Toys for all ages

When it comes to buying gifts/toys for your kids there are a million possibilities.  It is hard to know if they will like them, play with them, if they are worth the money, etc.

Here are a few items that we have in our house that have been a great investment and all of the kids enjoy them!  We have children that range in age from 19 months to 8 years old and all of them really do use all of these toys.  They are also great for both boys and girls. 

• Kangaroo Climber - We put this outside in the spring/summer/fall and it goes in our basement in the winter.  The kids love to play on this as well as use it as a house for their babies, animals, etc.
• Easel - The kids use this to play school and it is a great way to play pictionary with the kids too!
• Ball Pit - The ball pit we have is a little different than this but it is a hit with the kids! 
• Picnic Table - We use our picnic table all the time!  It is outside for the warmer months and we have it in our basement when it is cooler.  It isn't very heavy, so you can easily move it wherever you want it.  We often have it in the sandbox and the kids play kitchen in the sand.
• Teeter totter - A great item that can be used inside and outside.  This has mostly been used by the bigger kids but I think the little girls will love it this summer
• Sand/Water Table - Yet another inside/outside item!  There are endless possibilities as to what you can put in this table and the cover has a track on it to use for little cars, etc. 
• Play Tent - We have a fold up tent that we got at Target but these are great as well.  They use it for hide and seek, pretend it is a home for animals/babies, bring toys in to play, etc.
• White board - We have a giant whiteboard and we often play pictionary as a family. It is a great way to engage everyone on a cold winter night!
• Play Kitchen - You can't go wrong with a play kitchen set, food and accessories.  All of our kids play with this for endless hours.
• Bike Trailer - Not everyone likes to bike but if you do, I would suggest getting a bike trailer to pull your kids in. 
• Play Tunnel - This is great for kids when they start crawling but it is also great for kids as they get older. 
• Little Tykes basketball hoop - These hoops are great because they adjust to your child's height so it can work for many ages
• Graco Play Strollers - Even our son plays with a stroller once in a while.  They are a great toy to help your little one learn to walk.  They are mostly used for the kids animals and babies. They also use them to hold many other things; play shopping, house, etc.

The items listed above are bigger items that may cost more than you want to spend, so here are some inexpensive items that serve the purpose of being useful to many ages and both boys and girls:

• Balls - the kids are always up for dodge ball, catch, etc.
• Coloring books/markers/paint  - coloring never gets old.  For the older kids they have coloring or painting by number which can make it a little harder for them
• Puzzles  - big and small  - they make puzzles for just about any age now.  And the older kids can help the younger kids
• Legos - there are so many possibilities for legos!
• Blocks
• Play animals
• Stuffed animals/webkinz  - our older kids love playing with their webkinz and the little ones just think they are a normal stuffed animal so all can enjoy.
• Play doh
• Sidewalk chalk
• Scooters
• Jump ropes - the big kids use these the right way and the little girls use them to drag each other around!

If your kids are anything like our kids, just spending time together is a gift in itself.  They love to hang out at home watching movies, going for walks/bike rides, going to the park, playing board games, etc.  One thing we incorporated this year for the older kids was date night around their birthday.  They get a special date with mom and a special date with dad.  This special one on one time was the best gift we could have given them!  And it was a gift to us as well!  Next time it is time to give a gift, think of something to do together, chances are they will like that even more than any gift you could buy!