You guys probably know how much I love Kmart, and since Jack has come along, I find myself shopping there more than ever. They have some fantastic toys, often at a fraction of the price of other stores. Many of Jack’s toys come from Kmart, so I figured I would do a round up of some of the toys that we consider to be the best Kmart toys for toddlers – plus all are available for $10 or under!!
We are big on open-ended play in our house, so many of the toys we have can be used in a range of different ways and will really grow with Jack. I try to avoid buying him too many “baby toys”, preferring to buy him things he will get enjoyment out of for years to come.
Under each toy I’ve noted the recommended age and when I gave the toy to Jack. Obviously, please take note of the recommended age before giving it to your child. I have given Jack many toys that are 2+ but I have used discretion and monitored him closely while he was playing with them.
WOODEN RAINBOW
It’s likely you’ve see the Grimms Rainbows, which are amazing beautiful, but also around the $100 mark. If you have a rather destructive child like me, you might prefer to go with this $10 rainbow instead. This is a great way to teach young children colours and also stacking, and older kids will play with this imaginatively – using it as hills for a farm, a bridge for a racecar or train, or stacking it up in a variety of ways.
Recommended age 18months+. I gave this to Jack at 12 months supervised. Only issue is he does chew on it and some of the paint has come off. Pieces are too large to choke on
TAMBOURINE
These wooden tambourines are such a fun way to introduce music to little ones, and teach them to hit a drum and shake the tambourine. Plus, they aren’t too noisy that they get on your nerves! Jack has gotten really good at working out how to make different sounds with this, and walks around shaking it. He also likes it when someone plays it for him. At only $7 these are heaps of fun.
Recommended age 2+ I gave this to Jack at 12 months and he got the hang of it really quickly. Just supervise play.
WOODEN XYLOPHONE
This wooden xylophone was Jack’s first ever musical instrument and he loves it. At the start he would just chew on the stick, but after being shown a few times how it could make music, he now bangs away playing songs. This is a great way to let kids experiment with music and creating sound and is fun in conjunction with the tambourine. At only $7 it’s a great value toy to add to the toy box.
Recommended age 2 years+. I gave this to Jack around 10 months. He just chewed on the stick for a while, and then got the idea at around 11-12 months.
BIG EYED PLUSH
These big eyed toys are quite possibly some of Jack’s favourites. They are always releasing new styles and we have some of the old ones which include a whale, a duck, a dog and a panda. Jack loves these things, and they have been hugely helpful in calming him down and helping him nap. At only $3, we have about 10 of them – all for the price of one teddy from another store. If you’re child loves soft toys, they will likely love these!
Recommended age 6months+. Jack got these at around 6 months, and was obsessed with them right away!
WOODEN VEHICLES
There are a range of these wooden vehicles, and at only $5 each, they are a great way to introduce young children to different vehicles. There is a dump truck, bulldozer, police car, and fire truck. These are well made and quite sturdy, even for young children who tend to be a bit rougher. They also roll really well across the floor and are easy enough to be pushed by little hands.
Recommended for 18months+, I gave this to Jack at 13 months.
CUPS
I know this is a bit of a weird one, but this pack of plastic cups has given Jack so much fun. He stacks them up, puts things in them and under them, and has also learnt to drink out of them. Since there’s 5 in a set, we use one for drinking, one in the bath and three for playtime.
Recommended age 12 months+. I gave these to Jack around 9 months
PEG PUZZLES
We have both the ABC puzzle and the number puzzle and they are a great size and easy to hold for little hands. Perfect to help teach numbers and letters, as well as an introduction to puzzles, these are a bargain at only $2 each!
Recommended from 18months+, but Jack played with these supervised from 12 months.
WOODEN ANIMAL BLOCKS
These are so cool for only $8 and I can see Jack playing with these for a long time. They are 9 wooden blocks that have removable animal inserts. Allows children to stack and build with the blocks and play with the animals. Also teaches fine motor skills.
Recommended from 2 years. I haven’t given these to Jack yet as he is still putting things in his mouth and the animals are a bit small.
MUSICAL BALLS
Balls are such a great toy for kids as they teach coordination and throwing and catching skills. We have a couple of musical balls from Kmart – this plastic one and this soft one and Jack loves both. We often roll the ball to him and he will catch it and bring it back over. It’s a simple game that keeps him entertained for ages. When he was younger, he enjoyed shaking the plastic ball like a rattle to make noise. At $3 each, these are another must-have toy in the toy box.
Recommended ages 6 months+. Jack got these around the 5-6 month mark
STACKING RINGS
While we don’t have these exact stacking rings, we have ones very similar and Jack loves them. Stacking rings are another toy that keeps toddlers entertained for ages and can also be used in other forms of play. This is great way to teach colours as well as fine motor skills.
Recommended age 18months+. We gave Jack stacking rings around the 9 month mark – just ensure none are too small.