Budget Picks: Top 5 Toys for Toddlers for Under 50 Dollars

Parents are bombarded with an ever-increasing amount of toys for their toddlers. Each new toy holds a promise to enrich and develop our child in a new way. Often, these new toys come at a steep price tag and are not necessary for proper child-development. Classic toys for toddlers can be just as fun and educational, and are often much cheaper. Here we present you with five fun, budget-friendly toys for toddlers.

1. Wooden Vehicles

Wooden vehicles are light-weight and are perfect for little hands because of their larger size.
These vehicles are a great bring-along toy for play dates, long car rides, and other situations in which you need to occupy your toddler. Buy several types of vehicles and you can teach your child as counting, sizes (e.g. big, bigger, biggest or the difference between big and small), colors and vocabulary. For added fun, let your toddler run the vehicles in a tub of sand, water, rice or flour. You can then discuss the difference between empty and full by illustrating the concept with the vehicles.

Price: 5-20 dollars

2. Push and Pull Toys

These classic animal-shaped toys are a great pick for any toddler. Push and pull toys are not only entertaining, but can help your toddler learn about cause and effect (“I pushed the toy and therefore it moved”). As your toddler walk with the toy, they can improve their motor skills, particularly their hand-eye coordination and balance. Let your child entertain themselves by walking their toy at home, at the park, on the playground, or in the grocery store.

Price: 15-30 dollars

3. Bead mazes

This all-time favorite toy is sure to become an instant hit with its colorful and moving parts. The bead maze can teach your child important ideas such as counting, shapes, colors, and the difference between up and down. Your child will also improve his or her visual tracking, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as they move the beads around.

Price: 20-40 dollars

4. Puzzles

Puzzles are a wonderful gift for toddlers. Simple puzzles (four to six pieces) with large, knobs and pictures underneath each piece are ideal for toddlers and can teach your child concepts such as the difference between in and out, matching shapes, and identifying colors. Your child will also improve their manual dexterity, memory, and hand-eye coordination. As your child grows older, you can slowly introduce them to more sophisticated puzzles, but watch for signs of frustration. If your child gets frustrated with a new puzzle, you can put it away for a while longer, and give them an old puzzle they already know how to solve.

Price: 10-15 dollars

5. Building blocks

Building blocks are popular with children of all ages and are never cast aside for too long. Younger toddlers gain a sense of accomplishment from building and knocking down simple towers. Additionally, they improve their coordination and fine-motor skills. As they get older, toddlers use the blocks in imaginative play and free-form building.

Price: 30-50 dollars