If you were putting together a generic toybox...

[FurrySlipperBoots]

for children staying in your holiday house, what would be good to go in it? Stuff that appeals to all ages, no major choking hazards, nothing with 5000 pieces that'll end up up the hoover all over the house. High quality toys that will keep the little darlings amused for a while and out from under mum and dad's feet...? Any good suggestions?

Cooking utensils. A large cardboard box and some crayons. a doll's pram, a ball, a superhero cape or two, wooden blocks or Duplo

My children aged 3-9 all play with a wooden train track with wooden trains. You can sometimes be lucky and pick them up in charity shops.

Wooden blocks, toy cars, toy food/tea set?

Wooden blocks

Tangram

Duplo

Marble run

Couple of vehicles, couple of animals

Play cooking and food set

Have a look at Kapla blocks - great for all ages

Duplo!

Toy cars and a car mat

And a cupboard of games, uno, pack of cards , happy families, mouse trap (the new one is not like the old one with lots of pieces) snakes and ladders, asda do a cheap range of familiar games.

A plastic tea set. Stomp rockets (for outside use). Hot wheels little cars. Jenga. Uno.

www.mulberrybush.co.uk/giant-road-puzzle?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9uWMjYTP8QIVS5_VCh3KDwH1EAAYAiAAEgJ09_D_BwE

and a few cars and play figures

One of those bead maze things.

Wooden train track and trains
Farm set
Dressing up hats eg fire helmet, police cap etc
Ball
Jenga

Generic things that won't get stolen if a guest 'falls in love' with it.

Play kitchen and food
Wooden train track
Orchard toys board games
Bedtime story book
Duplo or other stacking blocks
Books on tape and tape player in bedroom
Bucket and spade and outdoor toys if appropriate
Lamaze toys
Dolls house

^id go to a charity shop for all of these and be prepared to replenish

A ball. Toy cars. Wooden train set.

Guess who? game
A deck of cards
Snap
Top trump's
Matching pairs
Shopping basket with little fake food packets.
Really difficult to cater for all ages

Wooden train sets (IKEA does a cheap version)
Duplo
Stickle bricks
Stacking cups
Wooden blocks
Wooden animals

@Planttrees

Have a look at Kapla blocks - great for all ages

Kapla is a great suggestion for this. It’s so compelling to build with because the balance of the blocks is perfect. It can be used by any age. It also doesn’t end up as landfill junk if a piece goes missing. It stacks away satisfyingly tidily, but you can use it to make great big towers etc if you like. We discovered Kapla because it was in every Novotel hotel play area for years.

This is always the one visiting children fixated on (not since covid obv) - can't remember what it's called or where I got the bloody thing but I wish I'd kept it for possible grandkids!

www.aliexpress.com/item/4000590848945.html

IKEA wooden train set. IKEA kitchen and pots, pans and utensils. Doll and pram.

Pencils / crayons and paper. Books, jigsaws, orchard games.

Seriously stock up from the charity shop - things will walk (by accident, as much as larceny!) orbreak - check the box after every set of occupants.

Bulk buy playing cards - always good to have a at least two of sets of those available. Also UNO cards and Top Trumps

Tennis balls, a cricket or baseball bat, several footballs, a netball shooting hoop (freestanding or on a walk), water pistols

A couple of board games with broad appeal (that can still be played even if not quite complete) - Articulate and Articulate Junior, Snakes and Ladders etc

Train set, toy cars (and a maybe one of those mats with a road layout), building blocks (you can mix sets), a tub of random Lego (so anything can be built, not a specific thing)

A shelf of books - for all ages (you may find the contents change as guests take and leave). Include if you can find books on different games of patience and how to do magic tricks. Maybe a Rubik's cube and a book on how to do it

Duplo is always popular and too chunky to fit in a hoover. Ikea wooden train set. Don't do pencils/ colouring pens some parents don't supervise and you'll end up redecorating.

We have had to take everything out just now re covid. The most popular was a pack of cards. Due to covid we got some outdoor games instead. Giant connect four, swingball. Those are played with constantly.

Stacking cups (always good to have something to play with in the bath/shower)
Dolls
Cars
Trainset
Wooden blocks
Cooking toys & food
Game of Dobble

Play kitchen/pots and pans
Train set
Cars/floor road mat
Playing cards
Snakes and ladders
Ludo
UNO

Some metre and a half square bits of fabric. They make assorts of things- superhero capes, dresses, veils, long hair! Turbans picnic blankets etc.

Very nice to hear a holiday homeowner doing this, well done you.

Ikea wooden train set. Dobble. Stomp rocket. A floor jigsaw. Guess Who. A simple fancy dress box with capes, tiaras, policeman helmet etc.