Summer is here and chances are you are scrambling to keep your kids entertained and occupied. Especially when you live in places like the Southwest where outdoor play is reduced to the morning hours. Other than a daily trip to the pool, how do you keep your kids creatively engaged?

Here are our family’s top 5 toys. I have 4 girls and 2 boys. The toys I selected were the ones all of them have played with the most over the years. They are liked by both genders equally, are timeless,  and encourage hours of creative play. And most importantly, they don’t make any noise!

These are the toys I will keep for my grandchildren. I like them that much. Playmobil and Legos have larger versions for pre-school age kids called Duplo and Playmobil 123. I’m thrilled that the Lego company is finally targeting girls with their “Friends” line.

Schleich makes a huge variety of animals (it is through them that people like me learn what a sperm whale looks like) but also figures like knights and princesses.

How about you, what are your favorite toys? Did you keep any from your childhood? A lot of my friends from Germany still have their Playmobil.

-Sofija