Games That Build Your Child’s Skills, by Age: 1, 18 Months, 2, 3, 4–5 and 6+

In short: every game builds a skill — big movement (running, balance), small movement (fingers), thinking and problem solving, language, and social skills. At each age some skills are “ready to open”, and the right game plays on exactly those. Below: what to play at each age.

Skill-building games at 1 year

• Movement: pushing, pulling, walking — a pull-along like the Wheeled Ring Stacker.
• Hands: posting, taking out, banging — the Wooden Pounding Bench.
• Language: point and name: “That’s a dog; the dog says woof.” My Sound Book: Animal Sounds helps.
• At home: “Where did it go?” — hide a toy under a cloth and let them find it.

Skill-building games at 18 months

• Thinking: turning a piece until it fits — Baby’s First Blocks (16 pieces).
• Hands: opening, closing, matching — Matching Eggs.
• Senses: different textures — the Textured Sensory Balls.
• At home: pouring water from cup to cup (supervised) and pairing socks.

Skill-building games at 2 years

• Building: big blocks that clip together — Jumbo Car Building Blocks.
• Focus and a steady hand: the Wooden Magnetic Fishing Game.
• Language: boards to point and name — the My Family Learning Board.
• Social: simple pretend play: feeding a doll, cooking for you.

Skill-building games from 3 years

• Hands: threading and tweezer sorting — fine motor skills toys.
• Thinking: first jigsaws — the World Map Puzzle — and sorting shapes and colours: colours and shapes toys.
• Focus: toys that build focus.

Skill-building games at 4 to 5

• Social: turn-taking, winning and losing — family and group games.
• Patience: long builds — games that teach patience.
• School readiness: letters and numbers through play — letters toys and numbers toys.

Skill-building games from 6

• Logic: levelled puzzles — problem-solving toys.
• Science: real experiments — science and discovery toys.
• Creativity: building and designing with no single answer — creative toys.

How do I know my child is on track?

Every child has their own pace. If you’d like to follow development in a structured way, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes milestone checklists by age from two months to five years; if something worries you, talk to your paediatrician.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the best skill-building toy at 18 months?

A simple shape sorter or matching eggs: they build thinking and hand skills together.

Do educational phone games build skills?

Hands-on play, movement and talking with an adult do far more in the early years. See 30 activities at home.

Read next: Teaching letters and numbers through play, in Arabic and English; what Montessori, fine motor skills and other terms mean; How to help your child talk: play ideas, speech toys and milestones; Child development stages, month by month; Focus and concentration games by age; supporting thinking and learning through everyday play.