The Only 10 Toys Your Child Will Ever Need (Part 2)

Discover the final 5 toys that grow with your child from ages 2-12 in this must-listen episode for parents seeking smart toy investments. Toy expert and mom Charlene reveals surprising ways to use puzzles, puppets, board games, magnet tiles, and building blocks across every developmental stage. Learn why these classic toys deserve prime playroom real estate and how they transform from baby entertainment to teen learning tools. Plus, get creative play hacks that'll make you see these everyday toys in a whole new light. Download the free PDF guide at toybox.playroomchronicles.com/top10.

Are you tired of buying toys your kids outgrow in months? In this game-changing episode, discover 5 versatile toys that grow with kids from toddlerhood through the teenage years, delivering incredible play value for over a decade.

Toy expert and parent consultant Charlene shares the final installment of her revolutionary "Toy Capsule" series, revealing why puzzles, puppets, board games, magnet tiles, and building blocks deserve a permanent spot in every playroom.

What You'll Learn:

• How to transform simple puzzles into treasure hunts, math games, and art projects
• Why puppets are secret weapons for emotional intelligence and tough conversations
• Board game hacks that build focus and executive functioning skills
• Unexpected ways teens use "baby" toys like magnet tiles for school projects
• Building block activities that teach entrepreneurship and storytelling

Perfect for Parents Who Want:

• Toys with lasting value and versatility
• Screen-free play options for multiple ages
• Educational toys that don't feel like learning
• Practical tips for maximizing toy investments
• Ideas for independent play activities

This episode includes real-life examples from Charlene's home, creative play variations for each age group, and insider tips from her toy industry expertise. Whether you're decluttering your playroom or shopping for toys that'll last, this episode will transform how you think about children's play.

Episode Highlights:

• The puppet technique that helps kids open up about school problems
• Why Charlene's teenager uses magnet tiles for chemistry homework
• How 20 building blocks became a complete marketing campaign
• Board game modifications that turn kids into critical thinkers
• The puzzle hack that teaches coding concepts without screens

Download your free Toy Capsule PDF guide featuring all 10 essential toys and age-specific play ideas at playroomchronicles.com/top10. Connect with Charlene on Instagram and Facebook @playroomchronicles for daily play inspiration and behind-the-scenes toy tips.

Keywords: toys that grow with kids, versatile toys, educational toys, screen-free play, toy rotation, playroom organization, developmental toys, STEM toys, creative play ideas, independent play, toy capsule, minimalist toys, long-lasting toys, play-based learning

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Website: PlayroomChronicles.com

Transcript

Charlene DeLoach

00:00

So my teenager just used our magnet tiles to create a custom physics project that blew his teacher's mind. And these are the same tiles he was drooling on as a baby. Hey, Play Pals, welcome back to the podcast. And oh my goodness, I'm so excited to share the final five toys from my top 10 toy capsule series with you today.

00:24

So as you know, the previous episode, I shared those first five toys. And after I did so, I got the sweetest message from my mom in Ohio who said she literally went to her basement, found this old bowling ball set for when her kids were toddlers, and her 11-year-old ended up using it for a science fair project on velocity. I mean, come on. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

00:51

And let me tell you, just like the previous five, these next five ones might surprise you too. Because when I tell other parents that puzzles and puppets are in my top 10 toys list, they sometimes look at me like really Charlene puppets. But stick with me here because I hope I can blow your mind with how versatile these toys are and how much play possibilities they will bring to your playroom. Okay.

01:20

So let's start with puzzles. This will be our number five in our top 10 countdown. But I know what you're thinking. Puzzles are puzzles, right? Like you take the pieces and you put them together. But here is where it gets fun. So when my kids were little, and if you have little ones at home too, take those chunky puzzles. You know, the ones that are like just 20 or 30 pieces, but they're like big pieces.

01:49

hide them all around the house. It's like a treasure hunt meets puzzle time. So they have to run around and find all the pieces before they can even start putting the puzzles together. And let me tell you, it definitely keeps a toddler and preschooler busy on a rainy day. It's also teaching them a lot of things like some critical thinking skills, employing those ideas of like, where could it be?

02:15

And then, of course, they get that aspect and that play value of putting the puzzle together. But here's some other ideas when kids start to get to, you know, again, that preschool or elementary school aged time period is you take those same puzzles, right? The ones that they were running around and trying to collect around the house, putting together those, you know, 30 big pieces. Now they're like, oh, this is boring. These are big. They're smarter now. They can put it all together. Well, now flip them over and write.

02:45

numbers on the back, like one through 30 or whatever. And now your kid has to put the puzzle together by the numbers and not the picture. It's like puzzle math. Or use the alphabet instead. And now they're learning letter sequencing while they're playing. And of course, those puzzles that our kids are using when they're babies and preschoolers and elementary school age, well, later on, of course, they become artwork.

03:14

In fact, my friend mounted her daughter's favorite farm puzzle and it's hanging in their playroom. And if you're willing to put a little work in yourself, well, you know what? You put it together and the right puzzle can actually be gorgeous nursery room decor too. But as kids get to the tween and teen phases, those puzzle pieces can become game pieces. You can use them if you're like missing a checker. Well, puzzle piece to rescue.

