Top 25 toys for kids that strengthen their executive functioning
Executive functioning skills are crucial for children’s development, affecting their ability to plan, focus, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. These skills are essential for academic success, social interactions, and daily life activities.
Let’s explore the top 25 toys that can help strengthen these executive functioning skills in children. Each toy has been carefully selected for its ability to enhance specific aspects of executive functioning, providing both fun and educational value.
This post was created by Marra Robert, OTD, OTRL and contains affiliate links.
Hi! My name is Marra and I’m a mama and a pediatric occupational therapist who has years of experience working with children with autism and helping their parents navigate the ups and downs of child development.
I loved being a support person for parents learning about child development, executive functioning, sensory processing, and their child’s individual needs.
I would often recommend to families toys or games to help improve their child’s executive functioning and developmental skills. I’d like to share the most common recommendations with you.
This post is all about the top 25 toys that strengthen executive functioning skills for children of all ages and developmental stage. There is something on this list for every child at any stage. Let’s talk more about executive functioning!
What is Executive Functioning?
Executive functioning refers to a set of cognitive processes that are necessary for the cognitive control of behavior. These processes include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control.
Children with strong executive functioning skills can manage their thoughts, actions, and emotions to achieve goals. These skills develop over time and can be nurtured through targeted activities and play.
Importance of Executive Functioning in Child Development
Developing executive functioning skills is essential for children as it lays the foundation for learning and social interaction. Children with well-developed executive functioning skills can follow instructions, stay focused, and handle multiple tasks efficiently.
These skills also play a significant role in emotional regulation, problem-solving, and decision-making. Enhancing executive functioning through play can help children build resilience, improve academic performance, and navigate social situations with greater ease.
Top 25 Toys to Strengthen Executive Functioning
Melissa & Doug Suspend Family Game
Description: This balancing game challenges children to think critically and plan their moves carefully.
Benefits: Enhances problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and strategic thinking.
ThinkFun Rush Hour Traffic Jam Logic Game
Description: A sliding block logic game where players must navigate a red car out of a gridlocked traffic jam.
Benefits: Improves critical thinking, planning, and patience. Encourages persistence as children work through increasingly difficult levels.
LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box
Description: A box of assorted LEGO bricks in various shapes and colors that encourages creative building.
Benefits: Promotes creativity, planning, and fine motor skills. It also helps with spatial awareness and problem-solving as children design and build structures.
Hape Quadrilla Wooden Marble Run Construction
Description: A marble run set that includes colorful wooden blocks, rails, and marbles, allowing children to build complex tracks.
Benefits: Enhances spatial awareness, planning, and problem-solving skills. It also fosters creativity and fine motor coordination.
SmartGames IQ Twist
Description: A compact puzzle game where children must place twisted pieces on a grid according to specific rules provided in the challenge booklet.
Benefits: Develops logical thinking, planning, and spatial reasoning. The game’s portable nature makes it great for on-the-go brain exercises.
Osmo - Genius Starter Kit for iPad
Description: An interactive learning kit that combines physical play with digital games, including activities for math, spelling, and drawing.
Benefits: Enhances problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking. The blend of tangible and digital elements supports various learning styles.
Catan Board Game
Description: A strategy game where players collect resources and build settlements, roads, and cities to earn points.
Benefits: Improves strategic planning, negotiation skills, and decision-making. Encourages social interaction and teamwork.
Perplexus Epic 3D Maze Game
Description: A 3D maze enclosed in a transparent sphere that challenges children to navigate a small ball through an intricate course.
Benefits: Enhances hand-eye coordination, patience, and problem-solving. The maze’s complexity promotes perseverance and fine motor skil
Kanoodle
Description: A 3D puzzle game with over 200 challenges, where children must fit colorful pieces into a compact case.
Benefits: Develops spatial reasoning, critical thinking, and planning. The increasing difficulty of the puzzles helps build cognitive flexibility.
