Today’s gift guide is all about preschoolers! At this age, children will begin saying more complex sentences filled with spatial concepts, adjectives, and a variety of verbs and pronouns. Preschoolers begin to understand figures of speech and follow more than 2 step directions. By 4-5, the following sounds are expected to be mastered: /v, s, z, sh, ch, j, l, th (Voiced), zh, r/ and children should be 100% intelligible.

The items listed below includes a variety of toys to encourage continued speech, language, cognitive, and fine motor development. Enjoy our picks!

Stay tuned for our last gift guide of the series, which focuses on school-aged children!

The following includes OWLS Therapy Amazon Affiliate links.

DUPlo Set

Duplo blocks are easier for little hands to manipulate and are a great toy for executive function, language, attention and play skills. This is a wonderful set on community helpers. Perfect for a garbage truck lover!

There was an old lady
who swallowed a birthday cake

Any book from the “There Was an Old Lady” series always gets a few laughs! There is a themed book for just about every holiday!

Puzzle

This puzzle can be used to teach object function and location, such as a lunch box holds food, or a cow goes in a barn. It can also be used for object identification, following directions, and vocabulary expansion. Plus, the opening and closing of doors is so interactive! A favorite puzzle of ours!

ball popper

A fun ball popper! Pop the balls to all over and have your child describe where it landed! “Big pops” and “little pops”, aim the popper “up” or “down”, take turns sharing with others- so many language opportunities!

FRUIT CUT

An interactive fruit set for pretend play and fine motor skills. This play food set can also be used to introduce basic concepts (part, whole) and counting.

MAGNA tiles

A well-loved toy – full of endless possibilities!

Search and Find book

Search & Find Books are interactive and great for speech and language skills. These books can encourage object identification, visual scanning, attention, matching same/different, spatial concepts (under, on top, in front of, etc.) asking/answering questions, and so much more! A favorite!

Monster Toys

An innovative toy that includes regular and mini-sized sized creatures in a variety of shapes and colors. These animals suction to a variety of surfaces and make a POP when pulled apart. Have your child follow directions (“i.e. put the blue animal on the window”) or describe an object’s location (i.e. “it’s under the couch!”). A great toy for imaginative thinking and motor skills, too!

kinetic sand

Kinetic sand provides a variety of sensory experiences. Great for fine motor play, creative thinking, and, social emotional development, as it provides a calming experience for little ones. Put in a container with sand toys or mini objects for a fun, messy sensory experience! We recommend caregivers oversee play with this one!

Stand tower

A stool that helps little ones safely reach the counter. Perfect for children who are interested in helping in the kitchen or washing their hands independently! The stool can easily be wiped down and folded for storage.

Silly scent Markers

Smelly markers are always a favorite of young children! So fun for any arts and crafts activities.

About the Author

Janene Besch

Director/Speech-Language Pathologist

Janene Besch, née Martin, holds a Master’s degree in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego. Janene is a member of the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology
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