When families get together for the Thanksgiving holidays, it’s important to have some toys on hand to keep the little ones engaged.
Between the holiday festivities, the parades on TV, the big football games, and everyone’s personal devices within easy reach, there’s a lot of temptation for younger kids to just default to screen time. If you’re a parent, caregiver, or holiday host who wants to keep the littles entertained during your Thanksgiving celebration, consider having toys from Melissa & Doug on hand for the preschoolers.
We’ve carefully curated a list of hot new toys that we’re grateful to have available during the Thanksgiving holidays: hands-on, kid-powered play that will keep the littles engaged until it’s time to gather around the dinner table.
Screen-Free Fun to Serve Up This Thanksgiving Holiday
Why kids will feast on it: Sticker WOW! is a fun-filled activity that lets kids stamp out stickers as they play, create, and learn. It’s a whole new way to play with stickers, featuring an innovative, one-of-a-kind design that features character-themed sticker stampers with 300 stickers and activity pads for mess-free fun anywhere. Kids can engage in creative, skill-building play, using the sticker stampers to engage with the included activity book or creative art projects. Sticker WOW! also features separate Refill Packs that are compatible with any Sticker WOW! sticker stamper. Plus, because it’s no-mess, compact and creative learning fun, it’s the ultimate holiday travel toy: perfect for cars, planes, trains, ships—even Santa’s sled!
Skills at Play: C-grip strength, fine motor skills, creative expression, number & letter recognition
No matter what your child’s interest, there’s a variety of sticker stamper characters to choose from…collect them all!
Melissa & Doug Sticker WOW! Collection
Sticker WOW! Ice Cream Bundle
Sticker WOW! Astronaut Bundle
Sticker WOW! Unicorn Bundle
Sticker WOW! Sea Turtle Bundle
Sticker WOW! Cat Bundle
Sticker WOW! Dinosaur Bundle
Sticker WOW! Dog Bundle
Sticker WOW! Tiger Bundle
Sticker WOW! Refills 4-Pack
Sticker WOW! Refills Surprise Pack
Sticker WOW! Refills Pets Pack
Sticker WOW! Refills Favorite Things Pack
Sticker WOW! Refills Dinosaur Pack
Wooden Chocolate Factory Play Set
Why kids will feast on it: Sweeten up playtime by ordering, assembling, displaying, and gifting deliciously fun pretend play candy treats! The Melissa & Doug Wooden Chocolate Factory Play Set lets kids create imaginative pretend play chocolate candies with durable plastic tops and bottoms and colorful wooden fillings that can be decorated with stickers. Flip switches to indicate flavors, move the slider across a conveyor area, press a lever to drop fillings into bases, and turn the dial to drop on the tops! Completed play candies slide down a chute, where kids 3+ can decorate with a pretend icing squeeze tube. Display in a fancy gift box, and pay for purchases with play money!
Skills at Play: Encourages fine motor, number, and matching skills, as well as color recognition, communication, cooperative play, and narrative thinking.
Sort Stock Select Vending Machine Play Set
Why kids will feast on it: Satisfy hungry imaginations with the push of a button! Open up the back of the unique wooden vending machine and stock it with nine double-sided play food packages, including snack bars, drinks, and pouches. On the front, select an item, insert a color-matching play coin or bank card, press the corresponding letter and number button, and the snack drops into the collection drawer! There’s a sign that can be personalized and a reusable activity card for keeping track of what to stock and what to display. Requires no assembly. All the pieces are stored in the vending machine for easy cleanup. No batteries required!
Skills at Play:Fun way to teach cause-and-effect and encourage imaginative play, sorting, counting, letter recognition, and other developmental skills.
Disney Snacks & Popcorn Wooden Food Counter
Why kids will feast on it: Get playtime popping with pretend play popcorn and treats inspired by Disney’s Mickey Mouse and friends! There’s a Mickey-shaped wooden pretzel that hangs on a display hook, Mickey and Minnie Mouse-shaped wooden ice cream treats and cupcake, a cookie, a pineapple ice pop, popcorn, and drinks. There’s a magnetic menu board for matching activities, an ID badge to personalize for role playing, and play money to pay. Put four durable jumbo popcorn pieces into the compartment and turn the knob back and forth for real popping action—a see-through window lets the customer see the popcorn jiggle and jump while the vendor pops! All the pieces in the 33-piece play set store in the counter for easy cleanup.
