[2026] Top 10 Common Toys Used in Hong Kong Kindergarten Interviews to Test Children's Logical Thinking and Coordination Abilities
10 Tips for Preparing for Kindergarten Interviews and Toy Recommendations
Most kindergartens in Hong Kong have admission interviews. During the interviews, many kindergartens will use various toys as a testing tool, mainly to observe the children's hand-foot coordination, logical thinking, cognition and self-care abilities .
[2025] Top 10 Common Toys for Kindergarten Interviews in Hong Kong (Part 1) | Video Introduction to Testing Children's Logical Thinking and Coordination Skills
Kidrise has compiled for parents some of the types of toys that children may have the opportunity to come into contact with during the interview process.
10 Types of Toys You'll See During Kindergarten Job Interviews
1. Blocks
The most common building blocks are cube blocks. The teacher places a few small, colorful cube blocks on the table and asks the children to stack them. This tests the children's understanding of the instructions while also assessing their hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity .
In addition to stacking blocks, the teacher will also ask about the color and shape of the blocks to see the children's reactions . Parents can also practice with their children in advance.
Block toys
Tests children's understanding of instructions and also observes their hand-eye coordination and finger flexibility.
2. Colored glue beads
There are two main types of bead interviews. One is the "bead stringing" format, where children need to string beads into a string. This mainly tests the children's hand-eye coordination, wrist flexibility, and concentration .
The other method is to pick up or scoop the beads. During the interview, the teacher will place two bowls in front of the candidates, one full of beads or marbles, and the other empty. During the exam, you need to use a spoon to scoop the beads or marbles into the other bowl. In addition to using a spoon, using a tongs is also common.
"Bead threading" mainly tests children's hand-eye coordination, wrist flexibility, and concentration.
Colored plastic bead toys
Test your child's hand-eye coordination, wrist flexibility, and concentration
Ohye Montessori Early Childhood Education Bead Clip Teaching Aids (Advanced Color Edition)
Ohye Montessori Early Childhood Education Bead Clipping Teaching Aids (Beginner Edition)
3. Jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzles are generally simple, consisting of only a few pieces, and the designs are mostly animals or vehicles. After the puzzle is completed, the teacher will ask what the animal or vehicle is, which mainly tests the candidate's common sense and cognitive level .
Jigsaw puzzle toys
The puzzles are mostly based on animals and vehicles, mainly to test the candidates' common sense and cognitive level.
4. Find the Difference
The teacher will ask the children to find the similarities or differences between two picture cards. The picture cards are mostly situational pictures, so as to test the children's observation ability .
Find the Different Toys
Tukaduo mainly uses situational pictures to test children's observation ability.
5. Pairing board/hand grip board
The main purpose is to allow children to clearly demonstrate their cognitive abilities . The matching boards or scratch boards may sometimes have shapes, animals, fruits and other patterns. The main purpose is to see if the children can put the patterns back in the correct place, to test the children's sense of space . Sometimes the teacher may ask the children about the colors and shapes on the board.
The matching board/grab board is mainly used to allow children to clearly demonstrate their cognitive abilities and assess their spatial sense.
Matching Board/Scratch Board Toys
The main purpose is to allow children to clearly demonstrate their cognitive abilities and assess their spatial sense.
Goryeo Baby Montessori 👐Hand-grip wooden puzzle📜
Janod Montessori Early Learning 🐬Ocean Animal Shape Matching Toddler Jigsaw Puzzle🐳
6. Tighten the screws
Children need to take time to turn the plastic screw cap in and out, which can test their hand-eye coordination ability .
Screw twisting toys
Children need to turn the plastic screw cap in and out in time, which can test their hand-eye coordination ability.
7. Cutting Fruit
Children need to use toy knives to cut the food. The teacher will ask the children to cut the food, put it together and then cut another portion.
This can test the development of children's hand muscles , see whether they have enough strength to cut food, and then observe their logical thinking in pairing food.
Fruit cutting toys
Test the development of children's hand muscles to see if they have enough strength to cut food, and then observe their logical thinking in pairing food.
Hape E3117 Fresh Fruits STEM Toy Set with Knife
$389.00
8. Context Cards
Teachers may give children some situational pictures. These pictures often show places children and their parents often go to, such as parks, beaches, and supermarkets . Teachers will ask children questions based on the scenes in the pictures. For example, what should you do if you get separated from your parents in a supermarket?
9. Plastic boxes/bottles
The teacher will give the children a plastic box and ask them to open it and take out the items inside. Sometimes the teachers will also ask the children to twist open or twist close the caps of plastic bottles.
In addition to testing the children's fine motor skills , this activity also allows us to observe their daily self-care abilities .
10. Dolls/Role Play
The teacher asked the children to play imaginary games such as "cooking" or "doctor seeing a patient" to see how the children feed dolls, comb their hair, or treat patients as a doctor.
This activity mainly assesses children's cognitive development, imagination, language skills, social skills, and self-care ability .
Dolls/Role Play Toys
It mainly assesses children's cognitive development, imagination, language skills, social skills, and self-care ability.
Summarize
To prepare for the interview, parents can take their children to the school area to familiarize themselves with the environment in advance. This will help reduce children's fear of strangers and the surrounding environment .
If the school offers an open day, parents are encouraged to arrange to visit with their children. Kindergarten interviews are just a small experience in a child's life, so parents shouldn't be overly anxious or nervous. A relaxed attitude will also help your child perform better during the interview. I wish all your children success in getting into their desired kindergarten!
I hope you enjoy today’s preschool toys collection. If you’ve learned more about preschool toys or have other ideas for kindergarten toys, please share them on Kidrise Facebook !
Further reading
How to choose STEM toys in 2023? Five key indicators for choosing fun STEM toys in Hong Kong
2023 Edition: 5 Recommended Kindergarten Toys for Hong Kong Preschoolers
What is the Montessori method?
Self-study tools during the pandemic – 2023's latest STEM toy recommendations
【STEM Education】What is STEM? A new force in Hong Kong's education sector