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Spend any time in an online forum with parents of children with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), and you’ll see a common theme that gets asked repeatedly. It’s also something I have been asked many times through the blog and/or the Everyday CVI Instagram page.

“What toys does your child like?”

Of course, each person with CVI is unique – and just because one child gravitates to a particular toy doesn’t necessarily mean that another child with CVI will be equally interested in it. But more often than not, children that are in similar CVI Phases and/or have comparable mobility tend to enjoy related toys/activities (which surely stems from the fact that there are 10 shared CVI characteristics).

At some point I planned to write about the incredible birthday gifts Rosalie received when she turned 2, the amazing Christmas gifts from last year that enhanced our everyday play, and (most recently) my all-time favorites from her 3rd birthday…but despite my best intentions, life happened and here we are entering the end-of-year holiday season of 2020 and I have yet to impart this information. But all of that changes today!

Without further ado, I’ve compiled a giant list of all the wonderful toys I’ve been meaning to share about for months. The easiest way for me to do this is to simply share about what’s currently in our playroom! It’s not practical or helpful for me to list literally every single thing in the room, especially because I have other children that play with things that are not visually accessible to Rosalie. Rather, I’m sharing all of the things Rosalie actually plays with and/or I’m working on intentionally introducing (you know, novelty).

Let’s get to it!

Stuffed Animals/Dolls

• Elmo (Gund Sesame Street Take Along 12″ plush)
• Big Bird (Gund Sesame Street Take Along 12″ plush)
• Cookie Monster (Gund Sesame Street Take Along 12″ plush)
• Snuffleupagus (Gund Sesame Street 16″ plush)
• Grover (Gund Fuzzy Plush Buddy 14″)
• TY Beanie Boo Panda Bear (we have a larger version of this one)
• TY Beanie Boo Owl (we have this style in a different color – but I actually like the purple!)
• Madeline Doll
• Gund Peek-A-Boo Bear

Plastic Animals

• Learning Resources Jumbo Domestic Pets
• Learning Resources Jumbo Farm Animals (this set is/was temporarily unavailable on Amazon, but they do have this similar Jumbo Farm Animals Mommas & Babies set in stock)
• Learning Resources Farm Animal Counters
• Learning Resources Hide-N-Go Moo (we call this our “Peekaboo Barn” and hide all kinds of familiar, favorite, small toys inside)
• Misc. Safari Animals (similar to these)
• Misc. Sea Creatures (similar to these)
• Misc. Schleich animals (like this Farm World set)

Musical Light-Up Toys

• Baby Einstein Octopus Orchestra Musical Toy
• Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Orchestra Turtle
• Sesame Street Let’s Dance Elmo (we call this “Dancing Elmo”)
• VTech Zoo Jamz Xylophone
• Bright Starts Having a Ball Roll & Chase Bumble Bee
• Bright Starts Press and Glow Spinner
• LeapFrog Learn and Groove Color Play Drum
• Baby Einstein Rock, Light, and Roll Guitar
• Baby Einstein Ocean Glow Sensory Shaker
• Baby Einstein Star Bright Symphony Toy
• Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Smart Phone
• Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Toy (you can see how I adapted it here)
• Baby Einstein Keys to Discover Piano (this one is/was out of stock, but this Baby Einstein Discover & Play Piano appears similar)

Make sure to check out my list of “10 Favorite Light-Up Toys” for even more – especially if you’re in search of some musical “tummy time” toys not mentioned here!

Music Makers

• Nino Percussion Plastic Egg Shakers (set of 4)
• PlanToys Drum (you can see how I adapted it here; if the pattern is too complex, I would recommend covering the sides with solid-colored tape)
• Wrist Band Bells (8 piece set; these are fun for making music, but can also be worn to help teach body part awareness)
• Infantino Turtle Cover Band 8-Piece Percussion Set
• Boom Box with CD player (the exact model we have is not in stock, but this one by the same brand is similar)

When selecting musical instruments (real and play), I suggest considering the pitch and type of sound each one makes; many children with CVI have heightened hearing and/or are sensitive to sounds. My daughter is incredibly musical, but certain toy instruments exude tones that make her cry. Our family has many instruments, but the ones listed above are the only ones she currently enjoys.

