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There is a mitzva to educate children to study Torah on Shabbat, and communities should offer many Shabbat Torah classes for children. At the same time, children are allowed to play on Shabbat. This permission applies to board games (such as chess and backgammon) and memory games, as long as the winner does not win money or food. As for adults, some forbid playing and others permit it as long as it does not detract from Torah study time.
All games that involve writing, pasting, cutting, or knotting are forbidden on Shabbat. Children are allowed to put together jigsaw puzzles or form words by joining letters on a board. Children may also play with Lego or other interlocking blocks, build with them, and take apart what they have built. However, they may not build model planes or boats, if doing so requires a great deal of precision and they are meant to last for a long time.
Compressing a spring on a toy car so the car will move forward is permitted as long as the car does not make noise or light up. Battery-operated toys may not be used.
Children may not play with toy musical instruments. However, an adult may give a baby a toy that makes noise when it is shaken or when a button is pushed.
