Between Sinterklaas and Christmas, you—as a parent—might be in the middle of gift hunting. Need a lil’ help finding a toy that truly supports your child’s well-being? You’re in the right place! 😉
What makes a “good toy”?
Among the billions of toys out there, many aren’t actually helpful for your child’s development. It’s just like with cartoons and books: some can be frightening, stereotyped, or hard to understand. It’s the same with toys!
A good toy for your child is one that:
✅ Matches their developmental stage, which isn’t always the same as the age printed on the box. Age labels are guidelines, but children don’t all fit into the same boxes! However, always keep safety in mind: if your child is under 3, they might swallow small parts from toys labeled 3+.
✅ Is guided by your child, not the toy. So goodbye to toys that flash and beep with no meaning or cause-and-effect, turning children into passive spectators.
✅ Is “slow”, without electronic overstimulation. Children need time to explore and play at their own (often slow) pace.
✅ Nurtures their natural desire to learn and grow, through thinking, creativity, building, or imagination.
How can we find these wonderful toys in today’s busy toy jungle?
You have to sort through a lot—and it takes time. To help you, here’s a review of two marble runs that are especially loved by 4–5-year-olds. They’re part of my Lil’ Discoveries collection and fully aligned with children’s development. And if you live in the Netherlands, you can choose to rent them instead of buying! Rent a PlayKit on a theme that fascinates your child, and when they’ve mastered the skills offered by the 5 toys inside, I’ll send a new one. The right toy at the right time, plus a fresh play experience every two months.
GraviTrax Junior by Ravensburger
What it is?
It’s a marble run: your child uses honeycomb-shaped blocks and various elements to build their track. The pieces are wonderfully diverse—swings, bridges, hammer-pushers… GraviTrax Junior also comes in themed boxes (Jungle, Ice World), and Disney extensions are available too (Frozen, The Lion King) so your child can decorate their marble track. For reference, a Jungle Starter Kit costs between €40 and €50.
Emotional benefits
There’s something magical for children about watching a marble glide along a track. It’s deeply satisfying to see it reach the finish line smoothly. So right away, this toy brings a sense of well-being. And when the marble doesn’t reach its destination? Frustration might appear. But with you there to support them, your child learns to recognize and manage that feeling—an essential life skill.
Fine motor skills and thinking, all working together to spark creativity!
To build the track, your child uses their fine motor skills. They also have to think carefully about how to organize the circuit so that the marble keeps rolling. This toy is a beautiful introduction to experimenting with gravity and motion. And with around 100 pieces in a starter kit, your child’s imagination and creativity truly take center stage.
Quadrilla by Hape
What it is?
Quadrilla is a collection by Hape with many different sets. Here, I’ll talk about Race to the Finish, which you can usually find for €40–€50. The set includes curved rails, a spiral funnel, a windmill, adjusters, and 9 blocks that each create different actions: releasing the marble from the bottom, from the side, or alternating sides. I’d also love to highlight that it’s an FSC-certified wooden toy—and it feels wonderful to handle.
Social and emotional development
This marble run is large, and with its 30 marbles, it encourages cooperative play. You can even connect multiple Quadrilla sets together. And where there’s group play… there’s social learning. Sharing, laughing together, connecting! And if the construction collapses, your child learns to manage their own frustration—and consider the feelings of others.
An introduction to coding
Beyond hand-eye coordination and the creativity needed to build a track, this toy especially supports logical and technical reasoning, problem-solving, and spatial thinking. All of this happens without screens—just wood and marbles! Pretty magical, right? The Wall Street Journal even considers it an ideal way to introduce children to the basics of coding.
To see these toys in action, feel free to check out my videos on Instagram @Lil.discoveries or on Tiktok