03:44

It can be even sorting activities. Like if you have a hundred piece puzzle, a lot of those you can get and be like, okay, I want you to take all the pieces that have blue in it and put them in that pile and all the pieces that have flowers in it, put it in that pile. Just those sorting activities alone without even having to put the puzzle together is such rich educational opportunities. Now let's move on to number four, which are puppets. Oh my gosh, puppets. I know. But frankly,

04:12

these little guys can be therapy, entertainment, and education all rolled into one. So of course, when you have a baby and they're little, you can use a puppet just to make silly faces. Precious giggles that I just love hearing babies make. But fast forward a couple of years, now that puppet, of course, can be used for that amazing Broadway show that your toddler and preschooler can put on, which is really, really fun.

04:41

But then as they get to the elementary school age and even the tween phases, that same puppet can become the safe space for tough conversations. In fact, I will never forget when one of my kids was about seven, I think it was. They wouldn't tell me why they were upset about something at school. But Mr. Fuzzy, the puppet? Oh, well, they told him everything. So it's like this puppet can create an emotional...

05:10

offer that makes hard things easier to talk about. But for those parents that are listening right now and you have a visual learner, well, puppets can be gold. Because, you know, if they're having a hard time understanding the concepts of the story or having a hard time sitting still listening to the story, well, hand them a puppet. And suddenly they're acting out the whole plot of Charlotte's Web.

05:39

Or you can be using the puppet as you're reading the story as well. So it feels like they're not just hearing it, but they're living it. And then, of course, when middle school rolls around and they need to do that, you know, Shakespeare unit, well, guess who already knows how to use puppets to bring characters to life? So that is one of the reasons why puppets have also made my top 10 toy list. Okay, number three, board games, which I know is pretty obvious, but...

06:09

i actually could go on and on for hours about board games but here's what you really need to know yes they're amazing for family game night right but they're also really sneaky teachers so number one you when you play a game a board game you have kids learning how to focus for extended periods of time and let's be honest in our

06:33

current TikTok world, you know, being able to focus for extended periods is a superpower now, but ones that we do need to cultivate in our kids and board games are a sneaky way to do that. And also there are a great skill building tool for younger kids. And when you start with the classics, like say Candyland actually teaches color recognition and counting and shoots and ladders. Well, that's consequences and rewards and action.

07:02

But as kids also get older, especially when they're tweens and teens, challenge them to hack the board games. So how would you change Monopoly to make it more fair? Or can you create an expansion pack for Clue, right? Suddenly you have critical thinkers and future game designers on your hands. And for my friends with neurodiverse kiddos,

07:28

Board games can be incredible for working on executive functioning skills. You know, taking turns, following multi-step directions, managing emotions when you land on that slide and shoot some ladders. It's all therapy disguised as fun. And in our house, we actually use old board games as wall art when we're done with them. Okay, here we go. Number two, magnet tiles.

07:58

Now, listen, if you don't have magnet tiles in your house, some version, we need to talk. Because frankly, these things are like the Swiss army knife of toys. So when I want to say babies loosely, because depending on the magnet tiles that you have, there are. Because the magnets, you know, some age rating ratings, but basically younger kids love the click, click sound that they make, right? It is sensory heaven. And they're also kind of learning like, oh, hey, like I put it this way and it sticks and I have to pull it apart and let's try it again, right? It's that cause and effect fun that the little ones are starting to enjoy from a sensory experience, but they're learning their brain power. And of course, preschoolers, yep.

08:46

building the towers and washing them crash, right? Learning cause and effect like little tiny scientists, just having fun with that creative aspect of it, maybe making it into like a car wash or, you know, the dream home, all the things, the classic way of playing with magnetic tiles. But here's where a lot of parents miss the magic. Lay those tiles flat too and create roads for toy cars.

09:13

or even double them up, and now they're roads for a remote control car. And when you create the roads, you can also use them to teach kids how to learn directions. So create a whole little map, basically, and then drive your car north for two tiles. Now turn east and go four tiles. You're teaching geography and coding concepts without a screen. And my teenager, the one I mentioned earlier,

09:42

He used magnet tiles for a lot of things at school. It was great for geometry and the architecture class, 3D modeling. They're physical objects that kids can go, oh, volume, how to figure out the perimeter. The idea is, oh yeah, you're learning the square root. It's great visual activity for those math classes. And then for those creative kids, frankly,

10:12

all ages. Magnetiles, you get some painter's tape and put it on those windows of the Barbie dream house. And next thing you know, there are stained glass windows for the dollhouse and can also be a backdrop for stop motion videos, like so many things that kids can figure out to create really cool things for their social media platforms if your kids are on it.

10:39

I mean, seriously, the possibilities are endless with magnet tiles. So definitely one of the reasons why I have them in my top 10 toy list. And again, as I mentioned in the previous episode, yes, this is number one, but not number one as in like the top 10, you know, musical countdown and number one is like the best of the best. There's no order, if you will, in all of this. It's just these are my top 10.

