Toys are the Tools of Childhood

We follow and exceed the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s regulations on toys. We feature a rich selection of items from all eight required developmental categories:

  • Blocks, construction, and transportation toys – For spatial awareness and engineering skills.

  • Manipulatives – For fine motor development and hand-eye coordination.

  • Creative arts materials – For self-expression and imagination.

  • Library and language activities – Books and materials to foster a love for reading.

  • Music and rhythm activities – For auditory development and creative movement.

  • Large muscle activities – For gross motor skills and physical health.

  • Dramatic and housekeeping play – For social-emotional growth and role-playing.

  • Science activities and sensory experiences – For critical thinking and hands-on exploration.

“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.” -Abraham Maslow

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“Play is the work of the child.” -Maria Montessori

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“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning." -Fred Rogers

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“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.” -Abraham Maslow ✳︎ “Play is the work of the child.” -Maria Montessori ✳︎ “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning." -Fred Rogers ✳︎

Construction and Transportation

  • Foam & Wooden Blocks

    • Early geometry & physics

    • Numeracy & patterning

    • Engineering & science

    • Fine motor control

    • Symbolic & imaginative play

    • Collaboration & communication

    • Self-esteem & resilience

  • Train Tracks

    • Visual-spatial relations

    • Visual closure

    • Positional language

    • Sequencing & patterning

    • Cause & effect

    • Problem-solving

    • Imaginative storytelling

  • Legos

    • Finger strength & dexterity

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Early math & sorting

    • Planning & persistence

    • Open-ended play

    • Pretend play & storytelling

    • Confidence & self-esteem

  • MagnaTiles

    • Shape recognition

    • Spatial reasoning

    • Patterning & sorting

    • Basic physics & STEM

    • Fine motor control

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Problem-solving & resilience

  • Cars & Trucks

    • Spatial awareness & geometry

    • Route planning & problem-solving

    • Early physics & STEM

    • Cooperative play & sharing

    • Imaginative role-play

    • Community roles & vocabulary

    • Vehicle identification

Manipulatives

  • Board Games

    • Turn-taking & sharing

    • Coping with emotions

    • Communication and cooperation

    • Early math & number sense

    • Colors, shapes, & sorting

    • Memory & concentration

    • Dexterity & hand strength

  • Puzzles

    • Problem-solving & logic

    • Spatial awareness

    • Shape & pattern recognition

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Patience & perseverance

    • Self-confidence

  • Nesting ABC Blocks

    • Size & math concepts

    • Spatial awareness & geometry

    • Fine motor coordination

    • Problem-solving & critical thinking

    • Patience & resilience

  • Magnetic Sorting Activities

    • Colors & shapes

    • Magnetism

    • Predicting

    • Sorting & classifying

    • Visual discrimination

    • Hand strength

  • Lacing Cards

    • Pincer & tripod grasp

    • Bilateral coordination

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Sequencing & pattern recognition

    • Focus & concentration

    • Sewing & crafting foundation

    • Shoe tying

Creative Arts

  • Chalk Wall

    • Fine motor control

    • Core & posture strength

    • Crossing the midline

    • Spatial awareness

    • Tactile feedback

    • Risk-free creativity

  • Tool Bench

    • Hand strength

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Bilateral coordination

    • Basic engineering & problem-solving

    • Independence & confidence

    • Perseverance & focus

  • Various Form of Art Media

    • Handwriting & pincer grasp

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Color mixing

    • Sizing & shape recognition

    • Storytelling through art

    • Self-expression & confidence

    • Decision-making

  • Easel

    • Handwriting & pincer grasp

    • Core stability & posture

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Crossing the midline

    • Pre-writing and literacy

    • Self-Expression & confidence

  • Play-Doh

    • Hand strength

    • Dexterity & coordination

    • Imaginative thinking

    • Critical thinking

    • Self-regulation

Library and Language Activities

  • LeapFrog Reader & Books

    • Phonics & letter sounds

    • Reading & word blending

    • Reading comprehension

    • Handwriting & stroke guidance

    • Listening & vocabulary

  • Flash Cards & Letter Matching

    • Letter recognition

    • Phonics & letter sounds

    • Alphabetical order

    • Memory concentration

    • Listening & vocabulary

    • Fine motor skills

  • Reading Corner

    • Book handling basics

    • Self-directed learning

    • Vocabulary expansion

    • Print awareness

    • Sequencing & story structure

    • Problem-solving & logic

    • Emotional literacy

    • Empathy & perspective

  • Felt Story Board

    • Story sequencing & structure

    • Early literacy & retelling

    • Fine motor skills

    • Creativity imagination

    • Social communication skills

  • Fridge Phonics

    • Alphabet knowledge

    • Phonics

    • Vocabulary development

    • Fine motor skills

    • Memory & rhythm

  • Book Voting & Story Time

    • Decision-making

    • Understanding majority rule

    • Respect for others' opinions

    • Agency & independence

    • Empathy

    • Perspective-taking

    • Focus and memory

Kids love our Highlights High Five magazine subscription that gives them new explorations every month!

