Awesome Toys to ENGAGE with Autism

Has your child ever opened a toy and then won’t even touch it, as if it were repulsive or demoralizing?? Yeah, that has happened a lot over here. It’s the worst. It is so hard to buy gifts for Jack! I never know how he will respond to particular toys. I think it’s especially hard to buy for those on the Autism Spectrum because you never know what will over OR under-stimulate their senses.

Well, today I am sharing toys and games that Jack has responded to exceptionally well. They excite and engage him. This will act as Autism Gift Guide, if you will. You might notice that a lot of these items are traditional and ‘ordinary’, but sometimes it’s the simple things that are right up his alley. Keep in mind that Jack is 7, so I’ll be sharing things that have engaged him up to this point in time. Also, these are the items that have worked for my Jack; as we all know, each person on the Spectrum is different and I don’t know exactly what others would connect with and like.

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This thing will mesmerize your entire family!

First up, a gift we’ve been enjoying since August: The MaBoRun Marble Maze, which is a battery-operated marble run that you just watch. It is fascinating guys! It definitely gets a lot of flaps and jumps from Jack as he watches the marbles spin and drop and climb. We’ve kept it on our kitchen counter ever since Jack’s birthday and it is turned on by one of us, plus friends who visit, almost daily.

This classic toy is versatile and fun for all. Just be ready to build most of it yourself!

More on marbles…this is a pretty common toy, but worth mentioning: a build it yourself Marble Run. This is the exact one we have, but I’d guess most brands are great. This has been used by all of our kids and everyone loves it, even me! You get to build the track any way you want. Jack loves to dump all of the marbles in at once and then jump around as they spin and run the track.

A simple game that gets Jack moving with his siblings.

Next is the Move and Groove Dance Game from Think Fun. It’s a simple game, where you roll the large padded die and whichever color it lands on determines which dance action you do. The dance cards are simple actions, such as dance like a robot or twirl like a ballerina. I love that it gets Jack up and moving and interacting with his siblings or visitors that gather around when we pull it out.

A silly running around game that Jack loves!

We have owned this game for about 12 years and it’s always fun for our younger kids: Cranium Hullabaloo! It’s an action game where you place the pads around the room and then push the speaker button on the console. It tells you what kind of pad to touch and what actions to do as you run there. Jack and his little sister have come up with some pretty creative ways to lay the pads around the room with obstacles to run around.

A helpful item we take on outings to keep Jack entertained and quiet.

Here’s a small item, perfect to stick in your bag for outings: an “oil and water toy“. We have several types of these, such as one with a spinning wheel. Once again, mesmerizing for the whole family! I oftentimes hand one to Jack during church to watch quietly. It’s also good for something to do in the car.

Bop It has provided hours of entertainment for Jack. He’s a master!

Speaking of the car, we have a few toys that are great at home, but are also awesome on car trips. These toys are so meaningful to us that I’ve already talked about them in other blog posts. First up: Bop It . (Go check out my post on it and see some thoughts it spurred on eye contact!) We actually own Bop It Extreme, which is more complicated and classic, but it’s currently crazy expensive (I guess it’s discontinued?), so keep your eyes peeled for a used one!

Oh Simon, how we love you!

Our other car toy is Simon. Check out this post that describes how trusty Simon kinda saved our family camping trip. We have this compact version and it fits nicely in Jack’s hands. We also own Simon Air and Simon Trickster. Yes, we love Simon. And yes, we have very noisy car rides. Both Bop It and Simon give verbal directions of what buttons to push or actions to do in a sequence that get harder and faster. Right up Jack’s alley!

Gets us outside, jumping and running around.

Now for some physically engaging toys: the stomp rocket. I wrote a thorough review of it in this past post. Jack has to jump on a pad and the foam rocket shoots up in the sky. He learns how hard to jump and how to aim it for his maximum enjoyment. All of our kids have enjoyed it, even the neighbor kids who come over to watch what we’re doing.

This pogo jumper can give Jack a real workout.

And the foam pogo jumper. This toy reminds me of the early days of Jack’s autism, when I was trying to find good toys for DIY Occupational Therapy. It takes strength, balance, and coordination, so you might have to work up to it. But it gets Jack jumping and he has to work hard to do it. To be honest, this is a toy that I have to suggest and talk him into, because it is more of a therapy toy, but he does enjoy it once he gets going. As his mom, I like it for the workout it gives him.

My other suggestions consist of just the regular old classic games, such as Sorry, Connect 4, Twister, Battleship, Don’t Break the Ice and Candyland. I learned through Jack’s behavioral therapy that games are amazing at teaching turns, patience, rules, order, social skills, and appropriate ways to win or lose. Jack has recently learned chess and even competed in a tournament. He held his own and had a great time! Games are amazing at teaching and uniting. We love our family game nights and I am THRILLED that Jack is starting to join in!

Wow, I’ve really enjoyed thinking about the great times we’ve had playing with these games and toys. I’m excited to share these gift ideas with you and I’d LOVE to hear what YOU would recommend. After all, I need ideas for new gifts to give to Jack this year!

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