The Best Toys for 18-Month-Old Toddlers to Help Them Learn and Play

Caplan-Colon loves dump-and-fill toys, like the Fisher-Price piggy bank, because they promote hand-eye coordination. And this particular toy also allows ample opportunities for important one-on-one interaction with your little one, from singing together to counting to pointing out colors. Plus, they’ll develop fine motor skills by picking up each oversized coin and dropping it into the cute bank. And the more than 40 songs and phrases will keep kids engaged and entertained. 

The coins also have numbers on one side and animals on the other so you can practice counting and making each animal’s sound as they get older. Though some parents note that their children outgrew this toy quickly, I found that my own kids kept playing with it well past toddlerhood, as it was a great addition to their pretend play store or bank.

Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog is more than cute to look at: It’s a quiet activity that helps your little one build upon their dexterity and problem-solving skills as they try to fit the quills into the holes on his back. That’s not the only way to play, though. You can also help your toddler learn colors, counting and — later — patterns by sorting the quills together. Parents love that everything can be stored in Spike’s back for easy clean up.

At first glance, you might not think this Melissa & Doug caterpillar gear toy is all that entertaining, but between the bright colors, interlocking gears and caterpillar design, it’s the perfect toy to keep an 18-month-old learning and engaged. When the six colorful gears are lined up on the caterpillar board, your toddler can turn them to watch how each gear works to move the one next to it. Parents love how this toy can help their little ones develop problem solving skills, sorting skills and color recognition all in one.

Note that because the cogs are unattached, they can get shuffled around and lost if you don’t make it a point to keep them all together. 

Introduce your little one to the concept of problem-solving with thisWheels on the Bus puzzle. My sons had several of these Melissa & Doug puzzles with the easy-to-grasp knobs, and they were an absolute hit because of their simplicity. The feeling of accomplishment that comes along with completing an entire puzzle on their own is hard to beat for an 18-month-old. This particular design is colorful and plays music that your tot can dance to, plus the wooden puzzle pieces are sturdy, which is a good thing, as chances are high they will like to bang them together. 

This isn’t your average block set. With 70 wood pieces in a rainbow of 18 different hues and 18 different shapes and tools, the Lovevery blocksprovide endless play potential. In fact, it comes with a stage-based activity guide that features more than 20 fun learning and developmental activities ranging in complexity, which helps parents make playtime more fruitful. Plus, the blocks come packaged in a wooden storage box that converts into a pull car. But because stuffing all those shapes back into the storage box isn’t always possible, it also comes with a drawstring bag for quick cleanup. 

As your little one starts to build their vocabulary, a book like the LeapFrog 100 Words Book will help expand their language skills. It includes various categories such as animals, food and colors with a corresponding image for each word, so you can point to the picture and read your tot the vocabulary word.

Shelley Gingrich, Executive Director of Brand Solutions at What to Expect, uses this book with both of her kids, aged 1 and 5. "We all giggle at the sounds, but it's also a great tool for learning words for our 1 year old and reading for our 5 year old," she says. 

What’s more is that it also includes a touch feature so they can play independently, too. By pressing the picture, they’ll hear the word in English or Spanish, plus associated sounds and fun facts for building their understanding around each word. 

Parents like that there is volume control on this book, although some noted that the lowest setting is still pretty loud. Another thing to keep in mind is that the buttons are on the sensitive side. "My only gripe is that it's really sensitive to touch, so my 1-year old often is trying to hit one picture but it makes the sounds for the picture below or beside it," says Shelley.

Bring the playground fun to your home with this Step-a-Trail set.It's designed to look like brightly-colored logs and tree stumps that will tempt your tot to practice walking and hopping along them, all while they develop motor skills like balance and coordination. 

Each of the six pieces — three logs and three stumps — is made of a sturdy plastic with rubber grips on the tops and bottoms so that slipping isn't an issue. They're built to withstand more than 790 pounds of weight, so you can get in on the fun with your toddler, too. And don't worry if you’re short on yard space: This toy can be used inside or outside. 

Your 18-month-old loves to do things just like you, which makes this a great time to introduce a first baby doll. For an affordable, age-appropriate option, consider the Wee Baby Stella from Manhattan Toys. The 12-inch doll is adorable and comes with a magnetic pacifier, as well as a full outfit that comes on and off, both of which help baby with fine motor skills. Plus, it’s a great toy for imaginative play. 

