Kids love animals and create imaginative stories about them. There are some excellent high-quality toy animals for kids that allow them to act out these stories and examine how individual animals look closely.
We have had LOTS of sets of toy animals, both in home and school settings, and we cannot say enough good things about them. We’re here to share some of our favorite sets.
In this post:
- Benefits of Toy Animals for Kids
- Considerations When Buying Toy Animals for Kids
- Safari Animals
- Farm Animals
- Woodland Animals
- Sea Creatures
- Bugs and Insects
- Dinosaurs
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Benefits of Toy Animals for Kids
Toy animals:
- are an open-ended toy. There is no prescribed way to use them and kids must decide what to do with them. This makes them engaging and something that kids can play with again and again in new and interesting ways.
- can be used by a wide age range of kids. Babies can begin holding and mouthing them. As kids grow they can begin telling stories and engage in imaginative play with toy animals. This makes them a toy that will grow with your kids.
- encourage imaginative and creative play. Kids can pretend all kinds of things when playing with toy animals. This can give them a place to process their worlds. Kids can work through their feelings and ideas as they role-play and act out scenarios. Add fun open-ended items like blocks or small cardboard boxes to extend play further.
- help kids learn about animals. Kids can learn the names of animals and explore how animals look. You might soon find that you have a bug, whale, or dinosaur expert on your hands.
- aren’t highly gendered and can be used by all kids.
- help kids build their language skills. Kids increase their vocabulary as they learn the names of the animals and build their language skills even more as they tell stories and have the animals chat with one another during pretend play.
- are fun for kids to play with!
Considerations When Buying Toy Animals for Kids
1. Opt for realistic-looking toy animals.
This gives kids a sense of what those animals genuinely look like. They will have no concept for the various sizes of animals but can begin to recognize and name them. You can then visit a farm or the zoo for some real-world experiences.
2. Think about the size of toy animals for kids.
You want the animal to be a nice size for kids to play with and don’t want the animals to be extra small. Carefully read the dimensions of the animals to avoid being surprised by a much smaller set than you were imagining when looking at the pictures.
If you have a young one that mouths toys, go for sets with mostly bigger pieces. Once purchased, make sure to remove any animals that are small enough to be a choking hazard when giving them to kids under the age of 3. These pieces can be added back in when kids are older.
3. Pick animals with high-quality construction and materials.
We recommend animals that are solid instead of hollow. This makes them much more durable and gives them a nice weight. Also, make sure that the plastics and paints are safe for kids, especially those that might place toy animals in their mouths.
Best Toy Animals for Kids
Here are our top 16 favorite sets of toy animals for kids. Many of the recommendations on this list are either Schleich or Volnau animals. We have found both brands to be highly detailed and of exceptional quality. Both companies hand-paint their animals. They’re a bit more expensive than other options but are well worth the cost.
If cost is a limiting factor, opt for a smaller set instead of a lower quality set. Less is often easier for kids to manage, and kids don’t need the 500 piece set to play.
These sets also make excellent gifts and can be recommended to your family members when they ask about what to get your kids.
Safari Animals
1. Schleich Safari Animals Toy Set
This wildlife set contains 6 animals and is extra durable. It is fun for kids to match the moms and babies. We were uncertain why they paired the baby giraffe with a baby elephant, but our students informed us that it was because they were best friends. We have seen this set hold up to years of preschoolers and think it’s well worth the price.
2. VOLNAU Africa Animal Figures
This 13 piece set contains all the African animals your kids might need! The animals are highly detailed, well painted, BPA-free, and stand up to use in water, making great bath toys. The set comes with a nice plastic box for storing the animals.
You can download and use the Volnau app to learn about each animal, making this set a great educational resource.
3. SCHLEICH Roaring Lion Animal Toys for Kids
This detailed lion is a favorite of our preschool students and is played with daily. We love that it’s solid instead of hollow. It is a fantastic high-quality option if you’re looking to spend less than a complete set of animals might cost. Remember, quality over quantity.
Farm Animals
4. VOLNAU 14PCS Barnyard Animal Figure Farm Toys
This set contains 14 pieces and even includes 2 farmers. We love that all of the animals can stand up on their own. This eliminates lots of frustration for kids. Like the other Volnau sets on this list, the pieces are BPA-free, solid instead of hollow, and exceptionally detailed.
Use the Volnau app to learn more about each animal. Kids can store animals in the included tub.
