A Guide to Shopping for Age-Appropriate Toys
This morning I saw a news in which I read that a 2-year-old child of a famous television actor died in a freak accident where he swallowed a plastic toy. Parents and family members take complete care of children with utmost vigilance and safety, yet things sometimes slip and such unfortunate incidents happen. Let us try to be more cautious and introduce our children to the right kind of toys. By the right kind of toys, I mean age-appropriate toys that follow safety and ability guidelines. When children are surrounded by age-appropriate toys, the possibility of such an incident can be prevented.
The toy market is full of attractive options. It is very important to choose the right kind of toys for your children. A guide to age-appropriate toys will definitely come in handy.
Remember these points before choosing a toy for your child:
1. Toys play an essential role in child development
2. Children’s ability to pay attention increases with age
3. Always look for the age range mentioned on the toy
4. Children learn a lot from the types of toys they play with
5. Some toys are only for educational purposes
6. Some toys only help in entertainment
7. Never go for toys that are beyond your child’s age limit
While these pointers help in choosing age-appropriate toys, let us take a look at some age-appropriate toys that can help in the overall development of the child depending on the developmental stages. By holistic development I mean:
1. Physical development (fine motor skills and gross motor skills)
2. social and emotional development
3. mental or cognitive development
4. problem-solving skills
Infant (0-6 months)
Children at this age spend most of their time sleeping. Their vision is not 100% clear and the blind are trying to recognize faces in the world. At the end of this stage, babies are able to move their neck and head and try to grasp things they see.
Play Gym
Play gyms are gym mats that give your child an open space to move their hands and kick. These playmates come with mobiles which the child tries to understand and play with. Play gyms help children develop their gross motor skills through kicks. This develops their fine motor skills when they try to grab those hanging mobiles (at a later stage). Some play gyms come with music and the music makes them happy. A play gym is also an excellent toy to enhance hand-eye coordination.
Rattles
Rattles help baby’s sensory skills. Be sure to choose rattles that do not have small beads as they can be a safety hazard. In the later stage the baby tries to hold the rattle and explore the sounds. Rattles can help distract babies if they are cranky or restless.
Stuffed animals or soft toys
Babies learn the sense of touch with soft toys. It helps in developing their sensory skills. As they grow into this stage, they are able to correlate toys with names that adults use like animal names. Bath toys also create excitement in babies. These toys help in improving their exploratory skills. 8-9 month old babies can sit and if toys are thrown at a distance there is curiosity to reach for the toy which in turn helps in stimulating their gross motor skills need to crawl.
Infant (6-12 months)
At this age they are able to hold things. By the end of this stage, they are able to sit, crawl or even walk. Their large and small muscles are developing and they are eager to explore. They have better problem-solving skills and are completely in exploratory mode.
Building Blocks and Shape Sorter
Wooden blocks or soft blocks help them understand the concept of balance. These toys help develop fine motor skills and if played with peers help develop social skills. Shape sorters help children with problem-solving skills. Both these toys help children in hand-eye coordination and cognitive development.
Soft Balls, Push and Pull Toys
Softballs help children develop their large motor skills when they try to kick. Push and pull toys improve their little muscles and hence develop their fine motor skills. You can also introduce some soft obstacles for your baby to climb over. This is a fun way to enhance physical development.
Infants (12-18 months)
Most of the children in this age range are engaged in physical activities. They are extremely curious and open to absorbing from their surroundings.
Kneading Dough
This is an excellent sensory play. Playdough triggers a child’s imagination and brings out creativity. It also develops fine motor skills and helps in cognitive development.
Puzzles, Pegboard, Dolls and Life Skills Toys
Puzzles and pegboards help develop problem-solving skills and cognitive skills while enhancing fine motor skills. Dolls and life skills toys like prams, and automobiles help them connect with real-life skills and get their imagination in action.
Child (2-3 years)
By now children are more active and aware of their surroundings. They are more verbal and expressive.
Electronic toys
While some self-learning electronic toys can be introduced from 18 months onwards, toys like remote-operated automobiles should be introduced only after 2 years. Children have better dexterity to operate Remo. These toys help children develop this fine muscle and hand-eye coordination.
Play games
Children in this age range are in parallel play where they play as individuals or with peers in a group. Children love pretend play at this age where they like to dress up like a family member or any other character and carry out their actions. Kitchen sets, baby strollers, character costumes, etc. are some examples of such toys. Pretend play helps develop social and emotional skills while enhancing their imagination.
Preschoolers (3+ years)
By this age children are ready to go to school. Their curiosity knows no bounds and this is the period when their absorptive capacity is at its maximum.
Bicycles and other outdoor toys
Bicycle or tricycle, scooter, bat ball, racket ball and other such outdoor games are best at this age. This gives them a lot of exposure to outside plays and helps a lot in developing their social emotional and physical skills. These outdoor games also create a sense of competition in children.
Chess and Board Games
Indoor games like chess, snakes and ladders and other board games are a great way to engage your kids while keeping them away from screens. These games increase their focus and attention span. They help develop problem-solving skills and enhance cognitive and social development.
Apart from the toys listed above, there are many other toys that help in the overall development of the child from childhood onwards. Parents need to ensure a relationship of safety with each toy they present to the child. So it is important to buy suitable toys for kids and right kind of baby toys for kids which can enhance the learning of kids and help in building their personality in a positive way.