Q-bitz
Description: A visual dexterity game where players race to recreate patterns using cubes with different shapes on each side.
Benefits: Improves visual-spatial skills, memory, and pattern recognition. Encourages quick thinking and concentration.
Simon Electronic Memory Game
Description: A classic electronic game that tests memory and concentration by challenging players to repeat increasingly complex sequences of lights and sounds.
Benefits: Enhances working memory, attention, and sequential processing. It also promotes patience and self-control.
Bananagrams
Description: A fast-paced word game where players race to create a grid of interconnected words using letter tiles.
Benefits: Improves vocabulary, spelling, and cognitive flexibility. Encourages quick thinking and problem-solving under time constraints.
Mastermind Game
Description: A code-breaking game where one player sets a code and the other must deduce it using logic and deduction.
Benefits: Enhances logical reasoning, problem-solving, and strategic planning. Encourages critical thinking and attention to detail.
Blokus Strategy Game
Description: A spatial strategy game where players fit their pieces onto a board while blocking their opponents.
Benefits: Develops spatial reasoning, planning, and strategic thinking. Encourages foresight and adaptability as players respond to opponents’ moves.
Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure
Description: A cooperative video game that features characters from Pixar films and requires problem-solving and teamwork.
Benefits: Enhances teamwork, problem-solving, and cognitive flexibility. Promotes collaboration and communication skills.
Sequence for Kids
Description: A strategy game where players match animal cards to a game board and aim to get four in a row.
Benefits: Improves strategic planning, attention, and memory. Encourages turn-taking and social interaction.
Gravity Maze Marble Run Logic Game
Description: A marble run game where players must build a path for the marble to reach the target using provided pieces.
Benefits: Enhances logical reasoning, spatial awareness, and problem-solving. The challenges progressively increase in difficulty, promoting perseverance.
Labyrinth Board Game
Description: A game where players navigate a shifting maze to collect treasures and reach their goals.
Benefits: Develops strategic thinking, planning, and spatial reasoning. Encourages adaptability as the maze constantly changes.
Robot Turtles Game
Description: A game that introduces coding concepts to young children through fun and interactive gameplay.
Benefits: Enhances logical thinking, problem-solving, and planning. Encourages creativity and an understanding of basic programming principles.
Code Master Programming Logic Game
Description: A single-player game that teaches programming logic through a series of increasingly complex puzzles.
Benefits: Develops logical thinking, problem-solving, and sequential processing. Encourages systematic thinking and perseverance.
Ticket to Ride
Description: A strategy board game where players build train routes across North America.
Benefits: Improves strategic planning, decision-making, and resource management. Encourages spatial reasoning and foresight.
Scrabble
Description: A classic word game where players create words on a game board using letter tiles to score points.
Benefits: Enhances vocabulary, spelling, and cognitive flexibility. Promotes strategic thinking and problem-solving as players optimize their word choices.
The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
Description: A game where players use fine motor skills to collect acorns and fill their logs.
Benefits: Develops fine motor skills, strategic thinking, and color recognition. Encourages turn-taking and social interaction.
Rush-a-Bot
Description: A game that teaches children about programming through robot movement challenges.
Benefits: Enhances logical thinking, problem-solving, and planning. Promotes creativity and an understanding of basic programming principles.
Carcassonne Board Game
Description: A tile-placement game where players build cities, roads, and farms, scoring points based on their placements.
Benefits: Develops strategic thinking, planning, and spatial reasoning. Encourages foresight and adaptability as the board evolves.
Choosing the right toys can make a significant difference in developing your child’s executive functioning skills. These skills are crucial for their overall growth, influencing their academic performance, social interactions, and daily life.
By integrating these toys into playtime, you can provide a fun and engaging way to strengthen these essential skills. Remember, the goal is to make learning enjoyable and to encourage children to think critically, solve problems, and plan ahead. Happy playing!