Toy Kitchen and Food

• Hape Gourmet Wooden Play Kitchen (I love the simple design, bright colors, and color contrast that makes the dials and handles visually pop!)
• Melissa and Doug Food Groups
• Melissa and Doug Cutting Food
• Learning Resources Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set (I love love love the texture and realistic shape of these toy foods for my CVI warrior)

Books

• So Big! (A Sesame Street Beginnings Book)
• The Happy Little Yellow Box by David A. Carter
• Animals by Roger Priddy
• Bright Baby Touch & Feel Boxed Set, which includes On the Farm, Baby Animals, At the Zoo, and Perfect Pets by Roger Priddy
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri
• The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

Make sure you also check out my list of 8+ Beginning Books for CVI. 🙂

Stacking and Building

• Fisher-Price Light-Up Lion Stacker
• Fat Brain Toys SpinAgain Stacking Toy
• SoftZone Patchwork Toddler Block Playset (these have definitely gone up in price in recent months during the pandemic, but for what it’s worth I love ours and we use them daily)
• Brio Magnetic Building Blocks (which I shared about here)
• Magformers Magnetic Building Blocks (these work great on a light box and are similar to Magna-Tiles, but more budget-friendly)

Puzzles

• All of the ones I previously shared in my CVI DIY: Adapting Puzzles post

Ride-On and Movement Toys

• Saturnian Soccer Ball, Black with Color Spots (this has “fun gripper technology,” which basically means it’s easy to grip and a fun tactile experience on every color spot)
• Rody Horse (this comes in a variety of bright colors! We opted for yellow with a red saddle)
• Trideer Exercise Ball (Rosalie uses this as a fun core-strengthening activity by bouncing with a grown-up’s support, has fun rocking in all directions on her stomach/back, and beats it like a big drum; I also taught her the concepts of up/down, forward/backward, and sideways/right/left playing with movement on our ball)
• Little Tikes First Indoor/Outdoor Slide (check out how I highlighted the steps and sides with bright tape)
• Thomas the Tank Engine Ride On (I couldn’t find our exact version to link to, but you can see how I adapted ours here)
• Misc. balls (like these sensory balls or these indoor/outdoor balls)

Miscellaneous

• Crayola Mess-Free Touch Lights (a musical doodle board – which does have an option to turn the music off)
• Sesame Street Figures (like this Playskool Collector Pack or this set for added complexity)
• Reversible Sequin Pillowcase (and throw pillow insert)
• Minnie’s Happy Helpers Rotary Phone
• Wooden Thomas & Friends Trains (my favorite is Victor; a red engine with yellow wheels!)

American Printing House Products

Note: In the United States, be sure to speak with your Teacher for the Visually Impaired (TVI) about getting these materials through the use of federal quota funds. I did not purchase any of these APH products. Full disclosure: I probably have more APH products at the moment, but these are the ones I could think of (and find product names for!) off the top of my head. 😉

• Mini-Lite Box
• Light Box Materials (Level I, Level II)
• Swirly Mats
• CVI Complexity Sequence Kit
• All-In-One Board
• Textured Pegs
• Textured Matching Blocks
• Grandstand: Portable Reading Easel (Yellow)
• “The Littlest Pumpkin” book (which I shared about here)

And there you have it! For additional ideas, make sure you check out these posts from the archives:

• 10 Favorite Light-Up Toys
• 14 More Gifts for a Child with CVI
• CVI Holidays: Activities, Gifts, and Dollar Store Finds
• 8+ Beginning Books for CVI

Last but not least, as we enter into this holiday season I highly recommend reading “The CVI parent’s guide to the holidays.” This article (found on the newly-launched CVI Now website) shares tips and tricks on how to approach the complexity and novelty of the holidays and gift-giving for your child with CVI. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!