A few years ago I made my first and last foray into Babies R Us. I was looking for some new manipulative toys for my youngest occupational therapy patients. I was shocked to find that almost every toy on the shelves was electronic...even old classics like a ring stacker and the Fisher Price popcorn push toy! I left, disappointed, but heartened to know that I will have job security. I felt certain that the upcoming generation will be able to do little with their hands except push a button, so there will be a great need for occupational therapists!

Admittedly, I evaluate the value of a toy from a therapist's point of view. So I look for toys that develop motor and perceptual skills that lay the foundation for success in school and everyday life. With this end in mind, these are the toys I consider essential.

1. Blocks and Duplos. These building toys help develop fine motor skills and perceptual skills such as spatial relations, as well as imagination and creativity. Duplos have the added value of promoting bilateral coordination, that is, the coordination of the two hands together.

2. High quality puzzles. Sadly, these are hard to find. The mass market wooden puzzles available in large chain stores are of poor quality. They are cut in non-descript blocks which have no relation to the parts of the picture. High quality preschool puzzles are cut along "logical lines," with each piece representing a part of the picture. They help develop spatial relations, fine motor skills, and motor planning. These puzzles can be found at educational supply companies such as Lakeshore.

3. Bean bags. Bean bags lend themselves to a variety of activities. They are easier to catch than a small ball and you don't have to spend half the time chasing a missed throw. They can be thrown into boxes or empty trash cans, or thrown at a pyramid of empty soda cans or bottles. You can cut an empty plastic milk jug to make a big scoop and try to throw a bean bag up in the air and catch it in your scoop (great for eye hand coordination and bilateral coordination).

4. A big storage container of sand or rice. Fill a large rectangular storage container with dry rice or sand and add a variety of cups, scoops, and toy shovels. Bury small toys like plastic animals in the sand for a treasure hunt. Digging and scooping helps develop the small muscles of the hand and gives great sensory input.

5. A swing. Swings have been disappearing from public parks and school playgrounds over the last decade or so. I suppose it's a liability issue. It's a shame, because swings provide great vestibular stimulation, which helps the brain and nervous system develop balance, coordination of eye movement, and integration of many sensory pathways. There's no need to invest in an elaborate, expensive swing set if you have a big tree. Hang an old fashioned tire swing or one of those wooden disc swings on a rope...they are better anyway, since they can either swing in a linear motion or rotate.

So, that's my short list of essential toys. No, they're not flashy or high tech. But they will help a preschooler develop some of the necessary skills he or she will need down the road. And, besides that, they're fun and don't need batteries!

Learn more about this author, Galen Gregory.
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