From Toddler to Teenager: Fantasy Games for All Ages

[talien]

Okay, so my wife is pregnant with our first child and I'm eager to start buying toys for my baby...which is premature, I know. But I've been thinking about all the cool fantasy-themed stuff that's out there, and what ages they're appropriate for. I'm not expecting to buy the kid a Player's Handbook any time soon, but I do like the idea of buying knights and dragons and such for him/her to play with. I know that some of my first toys were Playmobil knights and dragons, and I suspect a lot of that had to do with my interest in fantasy later in life.

So any suggestions for sword-and-sorcery style toys and for what age groups (specifically under five)?

 

[Bert the Ogre]

I can't think of anything specific, BUT my local game store has quite a few stuffed dragons, etc, that might be interesting for a newborn. Keep your eyes out for some of the "Playsets" Wal-Mart offers. I've seen fantasy characters, Harry Potter-esque characters, faries and a few others mixed in with the farm animals and police characters. It's just a matter of heeping your eyes open, and a willingness to get down on the floor and play with your kids.

Works for me.

 

[Tonguez]

one of the first toys I bought my son was a stuffed Wild Thning (one of the monsters from the 'Where the Wild Things Are book) - my inlaws thought I was weird

by age 4 he was into 'swords' and swordfighting

when he was 6 I introduced him to bow and arrow

I have a pirate playset however by age 4 my son (now 7) decided he liked trucks, tractors and farm animals (my inlaws are farmers and my son has told us he wants to be a vet) so most of his toys fit that mould or educational stuff (which again mostly feature animals)

 

[arscott]

It's not technically sword and sorcery, but my friends bought their infant daughter a set of plush dice that she seems to enjoy.

 

[Chris Tavares]

Okay, so my wife is pregnant with our first child and I'm eager to start buying toys for my baby...which is premature, I know. But I've been thinking about all the cool fantasy-themed stuff that's out there, and what ages they're appropriate for. I'm not expecting to buy the kid a Player's Handbook any time soon, but I do like the idea of buying knights and dragons and such for him/her to play with. I know that some of my first toys were Playmobil knights and dragons, and I suspect a lot of that had to do with my interest in fantasy later in life.

So any suggestions for sword-and-sorcery style toys and for what age groups (specifically under five)?

Go for the plush D20 first and foremost. But pay attention to what your child likes. We got our son dice, and stuffed dragons, and took him to renfaires... his favorite toys are matchbox cars. Oh well. ;-)

 

[Xyanthon]

My son is almost 3 and has loved Dragons, Castles, and Knights since he was about 2. He has quite a few stuffed Dragons and loves to look at books with pictures of Dragons. Living in Japan, Dragons are a pretty common sight as far as statuary goes and he LOVES them. I think starting off with stuffed critters is the way to go and then move into wooden toys (there are some pretty cool wooden castle and knight sets that are availiable). My son is pretty good with Playmobile, however there are so many small parts that they can easily get lost and cause a mess (not to mention they are a choking hazard). When he gets a couple of years older. we'll introduce Legos, playmobile and the like.

 

[spectre72]

We are wroking on finishing an international adoption, and I have bought a set of plush dice for my daughter when she arrives. I sure hope she likes them

 

[takasi]

I recently bought a bunch of Weeble "Storybook" sets for my cousin (just turned 1). Knights, Ogres, Castles, Princesses, Horses, Dragons...

Then there is Imaginext for 3-6 year olds.

Once they are 7+ they can start playing with D&D miniatures as toys. You can also get Schleich toys from Target.

Legos are also good, as well as Heroscape and Dragons Metal Ages and other building block sets.

 

[talien]

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for all his advice, it's really useful. I already bought my wife the big plush 20-sided for Valentine's Day, but I've got to say that I'm not entirely sure it's baby safe. In fact, I don't think any of the plushies are made of material that's safe for babies (you know, the part where they tear the thing open and eat the stuffing). This has nothing to do with the quality of the plush and everything to do with the fact that they're not really designed for children. Of course, I've since taken the tags off so I'm not entirely sure this is accurate...please correct me if you have one of the plush dice.

Love the Imaginext stuff! Heck, I want some of it!

The weeble Storybook sets are interesting. Where do you get those?

 

[takasi]

The weeble Storybook sets are interesting. Where do you get those?

You can get everything at Target.