Which is the best toy for a 15 year old with Down Syndrome? Read our guide to find out.
Cross that to-do list if you are looking for ideal toys and gifts for teens with down syndrome, cerebral palsy, sensory issues, and other disabilities. Here’s a review of some of the best toys in the market that helps with social, cognitive, motor, and communication skills while chilling and having fun.
Children with down syndrome need the same play toys just like their counterparts. However, you should check with your therapist on the perfect toys for your child before buying. Parents need to be more selective to ensure the toys are suitable for their development as they also aid in learning.
In this Guide
Best Toys for Down Syndrome 15-Year-Old
Check out some of these fun toys that helps kids with down syndrome. They typically range from stimulating sensory toys to soothing games.
#1. Toysmith Spring N’ Score Bounce Ball Game
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Imagine having the bounce ball game in the living room. It will excite the kids as they try bouncing the ball to hit the target. The game can be played either indoors or outdoors. about four inches tall.
#2. Bristle Blocks 50-Piece Bucket
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Blocks that should be fit together are sometimes frustrating or even impossible for children with motor skills issues. However, these classics are an exception as the incredibly soft, interlocking bristles typically stick together at different angles.
#3. Free Play Magnatab
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
With the Free Play Magnatab, you don’t have to worry about the balls scattering all over the place. Manipulate the balls to the holes using the magnetic stylus, then carefully push then downwards and do it over and over. This is the best toy for down syndrome 15-year-old to take on those plane rides. You can also get the glow in the dark option.
#4. Kwik Stix Solid Tempera Paint Sticks
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
These paint sticks are chunky making them easy to grasp and glide on paper and smudges thanks to the quick-drying formula. Twist them up if you want to use.
#5. Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Get some ice cream on here. As children get the scooper to scoop out ice cream, the order card comes with instructions that you should follow. Press the coin button or syrup pump while counting: listen to the different phrases introducing flavors, colors, and numbers. Then push around the cart, this helps with their gross-motor, fine-motor, sequencing skills, memory, and learning.
#6. Magnaflex Critter Set Construction Kit
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
15-year-olds can zip, stack, or put together the pieces in different creations using these beautiful and colorful strips. They are flexible and magnetic and additionally feature circular ones that can act as wheels and eyes. Other Magnaflex sets include Wearables, Vehicles, Animals, Fun in the Sun, and Rainbow.
#7. B. Poppitoppy
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
To make the balls pop wildly, you need to push down the lady’s head. You don’t need no batteries. It’s quite simple and entertaining.
#8. Paper Bag Puppets
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Paper Bag Puppets is the best toy for down syndrome 15-year-old and comes in five different coloured bags, 260 paper shapes and stickers, simple picture instructions, and chunky glue. It’s fun and entertaining making them, picking from the bag or making the puppets talk and move is equally fun. Speech therapists have been using puppets over the years to encourage children articulate different sounds.
#9. Magnetic Bug Toss
AVAILABLE ON LAKESHORELEARNING
The board measures 16” × 16” offering enough space for you to toss the magnetic bugs and make them stick. Besides, you can practice alphabets on one side and numbers on the other. It features three bugs with sturdy magnets and comes with an activity guide with several game ideas.
#10. Etch A Sketch Freestyle
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
For children with down syndrome, this toy is user-friendly has features a stylus for drawing and doodling. It has double-sided stampers in place of knobs for adding patterns and shapes to their drawings. However, you need to work those hands by shaking up and down when you want to erase.
#11. Play-Doh Shape and Learn Shapes and Colours
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Play-doh just got better especially when it comes to fine-motor skills practice. It features two-sided chunky cutters for making the shapes and use the playmats to sort, identify, and match. It additionally includes eight cutters for both big and small shapes, eight Play-Doh cans, two activity mats- double-sided, and a together time guide in eight pages.
#12. Rainbow Egg and Spoon Game
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The goal is to use a grooved wooden spoon to pass the weighted egg to the other. This helps the child work on hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Some children will need hand-over-hand help.
#13. Do Art Mixed Media Sgraffito
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
This is an entire Do-It-Yourself scratch art. The kit features two different art boards, acrylic paint, and three oil pastels. Colour all the boards to customize the scratchboard then use the foam brush and wooden stylus. Besides, you can use the pop-up easel to display your work of art masterpieces.
#14. B. Pet Vet
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
If the doggy and plush kitty have boo-boos, the child can try healing them using the stethoscope, injector, and thermometer. Opening the door with keys will keep them entertained while helping with their hand-eye coordination.
#15. 3D Feel and Find Play Set
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
This play game helps encourage bolster tactile senses and grasping. Put the pieces in the canvas bag for the child to feel around and get a shape that matches the ones on the tiles. The set comes with twenty shapes and matching tiles made of rubberwood plus a storage bag.
