If you have a toddler to buy for this Christmas in 2017, then you’re in luck There are so many great toys available that you’ll have trouble making up your mind. Choose from an array of toys that include indoor activities, educational, shapes, bath time fun, physical activity and even toys that will help to keep them still and quiet in a car seat or stroller.
What we h
ope to show you with this guide are, not only on the best-selling toys of the year – but the impact they may have on your toddler. The toddler years are when your baby is changing rapidly and becoming more independent.
Your toddler will be learning to master motor skills, and this will help to give them independence, and soon they will gain some control over the things around them. With each new skill they develop, your child will develop more self-confidence – which in turn, will lead them to have more fun learning other skills as they continue to grow.
If you need some ideas to get your brain ticking over, and decide which toy(s) would be best for your toddler, keep reading.
Activity Toys That Help Toddlers Learn
While your toddler is going from sitting and crawling to actually learning to walk and from staring wide-eyed at everything to actually trying to grab it, he may need a bit of help along the way.
There is a large selection of play centers, shape sorters, musical and even toys that help to teach you to tie your shoes. These sort of toys actually encourage your toddler to experiment and learn while having fun. Keep your eyes out for childrens toys that are colorful to help teach colors – and musical toys to teach him rhythm and notes.
Quite a few clever toy makers have designed toys that combine both teaching and physical activity. A good example is the VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker. This clever toddler toy encourages your child to pull himself up and walk, using the walker to aid stability.
It is also a teaching aid with the removable play panel featuring lots of fun things that your toddler will want to play with. There are piano keys to play musical notes, various shape sorters, spinning rollers, a telephone and mechanical tasks along with over 70 sing-along sounds, phrases and music.
Another VTech toy for toddlers that is a Best Seller this year is the Drop and Go Dump Truck. Little boys or girls will love this colorful toy, the truck counts as each rock falls off, teaching your child to count while having fun. 
This is also a multi-educational toy that features buttons that play phrases, melodies and teaches colors. Your toddler will quickly learn that the hinge on the side of the truck dumps the rocks when lifted. There’s so much fun to be had and so much to learn with this activity and learning toy.
Toys That Improve a Toddler’s Motor Skills
Learning motor skills is very important for toddlers to be able to maneuver and learn what works – and what doesn’t. Toys create the pathway to a toddler learning physical, mental, social and emotional development and are an important part of a child’s upbringing.
Choosing toys carefully can be challenging with all of the items available today. Keep in mind that toys with features such as pounding, sawing and other tasks require that the toy you choose is strong enough to withstand all the rough play time it’s going to have.
Pounding toys that let the child hammer balls or other shapes until they fall are great learning tools for hand-eye coordination and aiming. Toddlers can use their imaginations to pretend, play and create things from the motor skill toys that are available today.
Melissa & Doug toys have always been leaders in toys that ignite the imagination and help children realize their full potential. They manufacture well-designed, tough and classic wooden toys that help children of all ages discover a passion or a purpose in life.
The Hammer and Saw Tool Bench – Wooden Building Set by Melissa & Doug comes with 26 building pieces, the tool bench and 5 tools. It’s ingenious how they designed self-stick tabs that mimic cutting the wood.
Toddlers can pound on the wooden nails to their heart’s content and learn motor skills and hand-eye coordination. There are even blueprints to help the kids create houses, boats or animals as they grow and learn – or something from their own imaginative play.
Playkidz’ Super Durable Pound A Ball is also designed with teaching a child eye-hand coordination, how to sort shapes and cleverly introduces them to color. This Pound A Ball toy was especially designed for little hands and excitement when the balls are pounded and roll out the side.
The Brilliant Basics Rock-A-Stack stacking toy from Fisher-Price is a classical and inexpensive toy that’s been around for generations. It’s an evolving learning tool for the toddler that can delight them with rattles, help them teethe by chewing on the rings and eventually figuring out colors and how to stack them to fit.
Now, there are other Rock-A-Stack toys to choose from, including the Rock-A-Stack Pink or the Rock-Stack-Clacker which features a teething ring at the top of the stack.