Ultimate Therapist Approved Holiday Toy List

We’re back with another holiday toy guide and are so excited to continue supporting local small businesses along the way! 

We are thrilled to share a therapist-approved list of toy recommendations in partnership with The Toy Box in Hanover, with a few additional sources included so you have plenty of options! You can pop into the store, shop online at www.thetoyboxhanover.com, or even order through FaceTime or over the phone, they do their best to make holiday shopping as easy and stress-free as possible! Free delivery is available within 10 miles, with a small fee for longer distances. Use the code LTH10 for $10 off purchases $50+ or LTH20 for $20 off purchases $100+.

We’ve organized our guide by toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged kids, but we truly believe that play is play, and the magic doesn’t come from the toys themselves. The real joy and developmental benefits come from engaging with children, playing together, and creating memories. Toys are wonderful tools, but laughter, connection, and shared experiences are what make play truly special! If you’re curious about how any of these items might support your child’s specific therapeutic goals, we encourage you to discuss them with your therapist during your next session.

Looking for even more ideas? Check out last year’s holiday gift guide for additional inspiration.

From all of us at LTH, we wish your family a joyful holiday season full of laughter, play, and magical moments together!

Toddlers:

Caterpillar Fruit Feast Set

This charming threading set is like a little fruit parade- your child practices fine motor skills while lacing fruit onto a caterpillar, and our therapists love it because it builds hand–eye coordination, concentration, and early vocabulary in a repetitive, playful way!

Topanifarm Stacking Game

This stacking farm set is a double win! Children strengthen hand–eye coordination and problem-solving by building and balancing, and our therapists adore how it encourages early vocabulary (animals, colors, sizes) and sequencing through playful storytelling.

Kidoozie Harry Hippo Safari Truck

Go on a wild adventure with Harry the Hippo in his safari truck! This smiling 4-wheeled ride encourages pretend play, animal naming, and story-telling, and therapists love how it supports both imaginative language development and the fine motor coordination needed to load animals in and out.

SpinAgain

SpinAgain keeps little ones engaged as each colorful disc twists down the corkscrew. Therapists love it for building coordination, visual tracking, and patience- kids love it because… well, spinning things are awesome!

Kidoozie Drop 'n Roll Activity Tower

This bright, bouncy tower invites little ones to drop, watch, and cheer as the balls swirl their way down. Therapists love it for building fine motor skills, visual attention, and early language (“Ready… set… go!”), and kids love it because watching those balls spin never gets old.

Finger Crayons

Great for little hands, these Finger Crayons promote fine motor and visual motor development. They allow for young children to gain proper writing grip patterns as well as the bilateral motor component of stacking the crayons. They make a great stocker stuffer!

Wind-up Toys 

There are SO many opportunities for language with these little toys! Most littles have difficulty winding up themselves, so they encourage natural opportunities for requesting assistance from an adult. We love them because they're inexpensive, fun, long-lasting, and full of potential for language and fine motor development!

PlayTab Activity Board

Little hands will love pressing, spinning, and sliding through this colorful, interactive board that sparks curiosity and exploration. Therapists recommend it for building fine motor skills, hand strength, and sensory exploration, all while keeping play fun and engaging! Click here to explore the different PlayTab tile sets to personalize your activity board.

Feed, Walk & Poo Pup

Prepare for nonstop giggles! Feed this little pup, watch it do its business, and take it for a walk- the silly antics keep kids entertained while encouraging turn-taking, imaginative play, and storytelling. Therapists love it for blending fun with social and language skills development!

Balance Stepping Stones

Step, jump, and balance! These colorful, sturdy stones transform everyday play into an exciting obstacle course across your living room. Kids build coordination, motor planning, and body awareness, all while pretending the floor is lava or creating their own adventure. Therapists love how they promote gross motor strength, balance, and sensory‑motor integration in such a fun, playful way.

Snap-n-Learn Matching Dinos

Little hands will love snapping these colorful dinosaur halves together, practicing grasp and matching colors while having silly pretend adventures. Therapists recommend it for boosting fine motor skills, early vocabulary, and problem-solving—all wrapped up in dinosaur-sized fun!

Lock & Key Clubhouse

Hands-on fun that builds skills! Explore colors, shapes, and matching while practicing fine motor control and problem-solving. Therapists love how it combines sensory play and early learning in a compact, travel-friendly set.

Preschool:

Crazy Truck Recycling Truck

Zooming around with this recycling truck gives kiddos a super-fun excuse to talk about sorting, cause and effect, and environmental play! Speech therapists love the repeated “pick up,” “dump out,” language, and occupational therapists appreciate the gross (no pun intended) motor planning and bilateral coordination involved.

Zingo

Fast-paced, silly, and fun for all ages, Zingo gets kids matching, shouting out words, and building vocabulary without even realizing they’re practicing! Therapists love it for strengthening attention, early literacy, turn-taking, and quick language retrieval- all wrapped in a game kids beg to play again.

Critter Clinic

Ask our therapists what's one toy they couldn't live without and you're sure to hear about this toy from at least three of them. Pretend play, fine motor and so much language (basic language concepts including: "open/shut", "help", labeling, matching, and so much more). This is one of our all-time-favorites!

Lock & Learn Playboard

With its sneaky latches and secret doors, this lock board is like a mini spy mission- kids work on finger strength and persistence while our therapists cheer for the problem-solving and the conversations sparked by “who’s behind the door?” and “open, shut, lock it!” language.

Bluey House Playset

Bring Bluey’s neighborhood home to life! This light-up playhouse encourages cooperative play, turn-taking, and pretend scenarios that help little ones practice social skills while having a blast.