5. Schleich 6-Piece Mom and Baby Toy Farm Animal Set
This 6 piece farm animal set is another mom and baby set featuring sheep, donkeys, and pigs. Kids love to match the animals and tell family stories. They are durable and detailed with crisp, nice colors. They are solid and made with kid-safe materials.
6. Schleich Farm World 4-Piece Farm Animals Set
This small set of 4 animals is an excellent option if you’re looking to add to your collection without breaking the bank. They are beautiful, and just like any of the other Schleich animals on this list, they’re solid and hand-painted. They will encourage hours of great play.
Woodland Animals
7. 10pcs Forest Animals Figures, Woodland Creatures Figurines
This set of 10 woodland animals by UANDME comes with lovely detailing and looks as realistic as possible. The animals are not entirely proportional to one another (the small animals are big compared to the moose), but they are sturdy and can stand independently.
8. Grizzly Bear Family Forest Animal Toys Figurines Set
What kid doesn’t love a few bears? This set inspires lots of fun storytelling and imaginative play. It comes with 3 detailed bears in various positions. They don’t have the best paint job but are still of acceptable quality for the price.
These bears are super fun when paired with kids’ bear books!
Sea Creatures
9. VOLNAU 8PCS Antarctica Ocean Sea Animals Figurines
This set comes with 8 Antarctic animals that are each a nice size. Like all Volnau animals, they’re BPA-free, hand-painted, and solid. Their paints are designed to hold up over time and even use water.
Use the Volnau app to learn about the various animals with your kids. Teach the animal names by correctly naming the animals as kids play.
10. Ocean Creatures Action Models Figurine
This is a beautiful set of animals. It features 9 large and detailed whales. They’re solid (instead of hollow), making them durable and giving them a nice weight when being played with. They are very realistic and fantastic for play and education. We bet that you will even learn a thing or two about the various types of whales in this set.
Kids enjoy playing with them in water.
11. VOLNAU 7PCS Indian Ocean Sea Animals Figurines
We love the bright colors in this set of 7 Indian Ocean sea creatures. We also love that the clownfish stands on its own. This adds to its usability in play. All of the animals are solid, hand-painted, BPA-free, and realistic. They stand up to use in water and are a fun addition to bathtime.
This set can be turned into a learning resource when used with the Volnau app.
Bugs and Insects
12. Volnau Bug Toys Figurines 12PCS Insect Toys Figures
The colors and details make this a beautiful set of 12 insects. The insects are not entirely proportional in relation to one another but are all a big enough size to make them fun to play with. Kids will quickly learn all of the names and recognize them in nature. The Volnau app can further add in learning about them and is simple to use.
13. Toymany 12PCS Realistic Insects Figures Toys
This is another good set of 12insects for bug-loving kids. Our preschoolers learned each of the names very quickly and were quick to correct us should we misspeak. They’re all hand-painted and made to look as realistic as possible (in terms of anatomically correct bodies, not in size – the bee is nearly 3×3 inches). The insects are BPA-free and solid, making them both safe and durable for kids.
Dinosaurs
What kid doesn’t go through dinosaur phase?
- Looking for other fun toys for your dinosaur lovin’ kiddo? Check out all our favorite dinosaur slides!
14. JOYIN 12-in-1 Realistic Jurassic Colossal Dinosaur Figures Playset
Kids love dinosaurs, and this set of 12 provides enough for lots of great play. They’re well-painted and nicely detailed, all without being too expensive. The pieces are solid and BPA-free. This makes them extra durable and able to stand up to lots of use.
The set comes with an educational booklet that gives information about each dinosaur.
15. Boley Jumbo T-Rex
This T-Tex is extra large, making it a favorite of dinosaur-loving kids. It is undoubtedly popular among our students. The dinosaur is fairly realistic and detailed and has an okay paint job. We love that they’re able to stand on their own.
It isn’t the most durable, but its size makes it worth mentioning.
16. SCHLEICH Velociraptor Dinosaur Toy
We love the details and colors of this velociraptor and can tell you that kids do too. This is a favorite in our school dinosaur collection. This would make an excellent addition to any collection of animal toys for kids. It is a great option when you’re not looking to buy an expensive set but still want something of quality. It is solid, hand-painted, and made for kid-safe materials.
Final Thoughts About Toy Animals for Kids
It’s always interesting to see different kids gravitate towards different animals. Think about your child’s interests when picking out a set of toy animals.
Consider investing in a set or two of toy animals for kids or asking for some as gifts. They’re a toy that will encourage lots of play and help kids develop the skills that make kids great learners. Combine animals with a good set of blocks and give kids lots of unstructured time to play!
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