#16. Budding Builders Tub
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The tub features 100 large parts comes in vibrant colours and provides endless fun. The connectors and rods are easy to assemble and pull apart. However, your child might require hand-over-hand guide to put them together. It additionally helps with hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, imaginative, and problem-solving skills. It also comes with some building ideas.
#17. Jumbo Farm Counters
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Jumbo Farm Counters features 30 animals in six each: cows, sheep, rooster, pig, and horse in six different colours. They help teach children sorting, matching, patterning, counting, and colours. The holes at the bottom can be used as finger puppets and also helps kids isolate the pointer finger.
#18. Dig It Up Dinosaur Eggs
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Kids can soak clay eggs in water and use one of the instruction sheets and 12 tools to chisel away and evacuate the dinosaur inside. The dinosaur will be ready to play once you wash off the clay. The excavation guidebook will help your child classify the animal with the same traits.
#19. Tactile Turn and Match
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
15-year-olds with down syndrome will love this toy! It comes in five shapes that rotate on the rod with tactile materials on the sides that matches the ones on the cylinder.
#20. Stacking Shapes Pegboard
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
This board typically helps encourage grasping but also comes in handy in teaching counting, shapes, colours, and understanding different patterns. It’s ideal for enhancing the child’s math skills and such as order and counting. The board comes with 25 pegs in five colours and shapes.
#21. Jumbo Texture Food Dominoes Set
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The 28 plastic dominoes are double-sided measuring 4 × 2 × ⅟₂ inches tall, wide, and thick respectively. They have textured cutouts of chicken legs, peaches, strawberries, bananas and more with the same feel as actual foods. Children can set up the pieces or topple them over to enhance their fine-motor skills and sense of smell.
#22. Fisher Price Think and Learn Teach n’ Tag Movi
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The little robot tends to encourage children to get their minds and bodies moving ideal for those with down syndrome. It features six different games including movie says, red, and green lights in learn and move mode. Movi additionally asks questions which helps engage the child’s critical thinking skills and can make some dance moves too.
Movi features two light-up buttons on the head with more than 60 facial expressions, and can move up to 360◦ helping kids to identify different emotions.
#23.Zoo Jamz Stompin’ Fun Drums
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The cymbal and drums light up when you touch them. The elephant trunk moves back and forth when you step on the bass pedal triggering the bass sounds on the drum. To play tunes, plunk the keyboard.
The set features 16 melodies four different drum styles, and six songs. What’s more, it comes with drum sticks as well. It helps encourage hand-eye coordination and motor skills. However, some children may need a seat for support.
#24. Riverstone
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Riverstones are an investment. The stones vary in difficulty and steepness which helps improve balance and coordination. It also features a rubber rim that prevents slipping and falling. It comes with three large and small stones that stack for easy storage.
#25. Super Soft Building Blocks
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The 24 incredibly soft velour blocks are oversized helps work the child’s hand-eye coordination, fine-motor and gross-motor skills. They can also practice stacking, grasping, lifting, and tossing them around.
#26. Balance Board Maze
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The balance board maze is ideal for physical therapy sessions at home. The child has to maintain balance while moving while moving the ball around the top of the board. The rotation surface at the bottom is smooth and also has footprint impositions that makes it easier. You can equally use it by hand as it’s super lightweight.
#27. DNA Stress balls
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
You can create different designs that twist, swivel, and turn using the 20 1⅟₂ inch foam balls by putting them together. This will help your child work on their critical thinking, problem-solving, and fine-motor skills. Besides, all the balls are phthalate, latex, and BPA free with smooth uniform texture.
#28. Mini Rainmaker
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The mini rainmaker is easy to grasp and makes a soothing sound similar to that of the rain.
#29. Sensory Bead Ball
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The ball is stimulating, squishy, and incredibly soft on the hands. It has beads that helps prevent it from rolling away.
#30. Primary Science Sensory Tubes
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
15-year-olds can fill the tubes with liquid or solid – think popcorn kernels, bells, feathers then inhale or just shake them up and down. The tubes have dual openings, come in four with two lids that you can comfortably twist off and on.
#31.Spiky Sensory Balls
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
These balls are firm but squeezable. Children can soothe themselves by clutching them ideal for those with down syndrome. They can also double up as sensory brushes or tactile rolls. Plus, they can bounce and are BPA, latex, and phthalates free.
#32. Infinite Loop
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The infinite loop is a soothing way of engaging 15-year-olds that like repetition. They need to use both hands to grip the toy’s handle and try keeping the ball running continually by closing and opening the tracks.
#33. Where Do I Live?
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
In this memory game, the child should match to animals to their respective homes. They don’t need any reading skills and helps strengthen recall, visual discrimination, and classification skills making it the best toy for down syndrome 15-year-olds.
#34. Emotions Flash Cards
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
The cards come in a set of 40 and each feature full colour photographs of emotion or feeling on the side and label on reverse. It encourages conversation, communication, and language development.
Get the best toy from the above recommendations to suit your child’s needs.