Skills at Play: Counter is a fun way to encourage imaginative role playing, sorting, counting, and other developmental skills
Ms. Rachel Wooden Learning Blocks
Why kids will feast on it: Inspired by Ms. Rachel’s popular baby and toddler videos, the blocks and activity cards set is made with love to support learning for littles. Help stimulate cognitive development with 26 embossed blocks that help kids identify letters, numbers, pictures, and colors. Encourage language skills, turn-taking, and social skills with four game blocks featuring animals, body parts, emotions, and movements. The set includes 14 double-sided activity cards for matching, counting, play ideas, and developmental skill information and tips. Block play is great for boosting fine motor skills and self-esteem, as little hands grasp, build, and play. A sturdy box offers easy cleanup and convenient storage.
Skills at Play: Created by Ms. Rachel and developmental experts to help children reach important milestones in the crucial early years of learning, these learning blocks and activities are great for helping kids build communication, cognitive, and motor skills.
Why kids will feast on it: Sing along with kids’ favorite educator, Ms. Rachel! The six-piece Melissa & Doug® Ms. Rachel™ Wooden Song Puzzle includes favorites from Ms. Rachel’s popular baby and toddler videos: Lift to hear Come Play Out In the Sun, The Wheels on the Bus, I Love a Rainbow, Can You Say Mama, Hop Little Bunnies, and I’m So Happy. An on/off switch allows quiet play (batteries required, not included). Durable pegs help kids 2+ easily grasp and manipulate the six adorably illustrated pictures and pictures under pieces help with matching and boost self-esteem.
Skills at Play: Created by Ms. Rachel and developmental experts to help children reach important milestones in the crucial early years of learning, this wooden song puzzle is great for boosting problem-solving skills, memory, and spatial awareness.
Why kids will feast on it: The Melissa & Doug Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym with Quick-Close™ storage is thoughtfully designed to encourage babies to play and learn through multiple stages and ages! Sturdy, wide wooden arches are pre-assembled for easy set-up, and offer caregivers easy access to the baby. The arches stay secure on the comfy, reversible play mat with sensory ribbons and a crinkling peek-a-boo clam shell. One side of the mat features high-contrast black-and-white graphics for early visual stimulation, and the other includes a full-color ocean scene to keep older babies engaged as vision develops. Attach the included soft, skill-supporting toys to the gym or play with them independently! Mat and toys are machine washable. Press the innovative Quick-Close™ button to unlock the frame and easily fold for storage or to take the play gym on the go! The included Play Guide illustrates the many ways the play gym supports the powerful role play has in brain development, physical well-being, and creating connections.
Skills at Play: Encourages sensory stimulation, hand-eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills, and cognitive development.
Why kids will feast on it: Make baby’s tummy time extra special with this engaging, double-sided folding cloth triangle toy! Three fold-out panels with adorable ocean-themed graphics and friendly characters lie flat or fold and connect into an upright pyramid. One side features high-contrast black and white graphics, great for important visual stimulation during baby’s first months. The other side includes colorful sea creatures with developmentally appropriate features. The Tummy Time Triangle helps babies stay engaged and strengthen muscles during tummy play.
Skills at Play: Encourages gross motor development, visual and tactile stimulation, and interaction with caregivers.
Why kids will feast on it: Put a new “spin” on a healthy way to play! This kid-sized play salad spinner with a wooden top and big button to press works just like the real thing. Put the spinner basket in the bowl, peel eight fabric lettuce leaves off a soft plush core, press and watch it whirl! There are no batteries or electronics – just pump to spin! Use the tongs to toss the lettuce with felt peppers and wooden tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons in the clear salad bowl, and pretend to top with dressing. A double-sided salt-and-pepper grinder makes a satisfying “crunching” sound when it’s turned. Kids three and older will love taking orders, following along with the instructions on the activity card, and making custom salads with this innovative spinning toy!
Skills at Play: A fun way to encourage storytelling, and both independent and cooperative play; promotes fine motor skills, creative expression, and healthful eating habits.
Wooden Pizza Food Truck Activity Center
Why kids will feast on it: Get playtime cooking and take imaginations for a spin with all the essentials for a pretend play pizza food truck experience! The multi-sided, easy-to-assembly wooden structure, with a built-in pretend pizza oven and dozens of wooden and felt play food accessories, lets girls and boys ages three and older be the helpful food truck vendor or the hungry customer. Display choices on a magnetic menu board, add logs and turn the dial to “fire up” the pizza oven, sort and store pizza toppings in the prep tray, slide pizza into the oven with the wooden pizza paddle, then serve in the cardboard delivery box! Complete the meal with drink cans and scoop a wooden ice cream cup or cone for dessert! The pass-through window with awning, credit card machine and play bank card, spinning steering wheel, and flip-out gas cap add to the realistic fun. Great for imaginative, skill-building play -- little pizza chefs will love using the pieces for counting, sorting, color recognition, and language development!
Skills at Play: Helps kids develop sorting, matching, counting, and color recognition skills and encourages narrative, cooperative, and imaginative play.
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Shop Melissa & Doug Learning Toys
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