Sort, Stock, Select Vending Machine

This is one of those toys kids keep going back to -fun, open-ended, and perfect for pretend play that builds language and fine motor skills. They can ‘order’ snacks, describe foods, and practice colors, letters, and numbers without it ever feeling like work. And when playtime’s over, everything packs right back inside for easy cleanup!

Sensory Bin- Dinosaur Dig

Let little paleontologists dig into a prehistoric sandbox full of dinos, eggs, and fossils. It’s a sensory playground that speech therapists use to spark descriptive language (“bumpy,” “tiny,” “behind the tree”), and occupational therapists value its power to improve fine motor skills, hand strength, and bilateral coordination.

Flybar Pogo Jumper

For the younger kids who seek intense physical activity, this pogo jumper is a great way to provide intensity. It promotes balance, vestibular input, proprioception, bilateral coordination, and visual attention!

Freeze Dance with Chilly

Freeze Dance with Chilly is an interactive freeze dance game that will allow your child to explore creative dance moves while also using their muscles and body awareness to freeze in place. This game will also support your child’s attention and anticipatory responses, all while having fun!

Rainbow Fairy 10pc Tea Set

With this rainbow fairy tea set, kids can host the fanciest of tea parties. Speech therapists use it to encourage conversation, turn-taking, and imaginative storytelling, while occupational therapists celebrate the fine-motor practice of pouring, picking up cups, and setting the table

Stomp Rockets

Get ready, set, stomp! Kids launch rockets into the sky just by stomping down, bringing BIG energy play outdoors. Therapists love how it strengthens gross motor coordination, builds balance, and encourages turn‑taking- all while fueling imaginative, active fun.

Counting Surprise Party

One of our all-time favorites! Kids delight in opening the tiny presents and exploring all the different items inside. With endless opportunities to mix and match colors, practice fine motor skills, and engage in silly pretend play, therapists love how it sparks creativity and hands-on learning!

City Rescue Race Track

Ready, set, race! This interactive track gets kids twisting levers, pressing buttons, and steering cars; building hand‑eye coordination, quick thinking, and logic with every lap. Perfect for family playdates or solo play, it’s packed with motion, colors, and problem‑solving fun that keeps little minds and bodies busy!

School-Aged Kids:

Balloon Launcher Car Set

Launching balloons is like a mini rocket show for little hand- kids power up their motor planning, strength, and coordination while cheering for each big lift-off, and our speech therapists love all the chances for language that pop up with every launch!

Snap Circuits Beginner

A fun, constructional game great for working on fine and visual motor skills or even daily living skills such as snaps or buttons! Also great for following directions. This one is especially popular with science lovers and builders!

WordSnap Puzzling Word Game

Snap together letters, make new words, and watch the puzzle grow. This clever game boosts vocabulary, spelling awareness, and problem-solving skills. Therapists love using WordSnap to encourage phonemic awareness, turn-taking, and collaborative play that feels like a friendly brain‑teaser.

Magna-Tiles Micro Mags

If you love Magna-tiles, don’t miss this mini set! Perfect for travel and would make an awesome stocking stuffer! Just like their bigger counterparts, Magna-tiles are awesome for working on fine and visual motor skills and promoting early language concepts, like color, size, shape, and position words!

Ezy Roller Classic

Roll into active outdoor fun with the multi-award-winning EzyRoller! Propelled by wiggling feet, kids practice coordination, balance, and gross motor skills while mastering turns and speed. Durable and adjustable to grow with your child, it’s perfect for races, obstacle courses, or relay adventures- full-body fitness included!

Gecko Run Marble Run

If you love marble runs, this twisty maze is your next obsession! Build it, drop the marbles, and watch them glide through daring loops and ramps. Therapists love how it supports problem-solving, spatial reasoning, and fine motor planning, while kids stay engaged as they tinker, experiment, and conquer each challenge.

Key-Bored LED Fidget Toy

This light-up keychain turns fidgeting into a light show- perfect for little hands to twist, click, and switch. Our therapists love how it supports focus, self-regulation, and fine motor control, especially for kids who need a calming, tactile outlet.

Twister Tracks Racing Set

Build it, bend it, and let it glow! This 11-foot flexible track snaps together in endless shapes, and the LED-lit car leaves a neon trail that’s pure magic in the dark. Therapists love how it strengthens spatial reasoning, planning skills, and hand–eye coordination- plus, it's just so satisfying to watch that glowing car race around!

Magic Gold Edition

Unleash big-time wonder with over 150 jaw-dropping tricks- balls vanish, coins appear, ropes float, and metal bends like magic! Therapists love how it builds confidence, presentation skills, and fine motor dexterity while kids practice patience, sequencing, and creative problem-solving.

SPEKS Fidget Magnets

These durable, squishy silicone magnets are perfect for older kids who need something tactile and calming- the kind of clever stocking stuffer that fits in a pocket or backpack. Therapists love how they support focus, sensory regulation, and creativity, whether kids use them at home, in the car, or on the go.

KerPlunk

KerPlunk keeps kids on the edge of their seats as they carefully remove sticks without spilling the balls. Therapists love how it builds fine motor control, patience, and strategic thinking- and because it’s a classic game, it's just as fun for the whole family!

Screwball Scramble Brainteasers

Challenge your brain and your hands! This obstacle board game has kids maneuvering the ball through twists, turns, and ramps using knobs, buttons, and levers. It’s a fun way to build hand-eye coordination, quick reaction time, and logic skills- plus it’s full of interactive visual excitement!