Toys are important for children (6 months - 4 years old)

            Toys play an important role in child development. It has been noticed that children learn faster when occupied in social games with other children. Nowadays, the markets are flooded with countless toys, but it is important that you pick up the appropriate one that enhances your child’s skills.

            You would have noticed that child’s toys are always colorful; this is because colors excite children while playing and at the same time stimulates the brain of child. Toys of different shapes and sizes help a child to learn about shape recognition, patterns, special relationship and tactile experiences. There are several toys that help in enhancing a child’s memory, hand-eye coordination, motor skills, hygiene, creativity, language skills and patience. When child play with stuffed animals which make noises, they take them to be real. Young girls love baking cookies and cakes in their toy oven for their dolls. These stimulate a child’s imagination power and help them to learn a lot about real life scenarios.

            At a later stage you can introduce board games to your children, which will improve their analytical skills. Board games like dominos and chess will help in developing strategic skills of your child. To improve their vocabulary you can play scrabble with them. It has been noticed that children’s interest change very fast. Therefore if your child does not show interest in a particular toy, you should not force them.

            Research has shown that children’s learning mainly happens through play – and what else is a toy for but to play. Toys for instructional and free play support children to develop a sense of self, responsibility for themselves and others, social behavior, gross and fine motor skills, observation and problem solving skills, logical thinking and math skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

            When children use toys for ‘pretend play,’ they learn how to communicate thoughts, ideas and feelings and they learn to socialize, negotiate, co-operate and resolve conflicts with others. When developmentally and age appropriate, toys are vital tools for children which enable them to acquire basic knowledge in science, math and literacy. Toys are important for children’s development because children learn mainly from doing things, not observing.

Toys for young infants (birth-6 months):

            Babies like to look at people following them with their eyes. Typically, they prefer faces and bright colors. Babies can reach, be fascinated with what their hands and feet can do, lift their heads, turn their heads toward sounds, put things in their mouths, and much more!

Good toys for young infants:

·         Things they can reach for, hold, suck on, shake, make noise with - squeeze toys, teething toys, soft dolls, textured balls, and vinyl and board books

·         Things to listen to - books with nursery rhymes and poems, and recordings of lullabies and simple songs

·         Things to look at - pictures of faces hung so baby can see them and unbreakable mirrors

Toys for older infants (7-12 months):

            Older babies are movers typically they go from rolling over and sitting, to scooting, bouncing, creeping, pulling themselves up, and standing. They understand their own names and other common words, can identify body parts, find hidden objects, and put things in and out of containers.

Good toys for older infants:

·         Things to play pretend with - baby dolls, puppets, vehicles with wheels, and water toys

·         Things to drop and take out - plastic bowls, large beads, and balls

·         Things to build with - large soft blocks and wooden cubes

·         Things to use their large muscles with - large balls, push and pull toys, and low, soft things to crawl over

Toys for 1 year old:

            1 year old are on the go! Typically they can walk steadily and even climb stairs. They enjoy stories, say their first words, and can play next to other children (but not yet with!). They like to experiment but need adults to keep them safe.

Good toys for 1 year old:

·         Board books with simple illustrations or photographs of real objects

·         Recordings with songs, rhymes, simple stories, and pictures

·         Things to create with - wide non-toxic, washable markers, crayons, and large paper

·         Things to pretend with - toy phones, dolls and doll beds, baby carriages and strollers, dress-up accessories (scarves, purses), puppets, stuffed toys, plastic animals, and “realistic” vehicles

·         Things to build with - cardboard and wood blocks (can be smaller than those used by infants that is 2-4 inches)

·         Things for using their large and small muscles - puzzles, large pegboards, toys with parts that do things (dials, switches, knobs, lids), and large and small balls

Toys for 2 years old (toddlers):

            Toddlers are rapidly learning language and have some sense of danger. Nevertheless they do a lot of physical “testing”: jumping from heights, climbing, hanging by their arms, rolling, and rough-and-tumble play. They have good control of their hands and fingers and like to do things with small objects.

Good toys for toddler:

·         Things for solving problems - wood puzzles (4-12 pieces), blocks that snap together, objects to sort (by size, shape, color, smell), and things with hooks, buttons, buckles, and snaps

·         Things for pretending and building - blocks, smaller transportation toys, construction sets, child-sized furniture (kitchen sets, chairs, play food), dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, puppets, and sand and water play toys

·         Things to create with - large non-toxic, washable crayons and markers, large paintbrushes and finger paint, large paper for drawing and painting, colored construction paper, toddler-sized scissors with blunt tips, chalkboard and large chalk, and rhythm instruments

·         Picture books with more details than books for younger children

·         CD and DVD players with a variety of music

·         Things for using their large and small muscles - large and small balls for kicking and throwing, ride-on equipment (but probably not tricycles until children are 3), tunnels, low climbers with soft material underneath, and pounding and hammering toys

Toys for 3-6 years old (preschoolers and kindergarteners):

            Preschoolers and kindergartners have longer attention spans than toddlers. Typically they talk a lot and ask a lot of questions. They like to experiment with things and with their still-emerging physical skills. They like to play with friends and don’t like to lose! They can take turns and sharing one toy by two or more children is often possible for older preschoolers and kindergarteners.

Good toys for 3-6 years old:

·         Things for solving problems - puzzles (12-20+ pieces), blocks that snap together, collections and other smaller objects to sort by length, width, height, shape, color, smell, quantity, and other features, collections of plastic bottle caps, plastic bowls and lids, keys, shells, counting bears, small colored blocks

·         Things for pretending and building - many blocks for building complex structures, transportation toys, construction sets, child-sized furniture (“apartment” sets, play food), dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, puppets and simple puppet theaters, and sand and water play toys

·         Things to create with - large and small crayons and markers, large and small paintbrushes and finger paint, large and small paper for drawing and painting, colored construction paper, preschooler-sized scissors, chalkboard and large and small chalk, modeling clay and play dough, modeling tools, paste, paper and cloth scraps for collage, and instruments—rhythm instruments and keyboards, xylophones, maracas, and tambourines

·         Picture books with even more words and more detailed pictures than toddler books

·         CD and DVD players with a variety of music

·         Things for using their large and small muscles - large and small balls for kicking and throwing/catching, ride-on equipment including tricycles, tunnels, taller climbers with soft material underneath, wagons and wheelbarrows, plastic bats and balls, plastic bowling pins, targets and things to throw at them, and a workbench with a vise, hammer, nails, and saw

·         If a child has access to a computer: programs that are interactive (the child can do something) and that children can understand (the software uses graphics and spoken instruction, not just print), children can control the software’s pace and path, and children have opportunities to explore a variety of concepts on several levels