentle parenting.

Key points

The concept of Gentle Parenting is not based on scientific data.

Gentle Parenting does incorporate some very good parenting techniques.

Gentle Parenting may ask too much of parents.

What Is Gentle Parenting Style?

Up Next

Let Kids Be Kids? 6 Identifying Signs of Hurried Child Syndrome

Clear Hurried Child Syndrome Symptoms

Some of us felt the pressure to grow up too fast… meet deadlines, succeed academically, and always be on top of things—before we were even ready. It turns out, this pressure is real for some children today, and it’s called Hurried Child Syndrome. Let’s explore more about this condition.

What Is Hurried Child Syndrome?

Wondering what is Hurried Child Syndrome? It re

Up Next

Hovering Too Hard? 7 Mistakes Parents Who Overparent Often Make

Mistakes Parents Who Overparent Make: Hovering Too Hard?

It’s easy for parents who overparent to fall into the trap of doing too much in the name of love and care. But sometimes, all that hovering and controlling can backfire in surprising ways. Let’s break down the seven common mistakes and how to avoid them!

KEY POINTS

Overprotective parenting can have a negative impact on children’s mental health and relationships.

If you recognize any of these signs in yourself, it’s important to take steps to change your behavior.

Encourage your child to try new things, let them make mistakes, take risks, and solve problems on their own.

Up Next

Is Your Daughter in a Controlling Relationship? 9 Ways to Help Her Break Free

Daughter in a Controlling Relationship? Things You Can Do

Have you ever had a very strong gut feeling that your daughter might not be in a healthy relationship? Or that she is in a relationship with a controlling boyfriend? Today we are going to talk about what you can do, when you have a daughter in a controlling relationship.

Yeah, it’s a tough pill to swallow. Bossy boyfriends sneakily isolate, manipulate and dim the light in the people they date. And if your daughter is dating someone like this, then it’s understandable how tough it can be to watch that.

However, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel – as her mother, you can help her break free from her controlling boyfriend. This isn’t about swooping in like a superhero; it’s about being smart, supportive, and steady.

First, let’s start with trying to understand who a controlling boyfriend

Up Next

8 Undeniable Signs She’s Destined to Be an A+ Mom

Qualities of a Good Mother That Guarantee A+ Parenting!

Moms are superheroes, plain and simple. But being a great mom isn’t just about keeping the fridge stocked and making sure homework gets done. It’s about making your kids feel loved, valued, and truly understood. Moms are often the first and biggest influence in a child’s life, shaping how they see themselves and the world.

Being a good mom is about way more than just keeping a kid alive (though, yes, that’s non-negotiable). It’s about showing up with love, wisdom, and that unshakable belief in her kid’s potential. Moms help mold who we are and how we see the world.

Up Next

Divorce And Holidays: 5 Co-Parenting Tips To Help Kids Enjoy Christmas

Helpful Divorce And Holidays Coping Tips For Parents

The festive season is often described as the most wonderful time of the year. However, divorce and holidays can be tricky to navigate for some families, it’s not only challenging for kids but also for their parents.

Children deserve to be in happy and healthy homes, a safe space to enjoy and make memories rather than facing bickering fights and drama.

If you’re co parenting on Christmas, create a holiday season that’s joyful and comforting for your children. Below are five practical divorce and holidays coping tips to help your kids enjoy the festivities, even after a separation or divorce.