"It's such an adorable first baby doll for a younger child who's not quite ready for anything more than a soft stuffie," says Shelley. "My daughter loves the magnetic pacifier and pointing out her different body parts as she learns the words like eyes, arms, legs."

Parents liked how soft the head and body are, making it a good toy for snuggling. And, many said that it’s easy to spot clean.

When my oldest son was nearly a year old, he fell in love with the activity cube in our pediatrician’s waiting room. So,when his baby brother was born a few months later, we invested in this adorable activity cube that remained a staple in our playroom throughout both of their toddler years. The options for play are virtually endless: Open and close doors to play peek-a-boo with farm animals, push and pull wooden beads through loops, spin the side blocks to discover new animals, and race animals up and down zigzag paths. The farm animal motif is such a classic and when my own kids were toddlers, they would spend hours making different animal noises, racing the beads through the top hoops and crawling around the cube together, all the while practicing motor, language and problem solving skills.

VTech’s electronic sports centeris a basketball hoop and soccer net all in one. For active tots, it’s a great foray into the world of sports. Your little one can develop their large motor skills by shooting or kicking the ball, and hone in on fine motor skills by pressing the interactive buttons and turning the spinning gears as you cheer them on. 

An LED scoreboard provides further encouragement and learning as it counts the number of baskets made, plus displays fun animations and plays lights, sounds and songs. Some parents say that the scoreboard can be a bit touchy and doesn’t always keep an accurate count, but that’s the perfect opportunity for you as the caregiver to swoop in and help — everything’s a learning opportunity! My two boys had a similar toy when they were small and it was a great jumping-off point for them to learn the mechanics of how to score a goal. 

By the time your child is about 18 months old, they can begin to experiment with basic arts and crafts supplies. Think tactile toys (like finger paint and magic sand) for texture exploration and fine motor play. This set by Alex Discover is a great starting point because it includes six simple activities to introduce your child to the world of art. Inside you’ll find easy-to-grip crayons, crinkly tissue and fringe papers, doilies, stickers and activity paper shaped like a tree and giraffe. Parents love that it involves minimal mess because there isn’t any glue. Plus, each craft is packaged separately so you can do one at a time.

Exercise baby’s fine motor skills with this zig-zag tower maze. Tots get the wooden pieces rolling by dropping them on top and then watching them roll down the tower. They’ll also need to figure out how to extract them from the bottom. Each of the four smooth, solid wood pieces features a colorful animal face, so your little one can also match them up with the corresponding animal paintings on top of the tower to develop cognitive skills. 

Once playtime is through, all four pieces are stored in the tower as it’s turned sideways — though it’s almost too pretty to stash in a toy box. It’s the type of durable toy you’d expect from Melissa & Doug, but there are some reports of paint peeling off of this particular model, so that’s one thing if you plan to pass this toy along to younger siblings. 

Another way for your 18-month-old to express their creative side is through music. While they likely won't be composing symphonies just yet, this classic rainbow-colored xylophone plays eight soft notes that are pleasing to the ear (theirs and yours), which is to say that it’s loud enough without being too loud.

Tapping or banging the keys helps develop hand-eye coordination, as does using the attached mallet. The mallet is on a string, so you won’t lose it, but it’s important to note that some parents think the string is just a touch too short to make epic jam sessions easy. This toy also has a pull string and wheels so your little one can take it around wherever they go, which also helps develop gross motor skills. At just over a foot long, this fits nicely on a child’s lap when seated.

There’s nothing like blowing bubbles to get a tot moving! Kids love to chase after them and pop them, or jump around as a shower of bubbles rain down on their heads. Of course, one of the problems with most bubble containers is that in all that excitement, tots can knock over the bubbles. 

This ingenious no-spill tumbler has solved that problem by creating a container with a small opening that’s just large enough for the wand to slip through. Encourage your little one to take a turn dipping the wand and blowing the bubbles — it just so happens to help them build upon fine motor skills, too, as they figure out how to get the wand in the hole. Keep in mind that the tumbler only holds four ounces of bubble solution, so you might want to have some extra on-hand for refills.