Stories that inspire empathy

Fun facts that spark curiosity

Recipes designed for little hands

Achievable puzzles & games

Simple hands-on activities

Music and Rhythm Activities

  • Piano

    • Keyboard geography

    • Pitch & sound range

    • Rhythm & beat

    • Aural awareness

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Fine motor control & finger independence

    • Focus & confidence

  • Music Wall

    • Fine motor control & grip

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Pitch & volume differentiation

    • Auditory discrimination

    • Cooperation & turn-taking

    • Emotional regulation

  • Musical Instruments

    • Pattern recognition

    • Listening & memory

    • Spatial & volume concepts

    • Fine motor control

    • Turn-taking & cooperation

    • Emotional expression

    • Confidence

  • Xylophone

    • Pitch & rhythm

    • Auditory discrimination

    • Color & letter recognition

    • Counting & ordering

    • Fine motor coordination

    • Emotional expression

  • Floor Piano

    • Gross motor skills

    • Rhythm & steady beat

    • Keyboard geography

    • Auditory & aural awareness

    • Social & creative play

Gross-Motor Activities

  • Ball Pit

    • Gross motor strength

    • Fine motor control

    • Proprioception

    • Tactile & visual stimuli‍ ‍

    • Self-regulation

    • Imaginative play

  • Indoor Climbing Set

    • Core & grip strength

    • Balance & spatial awareness

    • Bilateral coordination

    • Proprioception

    • Problem-solving

    • Resilience

  • Hopscotch & Stepping Stones

    • Balance & coordination

    • Bilateral coordination

    • Number sense & sequencing

    • Spatial awareness

    • Turn-taking patience

    • Confidence

  • Ride on Toys

    • Gross motor strength

    • Balance & coordination

    • Spatial awareness

    • Imaginative play

    • Independence & confidence

    • Sharing & turn-taking

    • Safety awareness

  • Sports & Gross-Motor Play

    • Hand-eye & foot-eye coordination

    • Balance & agility

    • Bilateral coordination

    • Impulse control & focus

    • Teamwork & turn-taking

    • Resilience & confidence

Dramatic Play

  • Play Kitchen

    • Language & vocabulary

    • Fine motor skills

    • Social & emotional skills

    • Measurements

    • Practical life independence

  • Barbie Dolls

    • Empathy social processing

    • Language & communication

    • Fine motor skills

    • Real-world concepts

    • Imaginative play

    • Social interaction

  • Play Food

    • Hand-Eye Coordination

    • Early Math & Fractions

    • Bilateral Coordination

    • Vocabulary, Naming & Sorting

    • Imaginative & Social Play

  • Animals & Dinosaurs

    • Early Math and Classification

    • Language and Vocabulary

    • Science and Earth Awareness

    • Fine Motor Control

    • Imaginative Play and Storytelling

    • Social-Emotional Growth and Empathy

  • Dress-Up

    • Creative thinking

    • Decision-making

    • Memory and recall

    • Empathy

    • Teamwork and cooperation

    • Self-regulation

    • Vocabulary expansion

    • Conversational structure

  • Baby Dolls

    • Empathy and Compassion

    • Perspective-Taking

    • Emotional Regulation

    • New Vocabulary

    • Conversational Skills

    • Self-Care Practice

    • Physical Balance and Coordination

    • Problem-Solving

    • Independence

Science and Sensory

  • Interactive Globe

    • Land & water

    • Earth’s shape

    • Oceans & continents

    • Spatial awareness

    • Color-coded countries

    • Animal & cultural exploration

  • Sensory Bins

    • Fine motor coordination

    • Counting & sorting

    • Vocabulary expansion

    • Spatial concepts

    • Letter recognition

    • Self-regulation

  • Water Table

    • Sink or float

    • Cause & effect

    • Gravity & flow

    • Fine motor control

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Cooperation & sharing

    • Calming & regulation

  • Activity Wall

    • Hand-eye coordination

    • Time & date awareness

    • Counting & sorting

    • Bilateral coordination

    • Spatial awareness

    • Social interaction

    • Attention & persistence

  • Sensory Toys

    • Fine motor skills

    • Cognitive development & problem-solving

    • Sorting & exploring

    • Emotional regulation

    • Imaginative play & curiosity

Our View on Technology

At Cubs n’ Chaos Daycare, we believe technology can be a wonderful tool for supporting children’s learning and development when used thoughtfully and in moderation. However, we also believe it is important to be mindful of the content children are exposed to and the amount of screen time they receive.

We do not allow overstimulating content or “brain rot” videos, as we prioritize meaningful learning experiences, imaginative play, creativity, and real-world social interactions. To help maintain a consistent and engaging environment, outside toys and personal electronic devices, including tablets, are not permitted at daycare.

Our goal is to create a balanced environment where technology, when used, serves a purpose while hands-on exploration, active play, and meaningful connections remain at the heart of each child’s day.