11:04

each have a similar weight, if you will, through it. So don't read too much into being number one, but the final one that is in my top 10 are basically bricks and blocks. So if you've listened to my previous episodes, you know how much I especially love bricks, but even good old fashioned wooden blocks, or there's some amazing materials of blocks out there now.

11:29

gorgeous silicone recyclable kind of blocks that are great to have definitely figure out which you know works best for you but of course you know building bricks we all know and love as well but in general when kids are little of course they're learning how to stick and pull apart you can take a whole pile of them and have them have to sort by color

11:54

They can line them up in a row and ask them to put it in the order of a rainbow. You can, even with different bricks, they have those little, I'm sure there's a correct terminology for it, but the little pieces that make bricks, bricks with those little bumps on it. Well, as you know, there's ones that only have a one bump on it and another one has two and four, right? You can then actually use them as visual math encouragement. Be like, okay, this is four.

12:23

plus six. What is it? And then they have to go get some more bricks and put it together to equal the number. I mean, there's so many educational ways that you can play with bricks. That is probably a whole episode on its own. Needless to say, the possibilities of patterning and sequencing and educational opportunities outside of just using them to build something is sky's the limit, basically. But one of my favorite

12:53

block hats, if you will, are using them for storytelling prompts. So I know I mentioned this in a previous episode, but the idea is you give your child 20 random pieces and say, build me a creature that you came across in an enchanted forest. And then they can take those 20 pieces and only those 20 pieces to do so. So not only are you encouraging their creativity, but you're

13:18

you're actually limiting them to that 20. So you're amping the credibility factor and really encouraging them to push their muscles a little bit. I think sometimes with kids, they have access to so many things, but you're like, you know what? I want you to actually pretend that you only have these 20 things, these 20 pieces, and that's all you get and you have to figure it out. Just in and of itself, that is a lesson learned, let alone.

13:43

what they end up coming up with it, right? We've all watched Apollo 13 where they were only handed whatever it was that was on the Apollo to create how they saved them. Well, it's that critical thinking skill that you're also teaching kids as well with this kind of prompt. But for older kiddos, you can take it a step forward, if you will, which is asking them to tell you about it.

14:09

Give a story. Have them write a story about this creature that they developed with those 20 random pieces. Have them write a little story about what does it eat? Where does it sleep? Is it friendly? What's its name? Now you've turned building time into a creative writing practice. And then for older kids, those same 20 pieces can become entrepreneurship training.

14:35

Instead of saying to, say, my daughter, you know, build me a creature you'd find in an enchanted forest, I would say to her, create a product with these 20 pieces and pitch it to me. And one time she did it and she created like an ice cream with an elaborate flavor. I forget what she called it. We'll say unicorn dreams, rainbow sprinkle or something like that. But instead of having to write a story about it.

15:00

I had her write a marketing campaign about it. She had the price point and obviously the name, and she came up with the logo and what kind of stores that she would have to sell it. I mean, it was super fun, but it was the prompt that came from the Legos that she was building with a set when she was five. So that's the point here. Now, going back to blocks. Well, blocks, yes, again, same thing, stack them.

15:28

kids can create structures can knock them over right super fun but pull them out when the kids are playing with a remote control car now they can drive and try to knock it over that way or they can be used with those bowling sets it's behind the bowling set so once the pins fall over? Can they then knock the block tower over, right? You're now teaching them cause and effect. You're showing them, oh, hey, if I do this, I can now create a whole sequence of things that are going to happen. And you're really training them into STEM concepts while they're doing that. And then even taking blocks in the same way I was telling you about magnet tiles, think about not going up, but going out. Have them placed on the floor. You can even create like little

16:16

not tunnels per se, but like bumper sides, if you will. And now they can drive their cars through it or they can be directing their remote control car through it. There's so many things that you can use with blocks that they were, you know, banging together when they were two. And sure enough, those blocks are great for high school architecture projects or backdrops for school dioramas, right? There's so many things. So definitely do not get rid.

16:44

of those magnet tiles, those blocks, those bricks. And then of course, those board games and those puzzles and those puppets. Those are key pieces to complete your toy capsule. And between those five from the previous episode and these five, these 10 toys will literally take your children from the baby days to graduation. And the best part, most of you probably already have these somewhere in your house.

17:11

Time to dig them out and see them with a fresh set of eyes this summer in particular. Oh, and before I forget, if you are more of a visual person or you want something to stick on your fridge as a reminder, head over to toybox.playroomchronicles.com slash top 10. And I also have the link in the show notes as well. And you can have this great PDF waiting for you with

17:39

all the 10 toys listed out. So I love to hear what toy surprised you the most. Find me on Facebook or Instagram at Playroom Chronicles and tell me about it. Did you have an aha moment? Did you find something really cool somewhere in the basement? Did you realize you've been sitting on a goldmine of play possibilities? Did your teen actually create a board game hack this summer? Share with me. I really love to know. And hey, if this episode helped you see toys in a new way,

18:08

please hit that subscribe button. I would really, really appreciate it because each month I'm here trying to share real practical play solutions for real parents who are just trying to raise awesome humans without losing their minds in the process. So until next time, Play Pals, remember the best toy is the one that grows with your child. So go dig out those puzzles and let the magic begin.