Your budding toddler is sure to love bathtime with this fun, floating purple octopus. During bathtime, your little one will hone their skills while grabbing floating rings and placing them on the friendly octopus’s tentacles.  It’s not only engaging, but it also requires kids to manipulate it with their hands to get the rings on and off, encouraging hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

"It's such a fun bath toy," says Shelley. "We love that it floats, and getting the rings on the tentacles is lots of fun. It's also easy to clean."

Also nice: There are no small holes to let in water, so you won’t have to worry about keeping it clean and mold-free.

Does your little one have a lot of energy to burn? This durable Little Tikes rocking horse can help with that. The toy can be used indoors or outdoors and is safe enough for the younger set to ride, thanks to a low, wide profile and easy-grip handles as they work on their motor skills. It’s lightweight, so it’s easy to move around, but some parents note that this also makes it prone to tipping over. But, thanks to the low profile design, it’s still safe and fun to use. A nice bonus: Because it’s made of a smooth plastic, it’s easy to wipe down after playtime.

For engaging in pretend play on a smaller scale, look for one of the Fisher-Price Little People sets. This garage comes with two chunky vehicles that are easy for kids to put on the platform and crank the handle to lift up so the mechanic can take a look. This allows them to engage in imaginative play and can also help develop communication skills when you play with them. Meanwhile, they’ll enhance hand-eye coordination and as they fill the tank with gas, place cars in the elevator and turn the crank to raise the platform. 

Some parents say that their little ones struggle to turn the crank at times and that the cars might need some help getting down the ramp, but that overall with the help of a parent or caregiver, these are only minor, temporary inconveniences to an overall awesome playset. 

Before your little builder gets into LEGOs, consider the brand’s larger, easier-to-grasp Duplo blocks. With this set (and the help of a parent or caregiver), they'll be able to assemble their very own train using the 23 included blocks while practicing problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination.

"We're huge Lego Duplo fans at our house," says Shelley. "My son is now 5 and still plays with them to build all kinds of imaginative creations. The number train is a great first Lego set as it helps littles learn numbers, and it's lots of fun as a train to move around, too."

Once constructed, your tot will have fun zooming their train around, working on motor skills and potentially engaging in pretend play. Eventually, they'll begin to learn numbers by counting the cars on the train. 

Just be aware that during the course of driving the train around, the connection points may disengage, which could lead to a bit of frustration — but you can always jump in as a train repair technician!

The Lalo Play Box comes with multiple toys designed to help grow your tot’s new motor and cognitive skills, as well as encouraging their language development. The kit comes with five toys, including a sorting and counting toy that also promotes color recognition and a car-racing toy that helps with fine motor skills and problem solving. These toys offer tons of play potential and are made with simple designs that won’t overstimulate your toddler. One thing to note is that there are many different pieces in this kit, so you’ll have to keep track of them. And, you might want to check out the play box for 19- to 21-month-olds if your baby is a little bit further ahead developmentally.

“Providing toys that allow for real-world play strengthens the developmental skills used for social connectedness and critical thinking,” says Dr. Burgert. “Although playing with a kitchen set, for example, may not seem very complicated to an observing adult, the skills a child uses during pretend play are foundational for social and emotional growth.”

That’s exactly why this Giant Bean Wooden Kitchen playset is perfect for toddlers. Though some parents prefer a standalone full kitchen, this set has a tabletop design that can be moved wherever your toddler wants to play with it — and therefore, it won’t take up a big section of the room. It includes a stovetop, “sliceable” fruits and vegetables, utensils, and more for them to use and practice motor skills, while engaging in imaginative play. There’s plenty of opportunity for caregivers to play along, too, whether through expanding their vocabulary by pointing out the different fruits, vegetables or “cooking” a meal with them.

Some parents note that a few items in this set, like the pot, are heavy and would hurt a child if thrown hard, so you’ll want to keep an eye out for that.

If you have a little climber on your hands, they’re sure to love this indoor climbing gym. The climber is built to handle toddlers’ active lifestyles: It's constructed of strong, sustainably-sourced bamboo wood and sealed with a non-toxic finish. There are plenty of add-ons to add to the play potential as they get older or for big siblings, including a rock wall accessory and a reversible ladder/slide. 

As they explore, there’s no doubt this climber will help your little one vastly improve their ever-expanding gross motor skills and balance, but they may need your help to get the hang of things at first. Though this particular toy is an investment, it makes a great gift and you can occasionally catch a great sale through Lily & River or Pottery Barn Kids, so definitely keep an eye out for that.