The Speech Source SLP-Approved Gift Guide 🎁
When it comes to speech and language development, toys aren’t just for fun—they help children build communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and social interaction. Here’s an easy-to-follow gift guide packed with SLP-approved recommendations to make your shopping easier. 🎄
🎉 Big Ticket Items – Worth the Investment
These toys provide long-lasting value and encourage motor skills, creativity, and imaginative play.
Blu Track Classic Starter Set: Endless race track designs for creativity and problem-solving.
Nugget Chunk Ottoman: Perfect for climbing, building, and indoor play adventures.
Water Table: Encourages sensory exploration and social interaction.
Ride-on Toys / Balance Bikes: Great for upper body coordination
Micro Kickboard: Great for balance
Picasso Tiles Race Track – Great for problem solving skills and kids who love to build
Melissa & Doug Wooden Play Kitchen & Cutting Food Set: Supports pretend play and vocabulary growth.
🌟 Family Favorites – Engaging Across Ages
Toys that keep children coming back for more!
Magic Cube Magnetic Blocks: Encourages fine motor skills and creativity.
Potato Head Super Spud: Classic toy fostering imaginative play.
Farm Animal Figurines with Matching Cards (by SpriteGru): Builds animal vocabulary. Also have jungle, Dino and ocean animals.
Doodle Board LED Tablet: A mess-free way to practice writing and drawing.
B. Toys Critter Clinic: Imaginative play with a fun vet clinic theme.
Fisher Price cash register: Fine and gross motor practice
Melissa & Doug Wooden Stack & Count Parking Garage and Nesting Garage: Develops sorting and counting skills.
🎁 Stocking Stuffers – Small but Mighty
Great toys for quick play sessions or on-the-go entertainment.
Dinosaur Wooden Stacking Blocks: Enhances fine motor skills.
Wind-up Toys & Parachute People: Fun surprises for sensory play.
Mini Pocket Microscope: Encourages discovery and exploration.
Rainbow Emotion Fidget Poppers: Helps kids regulate emotions.
Surprise Eggs & Ball Popper Toys: Add a fun twist to any gift!
Glider Plane: Anticipating where it will land!
Zero Gravity Car: Directional practice with remote control
Grabber: Functional and also fun to practice hand strength and picking things up
📚 Books – Fostering Literacy and Language
Books that spark curiosity, repetition, and storytelling.
All Better by Henning Löhlein: Interactive storytelling with visual cues.
If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen: A series that inspires creativity and curiosity.
My First Search and Find: Develops focus and object identification.
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle: Teaches body part vocabulary through actions.
Who Would Win complete series by Jerry Pallotta: Fun, early nonfiction concepts.
Polk A Dot: Fine motor practice and great farm vocabulary
The Gruffalo: Witty story about a made up creature with comprehension questions for all ages
🧩 Games – Build Social and Language Skills through Play
Games that promote communication, teamwork, and turn-taking.
Zingo! by ThinkFun: A matching game that builds vocabulary.
First Orchard by HABA: Teaches teamwork and basic counting.
Hi Ho! Cherry-O & Don’t Break the Ice: Develop motor skills and patience.
Spot It Jr.: Enhances visual recognition and matching.
Charades & Guess Who? (People and Pets Edition): Promotes critical thinking and social interaction.
Rush Hour: Problem solving and logic game.
Uno: An easy card game to work on turn taking skills.
🎨 Toys for Big Kids (Ages 6+) – Fostering Growth and Creativity
Challenging activities that inspire thinking and collaboration.
LEGO Technic STEM Kits: Encourages creativity and engineering skills.
Learning Resources Conversation Cubes: Great for storytelling and sequencing.
Battleship: Teaches planning and strategy.
Arts & Crafts Chest: Promotes fine motor skills and self-expression.
Walkie-Talkies: Endless fun for role-play and communication development.
Yoto mini: Great for audio books.
Laser tag: Great for teaching appropriate safety and boundaries
Glow basketball: Fun to play in the dark!
Mini Karaoke Machine and Microphone: Fun to use when singing but also practicing spelling, speech, etc
Large Glider: Fly straightaway or do loop-de-loops
Glow football: Another fun one to play in the dark!
For more play inspiration that is broken down into detailed recommendations based on age ranges and play stages - from infants discovering new sounds to preschoolers building stories, sign up below! Over 15 pages of detailed ways to use toys to develop speech and language skills from birth to 5 years old.
For more play ideas and speech tips, follow us on Instagram @thespeechsource or listen to the Speech Source Podcast for expert advice.
Some of the links in this post are like hidden treasure—if you discover something you love and make a purchase, we may earn a small reward at no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win: You get awesome gifts, and we get to keep sharing fun recommendations!