Free Toys for Kids
there's no better way to find fun free kids toys

When you know how to think creatively, finding free toys for kids under five years of age is a breeze.

You can uncover fun and free kids toys almost everywhere once you know what to look for.

Find great ideas for cheap and free toys for children here.

Free Toys for Kids Features

Best Kids Toys Good kids toys, bad kids toys - just which are the best kids toys? How can you get the most out of the money and time you invest in buying children's play toys or searching for free toys for kids.

Imagination Toys Providing your child with decision-making opportunities and imagination toys is key to the development of your child's self-esteem. Abstract toys are great for supporting the development of your child's imagination and happily this type of kids toys are often free.

Cheap Kids Toys Looking for free toys for kids or just want to get kids toys at bargain prices? Here are our strategies on how you can get cheap toys for kids or even free kids toys.

Educational Kids Toys When selecting educational toys for kids consider their play value. The basic skills your child develops through play are often through simple and free kids toys. Follow our key questions when choosing educational toys for kids.

Kid Learning Toy Learning happens through play for kids. Play helps your child develop motor skills, strength, balance and co-ordination. Play also helps the development of language, encourages creativity. Don't miss our tips on matching toys for smart kids development.

Technology Toys Today even little kids want technology toys. That's great. But are they the best learning toys for kids? What age should a child be before they use their first technology toy? Children, technology, expectations and the pressure to excell. How can you support your child's sense of wonder and how can you do it with free kids toys?

Childrens Wooden Toys Childrens wooden toys are usually more abstract than commercial toys and are great for both individual and cooperative play. If you're handy, they can also be practically a free toy.

Wooden Toy Blocks Toy blocks are fantastic abstract toys and are one of the most common toys in most families. Play with toy blocks is a doorway to learning the language of maths, engineering, design, architecture and science. Block play offers a wide learning exposure across exploration, imitation, spatial problem solving, sorting, comparing, and pretending.

Toy Storage As you acquire toys and other play items you'll find it useful to have a good method of storage for kids toys. When it comes to kids toy storage, you'll be considering types of storage containers, where to store toys and how to get kids to tidy up.

Discover a World of Free Toys for Kids

You don't need stacks of toys for kids but there are some basic toys that have been proven over the decades to be fun kids toys, have multiple uses and develop imagination in play.

Have you ever thought about recycling common household items? They make great free and cheap kids toys.

And abstract objects are great fun free kids toys. They allow your child to use their imagination in play just as does playing outside under a tree with sticks, water and other natural objects.

If you've got a little space then you can start today and create the basis for a fun free kids toy treasure basket by saving used tissue boxes, bottle tops, toilet rolls, egg cartons, ribbons and the like.

Common household objects make great fun free toys for kids, especially for young children. Your clothes trolley makes a great push toy and an empty toilet paper roll makes a great trumpet. Your child will love these simple objects and these fun free toys for kids can played with over again.

Toys for Kids... learning by ages and stages

Broadly speaking there are three major stages of play in a child's development.

Stage one - 'the baby stage' is exploration using the senses to discover "What is it?" Children use and explore each toy roughly the same way - fingering, mouthing and banging.

Stage two - 'the toddler stage' is about cause and effect. "What does it do?" Your child interacts with a toy to see what can happen. This stage mostly involves play by self or in parallel to other children.

Stage three - 'the preschool stage' centres around imagination and creativity. "What can it be?" Your child uses objects in pretend play, uses objects to represent other object and may put a number of objects together to create something else. This stage can also involve play with other children.

Some toys are suitable across the stages - they are universal. These fun kids toys have multiple colors and/or multiple materials for many uses and don't restrict a child by offering just one way to play. Such universal toys are great as they grow with your child.

Top 10 simple Universal Fun (& mostly free) Kids Toys

1. Wooden blocks
2. Puzzles
3. Pull alongs
4. Balls (sizes, textures) & balloons (tie up, let air out, water balloons)
5. Bubbles
6. Puppets
7. Cardboard boxes & toilet rolls
8. Water & sand play (supervision)
9. Playdough
10. Pasta play

These universal fun kids toys are great because they grow with your child as your child develops, so you get value from them and they're also terrific for stimulating your child's imagination and motor (fine and gross) skills.

See our templates in the Craft area if you want ideas about free toys for kids to make with your children, from musical instruments to cars, dinosaurs and jewellery boxes.

Mums' Coping...
when Everything's a Fun Kids Toy

Above all, remember that little kids love to explore and everything to them looks like fun kids toys. Keep an eye out for toys with sharp edges or little pieces that can break off. A lot goes into little mouths and this lasts for a couple of years.

Children can be noisy, dirty, messy and can unintentionally break things. Toddlers in particular have enquiring little fingers and inquisitive minds. Be assured the touching and mouthing period does subside. Just make sure you keep breakables, sharp and tiny objects out of reach in the meantime.

And don't leave crayons or textas about the house! The 2 year old son of one of our mum's got a bit ambitious and added two yellow crayon stripes to the couch cover. Mum left the crayon marks on it and pointed out to him that "we don't draw on the couch, we draw on paper ". Since then she says, when he passes the couch he points to the marks and shaking his head saying "no".

Like more on Safe Fun Kids Toys?

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission provides a great publication about Safe Fun Kids Toys as guide to help you select safe toys for your child. (opens in new browser)

Topics include
• Baby toys
• Stuffed toys
• Building blocks
• Push-pull toys
• Dolls
• Toy trains, cars and miniature vehicles
• Masks and helmets
• Erasers and fridge magnets
• Balloons
• Kites
• Basketball rings and backboards
• Bows and arrows
• Toy guns and pistols
• Flying planes
• Chemistry sets
• Water toys
• Ride-on toys
• Pavement cycles
• Rocking horses
• Trampolines
• Cubby houses and tents
• Consumer product standards