Toys We Love
At elemenoe, play is at the heart of everything we do — both at home with our own kids and in our clinic with the families we support. We’ve put together a collection of our favorite toys that encourage imagination, cooperation, and communication. These are the tried-and-true toys we reach for again and again… the ones that spark creativity, keep kids engaged, and build meaningful learning moments.
We’ve linked them here so you can explore (and love!) the same tools we use every day!
Open-ended toys for endless play and creativity:
Magna Tiles - These are hands-down the most loved toy in our home and at the clinic. Magna-Tiles spark endless open-ended play… our kids have built everything from castles to dragon lairs. As an SLP and BCBA, we love how naturally they encourage language: using prepositions (‘put it IN the tower’), sequencing (‘first the walls, then the roof’), and cooperation (‘can I have two of your pieces?’). A true staple for creativity, imagination, and communication.
Our kids also love this version with roads and places to visit, like the gas station, police station, and a school!
Magnetic Blocks - These magnetic blocks are another household and clinic favourite — the same open-ended, creative energy that fuels imagination with Magna-Tiles shines here, too. Our kids love discovering new ways to build: towers, tunnels, spaceships, and as an SLP and BCBA, we see language blossom: describing positions (“on top,” “beside”), negotiating (“can I swap a piece with you?”), and planning play sequences (“let’s build step by step”). A perfect pick for creative play + language growth.
Marble Run - This toy is a classic that we love in clinic and at home! Kids assemble track pieces, watch marbles zoom, twist, loop (nice language models, right?!). Kids will love getting creative with this toy that also supports problem-solving, spatial reasoning, and imaginative play!
Toys for early communicators:
Stacking cups - Stacking cups are a versatile toy that can be used in so many ways that the opportunities for language development are endless. Try being silly with them and using them as a hat, or use them as cups to feed animals and stuffies. Try stacking them really tall and then knocking the tower down, or playing with them in the bath and watching the water flow through.
Pop-up toy - We love this cause-and-effect toy for early learners! There are excellent communication temptation opportunities as the child needs your help (at least to start!) to make it come alive by pushing, turning, etc.
Pretend play & language toys
Critter Clinic - This toy is a big hit for pretend play, and as SLPs and BCBAs, we love how it naturally brings out prepositions/words like inside, behind, and on top. It’s both fun and fantastic for building language skills!
Counting Surprise Party - These little presents are such a hit with kids! They love the surprise of opening each one, and we often hide theme-based vocabulary items, speech targets, or tiny toys inside. It’s a fun way to keep kids engaged while targeting language, turn-taking, and problem-solving… plus who doesn’t love a surprise?
Musical toys
Electronic Drum Set - This drum set rolls up, delivers realistic sounds, and can adjust volume (and even use wearing headphones!!). We recently purchased this for the clinic and love the versatility and is great for our music lovers!
Sensory toys
Bubble Machine - We love this bubble machine because it turns play into learning! Kids can press the button to make bubbles, watch them float up, catch and pop them high or low, and practice turn-taking with friends. It’s a fun way to explore action words, spatial concepts, and social skills, all while giggling through a room full of bubbles!
Some of the links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any income earned goes right back into our clinic to help us add new toys and materials for the kids we support. Thank you for helping us grow our collection of play and learning tools!
